New Delhi: Arctic sea ice is melting three times faster than scientists had previously thought, reports The Daily Mail.
Arctic sea ice has declined at an average rate of about 7.8 per cent per decade between 1953 and 2006, says the new research by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado.
The researchers said their observations indicate the retreat of summertime Arctic sea ice is about 30 years ahead of the pace projected by climate models.
"While the ice is disappearing faster than the computer models indicate, both observations and the models point in the same direction: the Arctic is losing ice at an increasingly rapid pace and the impact of greenhouse gases is growing," said scientist Marika Holland was quoted by The Daily Mail.
"My feeling (along with the authors) is that it is likely that the models are insufficiently sensitive," Schmidt said in an email to The Associated Press. He said the reasons for the lack of sensitivity are unclear.
The Boulder-based researchers used a combination of early reports from aircraft and ships and more recent satellite measurements to come up with their observations of the ice melt.
They said the discrepancy between their observations and computer projections indicate computer models may have failed to portray the entire impact of increasing levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
With excerpts from The Daily Mail
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