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Arctic Ice May Melt Completely Within Ten Years.

There are worrying reports that the Arctic sea ice is melting at a faster rate than last year, despite the colder weather. Information from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) shows that the year began with ice covering a larger area than at the beginning of 2007. However by the beginning of summer the ice had diminished to the same levels as June last year – breaking the records for sea ice loss. The ice is melting easily as it is so thin and scientists are now predicting that the Arctic seas may be ice-free during the summer within five to ten years.

“We had a bit more ice in the winter, although we were still way below the long-term average,” said Julienne Stroeve from NSIDC in Boulder, Colorado. “So we had a partial recovery. But the real issue is that most of the pack ice has become really thin, and if we have a regular summer now, it can just melt away”.

Despite NASA’s reports in March, that the area covered by sea ice had increased slightly from 2007, most of the ice is thin, formed during the previous winter. It is more fragile than the thicker, less saline floes that have been around for several years.

A few years ago, scientists were predicting that the Arctic ice would have melted in the summer by about 2080. Then computer models started projecting earlier dates, around 2030 to 2050. In the summer of 2007 the Arctic sea ice reduced to the lowest amount ever recorded; 4.2 million sq km from 7.8 million sq km in 1980. By the end of last year, a research group had predicted the ice melting entirely as early as 2013.

“I think we’re going to beat last year’s record melt, though I’d love to be wrong,” said Dr Stroeve. “If we do, then I don’t think 2013 is far off any more. If what we think is going to happen does happen, then it’ll be within a decade anyway.”

Despite this eminent loss off ice being environmentally catastrophic, countries surrounding the Arctic are seizing up the economic opportunities that melting ice could expose. Canada and Russia are exploring sovereignty claims over tracts of Arctic seafloor, while President George Bush has recently encouraged more oil exploration in US waters, possibly with intent to extend the exploration to reserves off the Alaskan coast.

In their rush to maximize the situation economically, countries are not reflecting enough upon the climatic problems this will cause. Greenland has already lost ice into the ocean, contributing to the gradual rise in sea levels. The Arctic ice cap could increase sea levels globally by about seven metres if it all melted. Natural climatic cycles such as the Arctic Oscillation play a role in year-to-year variations in ice cover. Many scientists feel that the ice is now so thin there is little hope of preventing the melting cycle.

“If the ice were as thick as it was in the 1970s, last year’s conditions would have brought a dip in cover, but nothing exceptional. But now it’s so thin that you would have to have an exceptional sequence of cold winters and cold summers in order for it to rebuild,” said Dr Ian Willis, from the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge. This does not bode well for the future of the Arctic ice.

Hannah Walker is a writer for www.ecoswitch.com

Rainforest is Back on the Hit List

After the increase in global awareness about the dwindling Brazilian rainforest in recent years, it seems worrying that there is once again concern over its destruction after official government data emerged recently stating that deforestation has risen by 64 percent in the last twelve months. This sudden increase in deforestation can be attributed to loggers and soy farmers pushing ever further into the Amazon jungle and the recent high commodity prices.

This week, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research said that around 3,145 square miles – an area about half the size of Wales – of forest were destroyed between August 2007 and August 2008. The satellite images were captured by a real-time monitoring system, known in Brazil as Deter. It comes as a shock – and a terrible step backwards - that deforestation has picked up again after it seemed to be diminishing over the last three years.

The rainforest statistics have been highlighted by the Brazilian newspapers, sparking a debate over how best to preserve the Amazon rainforest and triggering environmental campaigners to attack the government, claiming that the battle to protect the rainforest is not being given sufficient recognition.

This information about the yearly rise in deforestation was released soon after an announcement of monthly figures assessing deforestation per month, which actually showed that it had decreased. Government figures show that between May and June this year deforestation fell by 25%. “This is not about luck, it is about work, work, work,” said Brazil’s environment minister, Carlos Minc who described the levels of forest destruction as “alarming”.

Although the monthly decline in deforestation is of course positive, Environmentalists think that the annual statistics give a more accurate representation of the damage being done to the rainforest, and the environment cannot afford for them to be ignored. Minc is aware that the government still has to combat large problems such as illegal logging. “We can’t celebrate because deforestation is still very large. We have to invest everything into sustainable development,” Minc was quoted in an interview with the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

Environmental campaigners are now accusing the government of backing out of its original promises to protect the Amazon rainforest, which has been constantly destroyed since the 1970s by a mixture of logging, cattle ranching and soy farming. Brazil is striving to expand its economy and develop the Amazon region; however the campaigners fear that this is at the expense of Brazil’s natural resources.

“The president (Luiz In

Global Studies on Climate Change

Climate change is an issue that is currently alarming scientists. The factors affecting global changes are carefully studied by famous scientists around the globe.

Climate change is a significant weather change of a given region. Also called global warming, it increases the average temperature measurement of the Earth’s surface. This involves changes in the atmosphere over durations to millions of years. It is caused by external forces, dynamic processes and human activities. Temperature, wind patterns and precipitation are the average weather alterations of climate change.

Negotiators on climate change like Dr. Adger from East Anglia Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and University noted that the 7th Conference of Parties (COP7) in Morocco focused mainly on the reduction of emission targets so as to prevent climate change. Negotiators are the ones who help and spread a global coalition in order to cope with the changes. Different studies and research conducted by scientists suggested and has even proven to take an action on this matter.

In the Middle East, a new research regarding an Australian climate states that the rainfall in key regions will be higher than usual. The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (PCC) projected that the storm activity would decline on the eastern Mediterranean for this century. This is as global warming continues to emerge. Results are based on climate changes on global modeling which tends to affect a smaller-scale region and needs to compare with other models.

Hence, BBSRC-supported Rothamsted Research has shown that the peach potato aphid of the United Kingdom is deemed to rise to about 1 degree on the temperature during the months of January and February. Aphids can be important indicators of climate change since they can cause damage to crops, weaken the plants, and even spread viruses. UK scientists have provided knowledge on the consequences so that other countries will adapt their studies for further development.

A study also reported on the July 2008 issue of Geophysical Research Letters describes a new evaluation method. This pertains to the frequency of present and future tropical climates as well as hurricane information. Computer models are used in representing hurricane features. However, hurricane activity predictions have casted doubts. Computer simulations also show that there is an increase in ocean temperature, allowing hurricanes to become formed easily with rapid motion. This also states that in warmer environments, hurricanes have become stronger.

A successful series of measurements in the Artic waters, set by the German Research Vessel Polarsten, has proven capabilities of an ice breaking problem. This is in order to support data on long-term two series research measurements.

Last August 10, the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research of Helmholtz Association entered Iceland. In this research, an icebreaker is mentioned to be the possible means of changed in the measurements of temperature, salinity and currents up to the surface.

Dr. Agnieszka Beszczynska- Moller, an Alfred Wegener Institute oceanographer, says that the Atlantic water’s temperature has slightly decreased as compared to that of year 2006. Researchers has even observed that the Fram Strait temperature has risen to about 1, 1 Celcius since 1997 and onwards. Their monitoring sheets included the changes of physical environments and the seafloor entry of nutrients.

Researchers also want to get seismic data for a good understanding of the development. This is with regards to its tectonic interface in between the East Siberian shelf and the Mendeleev Ridge. Canadian and American researchers will also be doing similar measurements in the Northern Polar Sea.

Furthermore, at the Ecological society of America (ESA) 93rd Annual Meeting, scientists discussed the temperature-induced loss of habitats which can lead to disasters to living things. Project models on climate changes showcase a suffering effect of dry condition.

Thus, scientists have pointed out that the physical changes in our atmosphere such as sea level rise, melting polar ice caps, and storms are the main indicators of global warming. Climate change has a terrible impact on the entire ecosystem. This is the reason why developing countries continue to do research and study on how they can save habitats of different species. There are also private institutions and government entities that gather potential information, focusing on the alarming situation of the Earth’s atmosphere.

For more information on Current Science Events please visit our website.

International Wool Trade Shifts to Organic

Uruguay, which has a wool industry worth some $360 million and keeps around 60,000 people employed, is shifting the way it produces sheep hair in the attempts to counteract falling production levels, with a new focus on organic production methods. Tough the government ministry has said that this year’s shear, which begins this week, should bring in around 42 million kilos of wool, there have been warnings from both farmers and those inside the textile industry that rising costs, poor exchange rates, primarily against the weakened dollar, and exacting tax rebate system were all at risk of lowering production levels.

Against that backdrop one of the country’s leading wool and textile dealers, Pedro Otegui, has outlined his vision of the country’s wool industry as one where a shift toward the increasingly popular organic method of production will secure continued trade. In addition, he stated that the World’s growing population – which is expected to be over one and a half billion people in the next twenty-five years – will ensure that there remains a large enough wool market for Uruguay to continue profitably exporting wool and textiles.

“We know some farms are already moving towards the organic certification process, so we estimate that not too long from now, we should be able to supply the world Uruguayan wool stamped with the organic seal,” Otegui said.

Even though the size of the sheep flock in Uruguay has fallen dramatically in the last couple of years – from around 26 million then to 10 million today- there is wide scale belief that the country can see its industry through by promoting organic wool, which it feels is a relevant product for international buyers who wish to endorse sustainable and animal cruelty-free methods of farming.

There are large fears over Australia’s $2.9 billion a year wool industry over the country’s lack of speed in keeping abreast of their consumers concerns over ethical farming practices. Mulesing, the practice of cutting the skin off of the hindquarters of Merino sheep to prevent fly larvae infestations . The practice has been condemned by animal rights campaigners, who argue that it is unnecessarily cruel, despite the fact that the infestations can be fatal.

The wool industry has had to change in Australia, with a new focus on providing higher quality, ethically sourced material. It is this kind of change that farmers and textile manufacturers in Uruguay see as crucial for the sustained existence of their industry. As of July this year Australian sheep farmers have had to separate wool produced using mulesing at their auctions. A large reason for this is that the companies buying the wool became aware of their customer’s desire to avoid the practice. In 2004 Abercrombie and Fitch banned the use of mulesing wool in it’s clothing. Hugo Boss, Timberland, Victoria’s Secret and most recently Hennes and Mauritz (H and M) have all followed suit.

The actions of these huge companies have placed unmulesed wool at a ten percent premium over its mulesed counterpart and show the insight of the Uruguayan industry in realising that their future success is reliant on recognising and anticipating consumer concerns, such as the currently dominant concerns over animal welfare and organic products, and responding accordingly.

Matt Gammie is a writer for Ecoswitch

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