In the article if you look at the pictures "Artic Ice in Retreat", it shows the ice coverage by year since 1980. Looking at the pictures in succession there is more ice in 1996 than 1980, but less ice in 1990 than 2004. The data only provides the smallest slice of time, clearly the ice pack works off a much larger clock, counting by centuries not years. Is the ice getting smaller? The data in this article does not prove it one way or the other. What is does prove is that there is still much to learn before any assessment can be made about the changes being observed.
The Earth is a lot more resilient than many give her credit for: more heat from greenhouse gases = more water = more water vapor = more clouds = more rain = more foliage = more oxygen = lowered temperatures. The checks and balances mother nature has in place are quite fascinating.
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In the article if you look at the pictures "Artic Ice in Retreat", it shows the ice coverage by year since 1980. Looking at the pictures in succession there is more ice in 1996 than 1980, but less ice in 1990 than 2004. The data only provides the smallest slice of time, clearly the ice pack works off a much larger clock, counting by centuries not years. Is the ice getting smaller? The data in this article does not prove it one way or the other. What is does prove is that there is still much to learn before any assessment can be made about the changes being observed. The Earth is a lot more resilient than many give her credit for: more heat from greenhouse gases = more water = more water vapor = more clouds = more rain = more foliage = more oxygen = lowered temperatures. The checks and balances mother nature has in place are quite fascinating.