Seven surprising results from the reduction of Arctic Sea ice cover | David Barber | TEDxUManitoba

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. It is now well known that sea ice in the Arctic has changed in both extent and thickness over the past several decades. In fact the change in sea ice is seen as one of the key global climate variables confirming model estimates of global scale warming of our planet through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) process. Extensive investigations at the leading edge of Arctic System Science have recently uncovered a number of surprises, many somewhat counterintuitive, each having significant consequences in the Arctic and through teleconnections to the rest of our planet. In this talk I will review the rate and magnitude of change in sea ice, put this into the context of our understanding of the ‘natural variability’ in sea ice over the past several thousand years. I will then review seven surprising impacts of this change: 1) increasing coverage of young ice significantly changes atmospheric chemistry; 2) more snow both preserves and destroys ice; 3) Polar bear habitat can actually improve in some areas while deteriorating in others; 4) match-mismatch timing in the marine ecosystem increases vulnerability; 5) uncertainty as to whether the Arctic ocean will increase or decrease in overall productivity is a key unknown; 6) evidence that ice hazards are actually increasing while the world marshals to increase development of Arctic resources; and 7) evidence that our recent cold winters are actually linked to our warming Arctic.

Dr. Barber obtained his Bachelors and Masters from the University of Manitoba, and his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, Ontario. He was appointed to a faculty position at the University of Manitoba in 1993 and received a Canada Research Chair in Arctic System Science in 2002. He is currently Associate Dean (Research), CHR Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources. Dr. Barber has extensive experience in the examination of the Arctic marine environment as a ‘system’, and the effect climate change has on this system. Dr. Barber has published over 200 articles in the peer-reviewed literature pertaining to sea ice, climate change and physical-biological coupling in the Arctic marine system. He led the largest International Polar Year project in the world, known as the Circumpolar Flaw Lead system study. He is recognized internationally through scientific leadership in large network programs such as NOW, CASES, ArcticNet, and the Canadian Research Icebreaker (Amundsen), as an invited member of several Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council national committees, international committees and invitations to national and international science meetings. Dr. Barber was instrumental in a national competition to bring a Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) to the University of Manitoba in the field of Arctic Geomicrobiology and Climate Change. As a member of the Centre for Earth Observation Science he leads a polar marine science group of over 100 people

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[sverre]

So what about the Norwegian ice breaker that got stuck this year? 1924 there was no ice at all north of Svalbard, what kind of fee do we have to pay for buying better and more ice for the polar bears?
We need more CO2, not less, the plant life is at a starving level.

[ushalexa]

Dear people who film and edit these videos: When speakers point and refer to the visual aids they use during their presentation, please, please, PLEASE feature that visual aid prominently within the video. No matter how charming the speaker is or how informative the talk is, most of the information worth sharing is lost if we can't see what the speaker is speaking about. This makes what might have been a valuable talk almost worthless in its video form. I'm sure you would agree that is a horrendous waste—even of your own time and effort, as the video editors. In most cases, the speakers are not up there to be featured in their own fabulous close-ups; they want to communicate something, and they've designed visual aids to help them communicate their important ideas. Please do them and your entire audience a favor by helping them out with that. Thanks so much! Respectfully.

[patersjy]

Why are the slides not shown 90% of the time? I can listen and watch without seeing the speaker.

[buckfisherGBY]

It was a lot warmer in the last Interglacial Period, and the Polar Bears made it through it fine. Who told you CO2 drives temperature? It never has in the past, (see Vostok ice core data). A warming during this interglacial period is not only possible, but likely as past interglacial  periods have all been much warmer than this one, (Coolest interglacial in last 1/2 million years), we could warm by 4-6 degrees C. The last interglacial was 4 degrees C warmer than we are, and the oceans were 20' higher than now.

[Richardguy]

Sea Ice does not make sea level rise. Ice is frozen water so when ice melts the sea level does not rise. If you doubt that simple example try the experiment for yourself in your own kitchen. Fill a jug with water and ice and mark the water level on the side of the Jug, Let the jug sit until th eice melts and the water level will be at the same mark as before. So all the talk and talk is baseless it is really meant to mislead you to panic and somebody is making money so follow the money?

[helanmback]

why would your obviously important information to civilization not be shown in the video? did someone not have instructions to point the camera at your images on the screen?

[jeffgold]

when the newest largest Norwegian ice breaker set out recently for the North Pole it ran into ice much thicker than expected, was damaged and had to return to Norway . I think the takeaway is that satellite estimates of ice thickness are not to be relied upon . also, there is significant yearly variation . ice cover is greatly affected by wind speed and direction . as of 2021 there is no statistical trend in arctic sea ice for the last 15 years .

[craigbowlby]

Too bad this guy is not familiar with history. If he was, he would know that around the year 1360, a group of Vikings from Denmark, led by Paul Knutson sailed into Hudson Bay and then up the river systems there, eventually reaching into what is now the state of Minnesota. They left a stone there that describes some of their exploits. The stone was discovered by a farmer and has since been named "The Kensington Rune Stone." It was thought to be a hoax for many years, but recent research has uncovered a document in the Danish archives that directs Paul Knutson to make the trip. Additionally, numerous swords and other Scandanavian artifacts have been unearthed by the plows of farmers throughout the region.
You might ask what this has to do with sea ice etc. The facts are that back then, things were so warm that Vikings had made permanent settlements in Greenland, where they grew crops and thrived because of the warmth. They eventually had to abandon their settlements as the weather grew colder. It is still too cold to grow the kinds of crops that archaeology has shown them to have been raising during their time there.
All of this shows us that alternations of cold and warm are the way of the planet, and that we out to simply adjust to the idea, rather be alarmed by it. For goodness sakes folks, we weven have fossil evidence that there have been tropical temperatures at the south pole in the distant past. Last but not least; CO2 is not poison, it's plant food. Don't let others do your thinking for you. Get out there and do your own research.

[BarryDennis]

It's 2019, 4 and 1/2 years since this was made. the ice on our north and south is growing. And, if it is too melt it would not be the first and it wont be the last. Polar bear population has increased since the recording of this.

[fliporhold]

Arctic ice coverage is at or near all time highs...

[steveh]

This was a graphic presentation without the graphics. Lots of great shots of the speaker referring to the graphics though. Too annoying to finish.

[referenceme]

are we at the end of an ice age? will the world look like it did before the ice age if all the ice melts?It seem man cannot control the weather so wouldn't it be better to accept change.

[nickhanley]

But not a word about the record large amount of growth (winter maximum) or the growing ice caps in Antarctica...

[ReasonablySane]

I come from the future, 2019. We discovered that we didn't really know as much as we thought we did about arctic ice. Turns out it was just in a cycle and now we've got more than we used to. It turned out to be Much Ado About Nothing.

[phonicwheel]

Dr. Barber has an appealing avuncular style. His presentation was in 2014, and describes an expedition in 2009. It is now 2019 so that is 10 years later. Has all the Arctic ice now gone? Are the Polar Bears gone? The Arctic is a relatively small conglomerate of floating ice chunks. Why no mention of the Antarctic which holds 90% of the world's fresh water as ice.

[giorgiocooper]

What reduction of arctic sea ice The arctic sea ice shelve has been ~ stable - summer and winter extent - since 2006, despite of all of the greeny propaganda to the contrary !

[eiCal]

Good info, but almost all the graphics and video stuff is lost. I don't need to see the closeup of the speaker, but the entire presentation.

[abyagowi]

RIP David Barber. You were always my inspiration.

[Endorfen]

I question the comment about the concern over the saltier surface ice and the interaction with the ozone. How does the saltier sea ice effect the reduction in ozone. It would seem I lack the knowledge to make the link. Please explain.

[marklewis]

thanks TEDx, ..this reminded me of radio.