The news services reported on December 28th that there was what Canada considers a "shocking" record loss of Arctic sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Canada's environment ministry said it is one of the top ten environmental events of this year.
For the past 12 years, Environment Canada has published a list of the top 10 climate or weather phenomena that have impacted Canada each year. In 2007, the dramatic disappearance of Arctic sea ice -- first reported in September -- has been so shocking that it became their number one weather story."
Satellite images in September revealed that Arctic ice had shrunk to about four million square kilometers (2.4 million square miles), a 23 percent decrease from the previous record low of 5.3 million square kilometers (3.2 million square miles) in 2005. That is about the size of Ontario Province or the entire country of South Africa.
The Northwest Passage is an arctic maritime route that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and it was navigable for more than a month between August and September. This is an exceptional turn of events. "In 2007, nearly 100 ships as small as sailboats sailed the normally ice-congested waters of this venerable Passage."
And, now, due to the delayed start of cold weather this year, it will be harder for the winter ice to re-establish itself. As a result, it appears likely the ice will shrink even more next summer.
The last two winters were the warmest ever recorded in northern Canada, and five of the 10 warmest years in the last 60 have occurred since 2001, it said.
"Scientists are now even more convinced that the Arctic climate system is heading toward a more ice-free state during the summer months, and that human-caused global warming is playing a significant role," it said.
"While the disappearing ice is having an immediate impact on northern peoples, the effects of this unprecedented loss outside the Arctic is uncertain.
"What we do know is that ice exerts an enormous control on global climate and its sudden loss could have profound impacts on weather well beyond the Arctic's borders," it said.
Our comment: We have become concerned about global warming for some time now and this is but one more indication that our concerns are well placed. If you want to know what you can do on an individual basis to help cut down humanities' impact upon our earth, visit our other newsletters in our archives area. They have a number of concrete suggestions to help you help Mother Earth.
One thing about winter is there are often less outdoor things available to do. But that also means there are more indoor things to pay attention to. You can take more time for reading a good book, meditating, and growing inwardly. This is a great time to get warm and cozy and settle into a deep place within yourself. This is a time for reflection and contemplation. When you settle down, make sure to settle your mind first. Otherwise, you may find your mind moving at breakneck speed and wandering or thinking about new plans and projects (as mine often does) and you'll miss this wonderful opportunity for personal growth.