Man. Mark this up as a bad day for Polar Bears and the rest of the Planet.
In 20 years, Serreze said, the extent of Arctic sea ice will be reduced by 80 percent. "And that could be another tipping point. It is no longer recovering as it should, and if it reaches a critical level, it may never recover at all." As the ice continues to retreat in response to increasing temperatures caused by increases in greenhouse gases, more open ocean is exposed, and the sun warms that open water more rapidly, said Marika Holland, an oceanographer at National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. "Our calculations show that by 2040 the Arctic will be nearly ice-free," she said.
