Northern Exposure To Greatest Climate Change? Cryosat Should Find Out

CLIMATE SCIENCE

Artist's impression of the CryoSat satellite in orbit. Credits: ESA.

Paris (ESA) Sep 28, 2005
Current climate models forecast that the impact of global warming will increase the further a region is from the equator. Ice thickness results from ESA's CryoSat will shortly indicate whether these predictions are on the right lines.

Whereas different meteorological models each have their own projections for our future climate they all appear to agree on one point: the Arctic climate will change more quickly and severely by comparison to any other location. "That in itself is reason enough to await the CryoSat data with high expectations," says meteorologist Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen of the Meteorological Institute of Denmark (DMI).

Last year DMI contributed to the report Impacts of a Warming Arctic, published by the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), a body that resembles the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) but with its remit focused on the Poles.

According to the climatologists, global warming will be more dramatic the further one moves north. To give one example, the ACIA predicts the mean average temperature will have risen three degrees Celsius in Denmark but no less than seven degrees in the Northern part of Greenland.

Obviously a number of circumstances will still influence the situation and we don't know what the actual level of temperatures will actually be in 75 years time. However the tendency is clear: for the most dramatic changes, look north.

"Data from satellites is the best tool to verify if the models we have developed are indeed accurate," Hesselbjerg Christensen adds.

Catastrophic change ahead?

Asked whether Arctic climate change will affect Europe, Hesselbjerg Christensen answers: "Well, I too saw the movie 'The Day After Tomorrow', in which the Gulf Stream collapses and dramatic climate change takes place. Climatologists are in strong disagreement whether something like that could actually happen.

"We know the Gulf Stream has been absent in ancient times, but that was during the Ice Age. Right now we are between Ice Ages and there is no evidence of the Gulf Stream having stopped in such circumstances previously. On the other hand we are approaching temperatures that haven't been observed for a very long period of time and I would not exclude the possibility of the Gulf Stream being weakened.

"At the very least the possibility is a joker in the pack. There is no way however that the very rapid change taking place in 'The Day After Tomorrow' could really happen."

The Danish climatologist underlines that if you look in a large enough time-scale perspective, the rise in temperatures measured so far is hardly unprecedented. From research on ice core samples it has been established that the temperature in Greenland has on some occasions taken a four to six degree jump, which is the same level as predicted in the ACIA report.

"However the earlier temperature jumps have occurred in ice age periods. So far the temperature has not risen all that much but the question is whether we are about to pass a 'point of no return' where the climate gets out of balance in a way that well start a vicious cycle. We do not have an answer to that as this point.

"It will be of great value to have up-to-date satellite data of high quality. And the longer time the satellite can stay in service, the higher the quality of analysis we will be able to make."

Because the amount sea ice is a factor in the development of weather, the meteorologist believes that CryoSat measurements of sea ice could also help with weather forecasting.

CLIMATE SCIENCE

Land Surface Change On Alaska Tundra Creating Longer, Warmer Summers in Arctic

Charlottesville VA (SPX) Sep 26, 2005
A gradual lengthening of the snow-free season in Alaska's tundra, and a corresponding northward progression of the growth of shrubs and trees, may be creating a cycle of warmer and longer summers in the Alaskan Arctic according to a new study to be published in the Sept. 22, 2005, issue of Science Express.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.