June satellite information is out on Antarctic sea ice and yet again we see record amounts. Arctic ice is off less than 10% in the past 28 years yet we continue to hear stories about "record" ice loss.

The June 2008 Sea Ice satellite images are out from The National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, CO. As expected Antarctic sea ice is still running in record territory. The following numbers are from 1980 when satellites first started accurate measurements.

• 18% more Antarctic Sea Ice Concentration (from 9.6 to 11.2 million square km)

• 10% greater Antarctic Sea Ice Extent (from 13.2 to 14.5 million square km)

Where is the one area of the Antarctic that has less ice today than in 1980? The south side of the Antarctica Western Peninsula, which is all you hear about in the popular news media. If at any time in the last 2 year you've seen fear mongering over ice melting at Antarctica this is what they were talking about. Yet the rest of Antarctica is gaining massive amounts of ice. The sky is falling crowd will tell you that their computer models predicted more inland ice due to increased snow fall (of course their models predict damn near everything to happen, from cooling / warming, drought / floods, etc. / etc). But increases in sea ice is something they hadn't predicted which is why you hear almost nothing about it. They simply point to the Antarctica Western Peninsula and this or that ice shelf that is "breaking apart" (this is called calving and is something that has always happened).

From the National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado

So what about Arctic sea ice? Again, since 1980:

• Ice Concentration is down a whopping 5% (down from 8.9 to 8.5 million square km)
• Ice Extent is down 8% (down from 12.3 to 11.4 million sq km).

Yet the Arctic is getting most of the news. You see statements such as "On August 21, 2007, the Northwest Passage became open to ships without the need of an icebreaker. According to Nalan Koc of the Norwegian Polar Institute this is the first time it has been clear since they began keeping records in 1972." (Wikipedia) However Roald Amundsen first navigated the passage in 1906 without the use of an icebreaker (at the end of this trip, he walked into the city of Eagle, Alaska, and sent a telegram announcing his success) so the Arctic ice has certainly retreated this far in the near past. When you hear the term "record" coming from the media or the environmentalists that could mean over the past 10-30 years. When you're talking about climate you need to look at time periods over at least 10,000 years for them to have any meaning.

References:

• You may also want to see Early 1900's Explorer Proves The Antarctic Is Growing (Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition)
• NSIDC Arctic Satellite Data for May 1980 and 2008
• NSIDC Antarctic Satellite Data for May 1980 and 2008
• "NYT: Maybe Greenland Isn't Melting After All" - from NewsBusters and the New York Times  Source

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