Thursday May 31, 2012, 8:28 pm
Stations across the region in Alaska, Greenland, Norway and Iceland have recorded the measurements that have surged since the winter and spring have brought a decline in CO2-absorbing vegetation. While the downswing in carbon absorption happens every year, this is the first time in 800,000 years that the CO2 concentration anywhere in the world has been 400 ppm or above.

Before industrialization, global CO2 levels were about 280 ppm but in recent years global levels have reached as high as 395 ppm. The fact that any area of the globe has climbed above the 400 ppm mark concerns climate scientists that even with many countries rolling out carbon reduction measures, it's not making a difference fast enough.

Carnegie Institution ecologist Chris Field, a leader of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said, “It is an indication that we’re in a different world.”

To that end, scientists have recently discovered that the loss of Arctic summer ice and accelerated warming of that region are altering the jet stream, which is likely to increase extreme weather events around the world.

Thursday May 31, 2012, 8:33 pm
This is scary and sad. Thanks, Michael. What are all of these people doing to our planet? I know there a lot of us concerned people that are trying to help and make it better, but there are too many deniers that are stupid or bought out by the Kove brothers, Monsanto, Big Oil, Coal and whatnot.

Thursday May 31, 2012, 8:39 pm
This is bad news. We humans must do all we can to reduce our climate changing emissions significantly and quickly.

Friday June 1, 2012, 2:52 am
Thanks for sharing!

Friday June 1, 2012, 2:05 pm
Very troubling.

Friday June 1, 2012, 5:47 pm
sad news, thanks for sharing this Michael

Friday June 1, 2012, 6:01 pm
sad news! thx for the info!

Friday June 1, 2012, 6:13 pm
Well, this just sucks. Humans are hell bent on self destruction

Friday June 1, 2012, 6:14 pm
very scary.....when will those who can make a difference wake up.....there is no other planet that we can unwrap and live on....we must save the one we have for life today and tomorrow.....

reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, educate, care2, plant trees....

Friday June 1, 2012, 6:20 pm
IF THE EPA AND BIG COAL ARE IN CAHOOTS,DO YOU REALLY THINK THE ENVIRONMENT MATTERS TO THE TWO?IF WE TELL THE EPA ABOUT THE LEVELS OF CO2 OVER THE ARCTIC, THEY'LL SEND SOME SO CALL "SMART GUYS" TO INVESTIGATE THE SCENE JUST TO TELL US ALL, "ITS NOT SO BAD"WE JUST HAVE PUT STRICTER REGULATIONS IN PLACE" (O_O)

Friday June 1, 2012, 6:41 pm
Noted , Thankyou...

Friday June 1, 2012, 8:33 pm
Very, very, very worrisome. Not even an isolated, pure place like the Arctic has clean air. Simply awful.

Friday June 1, 2012, 8:36 pm
Noted!

Friday June 1, 2012, 9:13 pm
This really stinks. Hopefully, people and nations start making more of an effort to cut carbon and other emissions out of their lives.

Friday June 1, 2012, 10:23 pm
There are billions of tonnes of methane, a greenhouse gas over 20 times more potent than C02, locked in the Arctic permafrost.

"Global warming is occuring twice as fast in the Arctic than anywhere else on Earth. Some regions have already warmed by 2.5C, and temperatures there are projected to increase by more than 10C by 2100 if carbon emissions continue to rise at current rates...

Phillipe Ciais, a researcher with the Laboratory for Climate Sciences and the Environment in Gif-sur-Yvette, France, told a scientific meeting in Copenhagen last March that billions of tonnes could be released by just a 2C average global rise."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/14/arctic-permafrost-methane

The heavier our footprints in the Arctic, the faster the melting will occur due to the darkening of the surface.

"Growing Arctic ship traffic will bring with it air pollution that has the potential to accelerate climate change in the world's northern reaches. And it's more than a greenhouse gas problem -- engine exhaust particles could increase warming by some 17-78 percent, the researchers say...

"One of the most potent 'short-lived climate forcers' in diesel emissions is black carbon, or soot," says Corbett, who is on the faculty of UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. "Ships operating in or near the Arctic use advanced diesel engines that release black carbon into one of the most sensitive regions for climate change."

Produced by ships from the incomplete burning of marine fuel, these tiny particles of carbon act like 'heaters' because they absorb sunlight -- both directltly from the sun, and reflected from the surface of snow and ice."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101025161150.htm

Some Arctic news:

"Ottawa has placed 905,000 hectares of the northern offshore up for bids, clearing the way for energy companies to snap up exploration rights for an area half the size of Lake Ontario. The scale of the offer indicates eagerness in the oil patch to drill for new finds in Canada’s northern waters less than two years after such plans were put on hold following the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico and a major Arctic drilling safety review.

The Arctic exploration auction resumes as the Harper government is promoting greater development of the country’s resources. It has taken steps to speed regulatory approvals for major energy projects such as the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, promising to limit the ability of environmental groups and other opponents to block or delay new developments...

Interest in Arctic oil is on the rise across the globe. ExxonMobil has signed an alliance with Russian state oil firm Rosneft to explore jointly for high-latitude oil. Apache, Shell and BP are all working to conduct seismic testing in the Alaskan offshore this year. ConocoPhillips recently picked up more land in Alaska, and the company, along with researchers from the United States and Japan, recently announced a successful production trial of natural gas from frozen Alaska methane hydrates, a potentially massive new energy source."

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/reviving-arctic-oil-rush-ottawa-to-auction-rights-in-massive-area/article2435284/?service=mobile

Saturday June 2, 2012, 10:45 am
Noted. Thank you for sharing.

Saturday June 2, 2012, 11:57 am
Very scary and discouraging. Thanks Michael.