Shrinking Arctic sea ice

In 2007 Arctic sea ice shrank to 30% below the average line, which could be the reason of more than 2°C rise of autumn temperature than usual over the land. As the rapid loss of ice severely affects the inland temperature, it will possibly thaw the permafrost (the frozen soil).

A permafrost thawing is already evidenced in part of Alaska where ice melting caused collapse of soil pockets, resulting a destabilization of infrastructures (roads and buildings), and changing the shape of nature by tilting the trees. (more: Reuters)

The Christian Science Monitor wrote citing researcher Sheldon Drobot of the University of Colorado that the vast expanse of ice is some 144521 square kilometres smaller than it was on June 7 last year, and most probably is going to make another record breaking decline this year as well.

Computer simulations or models from the most recently published research paper show that warming of the land due to rapidly shrinking sea ice can go as much as 1500 km inland. The ecosystem of the region will suffer heavily from such abrupt changes of landscape.