Cold, Hard Truths

Two recent installments in the New York Times' series on the effects of global warming on the arctic, The Big Melt, had shocking images and words regarding the extreme loss of ice in the area surrounding the North Pole. First, this chart provides a bleak demonstration of this past summer's record breaking loss of ice in the arctic. According to the corresponding article:Astonished by the summer’s changes, scientists are studying the forces that exposed one million square miles of open water — six Californias — beyond the average since satellites started measurements in 1979. Polar bears aren't doing so well in this environment, either. Less ice means scarce food in the summer and the prognosis is grim say the Times' sources. Polar bears near the Hudson bay are already hitting new lows for nutrition: After binging on ringed seals early each year, this southern population, well below of the Arctic Circle, leaves the melting ice and scrounges snow geese and lyme grass, losing weight all summer.