1 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:08,110 (reporter) Record breaking temperatures in 2016 have primed the Arctic for 2 00:00:08,110 --> 00:00:12,190 another summer low sea ice cover. NASA has 3 00:00:12,190 --> 00:00:16,310 some new images from this summers melt. Here to tell us about it is 4 00:00:16,310 --> 00:00:20,340 Dr. Walt Meier at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, thanks for joining us. (Meier) Thank You. 5 00:00:20,340 --> 00:00:24,530 (reporter) So globally its been the warmest year on record. What 6 00:00:24,530 --> 00:00:28,720 the latest images show us about the summer in the Arctic. 7 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,830 (Meier) Globally its been the warmest year on record. It's also been a very warm 8 00:00:32,830 --> 00:00:36,950 spring and summer in the Arctic as well, and not surprisingly that means the 9 00:00:36,950 --> 00:00:41,130 ice starting melting earlier, melting faster and melting 10 00:00:41,130 --> 00:00:45,320 more than what we've seen in the past, so its been a very 11 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,380 low ice sheet, we are opening a lot of open water, and its going to be one of the lowest 12 00:00:49,380 --> 00:00:53,450 ice year we have seen in our satellite record. 13 00:00:53,450 --> 00:00:57,530 (reporter) What is sea ice and 14 00:00:57,530 --> 00:01:01,660 why is it important to the Arctic and the Earth as a whole? 15 00:01:01,660 --> 00:01:05,840 (Meier) So sea ice is the ice that grows and melts with in the ocean and with in the 16 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,870 Arctic ocean. So it doesn't raise sea level, however because its 17 00:01:09,870 --> 00:01:13,980 white, reflects a lot of the Sun's energy compared to the dark 18 00:01:13,980 --> 00:01:18,020 ocean. So the sea ice helps keep the Arctic cooler 19 00:01:18,020 --> 00:01:22,060 and thus helps keep the globe cooler. So the sea ice kind of acts like the Earth's 20 00:01:22,060 --> 00:01:26,120 refrigerator. As we lose the ice cover replace it with the ocean that is 21 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:30,300 absorbing the Sun's energy, its like opening the refrigerator doors. 22 00:01:30,300 --> 00:01:34,490 So we are losing the efficiency of the cooling ability of the arctic. 23 00:01:34,490 --> 00:01:38,560 (reporter) Do you ever think we will see an 24 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,650 ice free summer in the Arctic? (Meier) We've seen the Arctic lose 25 00:01:42,650 --> 00:01:46,670 ice over the last 35 plus years, and that 26 00:01:46,670 --> 00:01:50,830 trend has accelerated in the last 10 years. So we're seeing things happen 27 00:01:50,830 --> 00:01:55,020 very rapidity more rapidity than we have previously thought. 28 00:01:55,020 --> 00:01:59,060 So its really become not a matter of if we'll see the ice, an ice free 29 00:01:59,060 --> 00:02:03,100 Arctic, its a matter of when we'll see it. There is a lot of uncertainty about that. 30 00:02:03,100 --> 00:02:07,170 but it really it's a matter of what year it will be 31 00:02:07,170 --> 00:02:11,220 when we have an Arctic that its substantially ice free at least during the summer time. 32 00:02:11,220 --> 00:02:15,270 (reporter) What about the rest of the Arctic aren't we 33 00:02:15,270 --> 00:02:19,430 seen changes in Greenland as well? (Meier) Along with the sea ice 34 00:02:19,430 --> 00:02:23,630 we're seeing big changes in Greenland as well. We are seeing more surface 35 00:02:23,630 --> 00:02:27,820 melt, we're seeing glaciers speeding up, dumping more ice in to the 36 00:02:27,820 --> 00:02:31,870 ocean. The key thing for Greenland, that's all ice 37 00:02:31,870 --> 00:02:35,970 that sits on land. So as we lose that ice that goes into the ocean 38 00:02:35,970 --> 00:02:40,090 that raises sea levels, so that has big impacts globally. 39 00:02:40,090 --> 00:02:44,250 (reporter) Where can we learn more? (Meier) All of NASA's 40 00:02:44,250 --> 00:02:48,440 data is on NASA's website, NASA.gov 41 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:52,500 you can also go on Twitter to @NASAEarth 42 00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:56,570 and get all of NASA's data and look at some great imagery and read all about 43 00:02:56,570 --> 00:03:00,690 what NASA is doing up in the Arctic and around the globe to understand climate. 44 00:03:00,690 --> 00:03:04,684 (reporter) Great! Thanks so much. Dr. Walt Meier. (Meier) Alright thank you...