Arctic sea ice

I was going to write about last weekend in Alta... but before doing that, I ended up searching latest science about climate change (I am supposed to give a lecture with a title "Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems – similarities and differences in response to climate change" as a trial lecture before my PhD defence next week). And, well, we are living interesting times! Arctic sea ice may in a few years be reduced to something that only exists in winter. Admittedly, I havent actually digged to the science befind his claims so I cannot really judge it. Arctic Climate Impact Assesment (a huge book of 1000 pages from 2005), predicts that such loss of sea ice would happen sometime between 2050 and 2100. To be noted, sea-ice extent was smaller this year than what most of the IPCC models predicted for 2050. So we are 40 years in advance? A dream come true for the old-times explorers who wanted to sail across the pole... For us others, quite scary and potentially rapid changes in the global climate and water circulation balance. 

And yes, the weekend in Alta? Very nice to meet Anna and Berit again! Long time no see... As Berits family has grown to include two kids and nine dogs, the logistics haev grown increalingly challenging. But we spent a night at Jotkanjavri fjellstue :)