U. Of Illinois - 10/16 - Arctic Ice Anomaly Scale Recalibrated, Line Already Below 2.5Mkm2

[hatrack]

[XemaSab]

1. Surprised you can't see the scotch tape adding that additional bit on

:eyes:

[tom_paine]

2. Gawd, that looks like a cartoon graph from The Simpsons

The bottom is, quite literally, falling out.

[Bigmack]

3. More fresh water in the north Atlantic? Effects on the Thermohaline current?

So I'm assuming this implies more fresh water in the north Atlantic. Is "anyone" hazarding guesses about an impact on the thermohaline current?

[happyslug]

4. Most of this ice is salt water based ice

The concern regarding the introduction of Fresh water is is from Greenland (And the Antarctic Ice Sheets). The reason is these are based on Fresh water, while the Antic ice Shelves are frozen SALT water (With some Frozen Fresh water mixed in as it floats from Shores, river and even the sky as snow and/or rain).

Thus no major concern as to the ARCTIC causing some sort of Fresh Water blockage, the concern is Greenland's ice Sheets causing a Fresh Water Blockage if a sizable chunk breaks off into the Ocean at once (This is the theory behind the Mini-Ice Age, caused by the Gulf Stream stopping South of what it has over the last couple of centuries (i.e. since the end of the Mini-Ice Age).

[Bigmack]

5. Of course, Thanks

Wasn't thinking....of course most of that arctic ice WOULD be salt water!

[XemaSab]

6. Not really, no

The older ice is pretty pure with very little salt. Even newer ice has less salt than pure seawater.

Salt disrupts the crystalline structures of ice and will weaken any ice it's a part of. If it's too weak it's just slush, like a popsicle.