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Arctic Ice Makes Comeback From Record Low, but Long-Term Decline May Continue

Playing out over a generation, the decline of the Arctic ice cap has been one of the most striking effects of global warming, a change in the planetary aspect so large it would have been visible to an observer on the moon. "We could be looking at summers with essentially no sea ice on the Arctic Ocean only a few decades from now," said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo., in a statement.

Contrary to popular impression, the melting of sea ice does not cause a rise of sea level, since the ice is already floating and displacing its weight in water. But the replacement of white ice with dark water does mean the surface of the Arctic Ocean can absorb far more heat in the summer, which could contribute to the melting of nearby land ice in Greenland, raising sea level.

By JUSTIN GILLIS

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/science/earth/arctic-ice-makes-comeback-from-record-low-but-long-term-decline-may-continue.html?hpw&_r=0

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