Arctic is warming
2002-12-09 11:48
London - US scientists have issued further evidence that the northernmost reaches of the Earth are warming.
The latest findings emerged during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, Ananova.com reports.
Scientists showed the ice sheet in Greenland is melting and that shrubs are spreading into the Alaskan tundra.
They found the melt area has grown by 16% since 1979 and is affecting higher elevations. The greatest area of melt occurred this year.
The scientists said the findings provide compelling evidence that climate change is real.
They also said that while natural variability may be behind the changes, human activity might also be to blame.
Larry Hinzman of the University of Alaska commented: "If you look at all the data sets together, they do provide compelling evidence something is changing over a great area."
This comes days after the White House released a five-year research plan addressing the premise that people are agents of environmental change, but adding that more research is needed to measure that contribution. - Ananova.com