Earth Equity News

Arctic Team Reports Unusual Conditions Near Pole. By David Ljunggren, Reuters, May 17 2010. "A group of British explorers just back from a 60-day trip to the North Pole said on May 17 they had encountered unusual conditions, including ice sheets that drifted far faster than they had expected. The three-member team walked across the frozen Arctic Ocean to study the impact of increased carbon dioxide absorption by the sea, which could make the water more acidic and put crucial food chains under pressure. Expedition leader Ann Daniels said the ice drifted so much that they eventually covered 500 nautical miles (576 miles) rather than the 268 nautical miles initially envisaged. One possible reason for the rapid drift was a lack of ice, she suggested. Satellite imagery reveals rapidly melting ice sheets in the Arctic, a region which is heating up three times more quickly than the rest of the Earth… Martin Hartley, a member of the team, said the condition of the ice was unpleasantly bad."