Expanding Antarctic Ice Has Scientists Confounded


Wind chill much?  This seems to be the explanation for how the Antarctic sea ice is growing while the water is underneath is warming.

The polar vortex that swirls around the South Pole is not just stronger than it was when satellite records began in the 1970s, it has more convergence, meaning it shoves the sea ice together to cause ridging,” the study’s press release explains. “Stronger winds also drive ice faster, which leads to still more deformation and ridging. This creates thicker, longer-lasting ice, while exposing surrounding water and thin ice to the blistering cold winds that cause more ice growth.”

Scientists cannot give a conclusive answer to why the winds are reacting this way.

Some point to stratospheric ozone depletion, but a new study published in the Journal of Climate notes that computer models simulate declining – not increasing – Antarctic sea ice in recent decades due to this phenomenon (aka the ozone “hole”).

This modeled Antarctic sea ice decrease in the last three decades is at odds with observations, which show a small yet statistically significant increase in sea ice extent,”

There is a sense of irony that the all powerful scientists have found an oxymoron in their own models.  The “live and die” by the findings of science, the omniscient, has met a predicament that does not fit the assumptions.  Will true scientific method work to find the truth behind the phenomenon or will preconceived assumptions taint the findings?

Source: Washington Post



Share

509 Comments

Leave a Reply

Pin It on Pinterest