New research indicates that although Arctic sea ice will melt away as the climate continues to warm, it may temporarily stabilise or expand over the next few decades.
The study, based on computer modelling, indicates that under current climate conditions, Arctic ice is as likely to expand as it is to contract for periods of up to a decade.
“Even though the observed ice loss has accelerated over the last decade, the fate of sea ice over the next decade depends not only on human activity but also on climate variability that cannot be predicted,” National Center for Atmospheric Research scientist Jennifer Kay said.
Danderson
logged in via Twitter
This is a highly contradictory conclusion. "next few decades", so that's like the next 20-40 years? Isn't the climate expected to warm over that time period? And hence, the ice _will_ melt further (or more correctly, the ice-melt will increase - it's always melting seasonally). You can't have a bet each way and at the same time claim a climate catastrophe is on the horizon.
“When you start looking at longer-term trends, 50 or 60 years, there’s no escaping the loss of ice in the summer,” Kay says.
To what extent? Ice is always lost in the summer, lots! Are we talking about the "ice free Arctic" scientists were previously predicting?
Come on, more discussion on this on!