1 00:00:04,490 --> 00:00:09,210 the polar ice caps have been shrinking 2 00:00:06,990 --> 00:00:11,910 in summer and expanding in winter for 3 00:00:09,210 --> 00:00:14,219 millions of years but in the last three 4 00:00:11,910 --> 00:00:15,900 decades the Arctic sea ice at the end of 5 00:00:14,219 --> 00:00:18,990 each summers melt has been getting 6 00:00:15,900 --> 00:00:22,109 steadily smaller the decline was already 7 00:00:18,990 --> 00:00:23,849 alarming but in 2007 when the sea ice 8 00:00:22,109 --> 00:00:26,430 melts shattered the previous record by 9 00:00:23,850 --> 00:00:27,960 almost twenty-five percent researchers 10 00:00:26,430 --> 00:00:30,990 at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 11 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:34,380 wondered is this an anomaly or part of 12 00:00:30,990 --> 00:00:38,940 an even more alarming trend we have had 13 00:00:34,380 --> 00:00:42,540 low ice cover since 1998 in the Arctic 14 00:00:38,940 --> 00:00:45,539 and what that means is that you have 15 00:00:42,540 --> 00:00:48,809 more open water in the region and with 16 00:00:45,539 --> 00:00:52,710 more open water you're getting more 17 00:00:48,809 --> 00:00:55,468 solar energy into the system so the 18 00:00:52,710 --> 00:00:59,550 Arctic Ocean has actually been warming 19 00:00:55,469 --> 00:01:01,770 up as the ice melts less light energy is 20 00:00:59,550 --> 00:01:03,629 reflected back into space and more of 21 00:01:01,770 --> 00:01:07,200 the sun's energy is absorbed into the 22 00:01:03,629 --> 00:01:09,330 ocean which fuels further melting in 23 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,510 march two thousand eight the ice cap 24 00:01:09,330 --> 00:01:14,460 rebounded to a near normal winter level 25 00:01:11,510 --> 00:01:16,920 but much of this ice was thin single 26 00:01:14,460 --> 00:01:18,899 year ice and after a record rate of 27 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:21,119 melting in the month of August the ice 28 00:01:18,900 --> 00:01:24,479 shrank to its second smallest extent on 29 00:01:21,119 --> 00:01:26,850 record if it keeps on going then the 30 00:01:24,479 --> 00:01:30,929 potential is that you lose the perennial 31 00:01:26,850 --> 00:01:34,110 ice altogether then we'll have a blue 32 00:01:30,930 --> 00:01:37,430 ocean in the Arctic now if the ocean 33 00:01:34,110 --> 00:01:41,490 becomes low there will be a lot of 34 00:01:37,430 --> 00:01:45,479 environmental impacts there are a lot of 35 00:01:41,490 --> 00:01:47,369 ecological impacts chemie so says the 30 36 00:01:45,479 --> 00:01:49,590 years of satellite data we have on 37 00:01:47,369 --> 00:01:52,500 Arctic sea ice suggests that it's not 38 00:01:49,590 --> 00:01:54,899 likely to recover as a scientist he is 39 00:01:52,500 --> 00:01:58,229 intrigued by the trends but personally 40 00:01:54,899 --> 00:02:00,770 he worries about the planets future well 41 00:01:58,229 --> 00:02:05,869 it makes me feel sad 42 00:02:00,770 --> 00:02:10,788 a lot of things can happen in terms of 43 00:02:05,869 --> 00:02:13,970 the impacts to the environment impacts 44 00:02:10,788 --> 00:02:19,369 to the ecosystem not just in the Arctic 45 00:02:13,970 --> 00:02:21,500 but for the whole whole earth and the 46 00:02:19,370 --> 00:02:25,580 ocean is such a big part of the climate 47 00:02:21,500 --> 00:02:27,440 system and you / curve it a little bit 48 00:02:25,580 --> 00:02:31,160 and you're going to chance the climate 49 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:33,109 of the world one result of such global 50 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,810 climate change has already begun to 51 00:02:33,110 --> 00:02:37,400 emerge at the other end of the earth 52 00:02:34,810 --> 00:02:39,709 summer sea ice minima in the southern 53 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,959 hemisphere have not been declining as 54 00:02:39,709 --> 00:02:44,239 warmer ocean water promotes evaporation 55 00:02:41,959 --> 00:02:47,810 which creates more snow to feed the 56 00:02:44,239 --> 00:02:50,150 Antarctic ice fields NASA scientists are 57 00:02:47,810 --> 00:02:52,310 using a suite of satellites to study sea 58 00:02:50,150 --> 00:02:54,049 ice at both poles trying to better 59 00:02:52,310 --> 00:02:55,959 understand how a complex set of 60 00:02:54,049 --> 00:02:58,900 phenomena such as cloud cover 61 00:02:55,959 --> 00:03:01,489 reflectivity a thickness of the ice 62 00:02:58,900 --> 00:03:04,400 weather patterns like La Nina and El 63 00:03:01,489 --> 00:03:07,180 Nino and ocean temperature affect the 64 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,180 trends we see today 65 00:03:13,140 --> 00:03:15,200 you