The Arctic has undergone some of the most rapid transformations over the past 50 years, with global implications for the Earth’s climate. A dramatic indicator of Arctic climate change is the shrinking summer sea ice extent (SIE) and Arctic is now expected to become ice-free during summer at some point this century.

This year, expectations for a record sea ice minimum were high following an unusually warm winter Arctic. While forecasts in June and July predicted a below average but not extreme summer minimum it now seems that the unusually warm August over the Arctic could result in the September SIE being the second lowest to date.

Our event will take place only a few days after the September SIE minimum and we will take this opportunity to ask five scientists to reflect on the conditions that lead to the sea ice summer conditions in 2016 as well as the implications of a rapidly declining Arctic sea ice cover beyond the Arctic region and in the context of long term climate change.

Following these short presentations a dialogue between the speakers and the audience will be lead by Helen Czerski.

Speaker and panelist information:

Mark Brandon, Reader in Polar Oceanography, Open University

Note: Mark will be using social media and we will be using the twitter handle #ukSeaIce

Julienne Stroeve, Professor of Polar Observation & Modelling, University College London

Andy Shepherd, Professor of Earth Observation at the University of Leeds, Director of the NERC Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling

Note: Rachel Tilling, a researcher at CPOM, will be presenting instead of Andy Shepherd.

Ed Blockley, Head of the Polar Climate Group at the Met Office Hadley Centre

Chris Rapley, Professor, University College London

Host:

Helen Czerski, Lecturer at University College London and science presenter for the BBC
Contact


+44 (0)20 7679 3017 | m.tsamados@ucl.ac.uk