Arctic Ice Hits Near-Record Low, Threatening Wildlife–LISTEN–

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/16/140516890/arctic-ice-hits-near-record-low-threatening-wildlife

Ice on the Arctic Ocean has melted to its second-lowest level on record, according to researchers in Colorado who track this trend. The summertime melt coincides with a dramatic warming over the past decade, and it’s already affecting wildlife in the Arctic Ocean.

The Arctic ice comes and goes with the seasons; typically about half of the wintertime ice melts away by mid-September. After that low point, the ice regrows. In 2007, the amount of ice left in September hit a dramatic low.

Mark Serreze, who heads the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado, says this year’s low is not far off that 2007 record.

“What it’s telling us is that the long-term decline in Arctic sea ice is continuing, and even appears to be accelerating at this point,” he says.