Tuesday, October 26, 2010

As Arctic warms, increased shipping likely to accelerate climate change

As the ice-capped Arctic Ocean warms, ship traffic will increase at the top of the world. And if the sea ice continues to decline, a new route connecting international trading partners may emerge — but not without significant repercussions …
northwest passage map
image: Wikipedia
It's likely not long before Arctic ice melt reaches levels where trans-Arctic shipment of goods is no longer headline-making, but commonplace. With that comes more black carbon air pollution from ships--soot to you and me--and, that means already disproportionately high levels of warming will increase and with those, more ice melting. A new report in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics highlights the issue:
Article continues: Increased Arctic Shipping Means Even More Warming & Less Ice

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