Sea Ice...how is it changing? Compollation of research by EU

The EU's science framework includes a significant amount of emphasis on better understanding climate change. A Dec '05 meeting lead to the production of a book (PDF) on sea ice research, pulling together much of the science available on changes in the Arctic region.

The wide-ranging papers in the book cover the methods used to measure ice thickness, on scales from basinwide down to local; the results obtained; the modelling of ice thickness;and the implications for Man’s activities. Palaeoclimatic studies are also described, which reveal periods during the past 100,000 years when the Arctic Ocean has been ice-free, a challenge to our understanding of Earth system processes. Since the disappearance of the Arctic sea ice is literally the most visible aspect of global warming in action – we can see the change in the face of the planet from space - it is appropriate that the European Commission should take the initiative in seeking to understand this phenomenon.

Peter Wadhams (University of Cambridge)

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