Mark C. Serreze talks with
ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about
this month's Fast Breaking Paper in the field of
Geosciences.
Article Title: Perspectives on the Arctic's
shrinking sea-ice cover
Authors:
Serreze,
MC;Holland, MM;Stroeve, J
Journal: SCIENCE
Volume: 315
Issue: 5818
Page: 1533-1536
Year: MAR 16 2007
* Univ Colorado, Cooperat Inst Res Environm Sci, Natl Snow
& Ice Data Ctr, Campus Box 449, Boulder, CO 80309
USA.
* Univ Colorado, Cooperat Inst Res Environm Sci, Natl Snow
& Ice Data Ctr, Boulder, CO 80309 USA.
(addresses have been truncated)
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
It provides an overall synthesis of the problem of declining Arctic sea ice
cover. The literature is extensive and growing, and there was a need to
bring it all together.
Would you summarize the significance of your
paper in layman's terms?
"The growing
issue now is the potential impacts
of a rapidly changing
Arctic."
The Arctic's floating sea ice cover is quickly shrinking. While this
decline is a clear indicator of climate change, the processes of sea ice
loss are rather complex—many different processes are involved. This
paper attempted to put the different pieces of the puzzle together to form
a clear picture as to what is going on.
How did you become involved in this
research, and were there any problems along the way?
I've been involved in Arctic climate research since 1982 and have been
looking at changes in the sea ice cover since about 1989. The key problem
encountered in writing this paper was simply trying to sort out all of the
different things contributing to loss of the ice cover, and determining how
they fit together.
Where do you see your research leading in
the future?
The growing issue now is the potential impacts of a rapidly changing
Arctic. How will loss of the sea ice cover affect the mass balance of
Greenland, as growing water causes a rise in sea level? How will loss of
the ice cover impact patterns of atmospheric circulation and precipitation
in the middle latitudes? I'm also examining the role of Greenland and the
surrounding area on cyclone development and poleward heat and moisture
transports. These are among the questions that I'll be focusing on in the
future.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
Such issues are already emerging—as we continue to lose the sea ice,
the Arctic will become more accessible for shipping and thus for mineral
and oil extraction. Countries are already scrambling to claim their piece
of the Arctic pie.
Mark C. Serreze, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO, USA
Keywords: mark c. serreze, geosciences, arctic sea
ice cover, arctic's floating sea ice cover, arctic's shrinking sea-ice
cover, arctic climate research, greenland, water, rise in sea level, loss
of sea ice cover, patterns of atmospheric circulation, precipitation,
middle latitudes, cyclone development, poleward heat, moisture transports,
accessible, shipping, mineral and oil extraction.