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| Wikipedia, Container Ship |
This series discusses some of the surprise events that are natural consequences of the warming and melting of the polar Arctic (Watching The Arctic Die, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
Events that are obvious have happened recently (e.g Wikipedia, January–February 2026 North American cold wave) which continues as the Arctic "dies"; cf. Polar vortex aftermath to bring more chilly May days to Midwest, Northeast).
The impact on the climate caused by this global warming is substantial:
1) "The Arctic and Antarctic are the world’s refrigerator. Since they are covered in white snow and ice that reflect heat back into space, they balance out other parts of the world that absorb heat. Less ice means less reflected heat, meaning more intense heatwaves worldwide. But it also means more extreme winters: as the polar jet stream [a.k.a. Polar Vortex]—a high-pressure wind that circles the Arctic region—is destabilized by warmer air, it can dip south, bringing bitter cold with it."
2) "Glacial melt of the Greenland ice sheet is a major predictor of future sea level rise; if it melts entirely, global sea levels could rise 20 feet."
3) "Polar vortexes, increased heat waves, and unpredictability of weather caused by ice loss are already causing significant damage to crops on which global food systems depend."
4) "As ice melts, new shipping routes open up in the Arctic ... but [are] incredibly dangerous ... more shipwrecks or oil spills like the Exxon-Valdez in areas that are inaccessible to rescue or clean-up crews."
5) "Loss of ice and melting permafrost spells trouble for polar bears, walruses, arctic foxes, snowy owls, reindeer, and many other species"
6) "As we lose more ice more quickly and see more rapid permafrost melt, we will start seeing the worst climate change predictions come true"
(Six ways loss of Arctic ice impacts everyone). These cold spells that spill out as the Polar Vortex (a.k.a. polar jet stream) subsides will diminish as the ice sheets disintegrate.
That will speed up the Glacier Bay ice melt which is not useful either (Proof of Concept, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).
Oh, and some people are saying that these cold spells are a sign of a cooling global climate change instead of a global warming climate change, but they are in error like Jim was (Inhofe's One Man Troofiness Crusade).
The previous post in this series is here.
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