Arctic could be free of summer sea ice by 2035

In July,less sea ice covered the Arctic Ocean.The high temperatures in the Arctic during this period have baffled scientists for decades-in particular the processes through which the warming led to the loss of the sea ice.

Scientists began tracking in 1979 with satellites. In July 1980s,the ice covered an average of about 3.8 million square miles. This July,sea ice covered only 2.8 million square miles.Every year on an average, arctic sea ice decline by 27000 square miles.

According to UK Met Office's Headley center

Climate model has allowed scientists to compare Arctic sea ice conditions during the last interglacial period with the present day.The team said that the arctic sea will completely lost its ice by 2035.

This is because the model reveals that intense spring sunshine resulted in the creation of large numbers of “melt ponds”.These melt ponds dictate how much sunlight is absorbed by the ice sheets and how much is reflected back into space.

Ice has a higher albedo (reflectivity) than water, and as the number and size of melt ponds grow, consequently the amount of energy absorbed from the sun rises - warming the planet further and causing further melting.

“High temperatures in the Arctic have puzzled scientists for decades.

Unravelling this mystery was technically and scientifically challenging. For the first time, we can begin to see how the Arctic became sea ice-free during the last interglacial.

The advances made in climate modelling means that we can create a more accurate simulation of the Earth’s past climate, which, in turn gives us greater confidence in model predictions for the future.”

said joint lead author Dr Maria Vittoria Guarino, Earth System Modeller at British Antarctic Survey (BAS).