NASA data shows 'dramatically thinned' Arctic ice

WASHINGTON (AFP)

ICESat allows scientists to measure changes in the thickness and volume of Arctic ice, whereas previously scientists relied only on measurements of area to determine how much of the Arctic Ocean is covered in ice.

Scientists found that Arctic sea ice thinned some seven inches (17.8 centimeters) a year, or 2.2 feet (67 centimeters) over four winters, according to the study by NASA and the University of Washington, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans.

They also found that thicker, older ice, which has survived one or more summers, shrank by 42 percent.

AFP