Report: Central African gorillas may go extinct

Gorillas may go extinct in much of central Africa by the mid-2020s -- victims of a meat trade, of logging and mining, and even the Ebola virus, a new report says.

Unless action is taken to guard the gorillas' habitat and counter poaching, the dire prediction will come to pass, said the joint report from the United Nations and Interpol released Wednesday.

Until now, the Congo Basin in Central Africa had been a rainforest refuge for gorillas and other apes.

But the threats to the gorillas' survival are so acute that a similar study that predicted only 10 percent of the gorilla population will remain by 2030 is now considered too optimistic.

That study -- conducted in 2002 -- did not take into account the rise in the demand for timber and metals destined for Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

The situation is especially critical in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

There, militias have seized large chunks of gorilla land and logged and mined it. They have done so because the illegal trade in timber and in metals such as gold and coltan (left) -- used in cell phones -- generates between $14 million and $50 million a year for them, the report says.

The money helps fund the militias' battle against the Congolese army.

As the militia fight the army, the insecurity in the region has driven thousands into refugee camps. Professional poachers have taken to providing "bush meat" -- wild animal meat -- to the refugees and to the workers in the mining and logging camps. And increasingly, that meat comes from apes, the report says..

Adding to the gorillas' woes are outbreaks of the Ebola virus that have killed thousands of great apes. By some estimates, 90 percent of the infected animals will die.

Among the good news in the report: A survey in one conflict zone in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo discovered 750 critically endangered Eastern lowland gorillas.

Also, mountain gorillas in the Virungas, an area shared by Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, found that the apes survived during several periods of instability.

The report credited the survival to stepped up patrols by park rangers who targeted poachers and loggers.

But this has come at a price, the report said: More than 190 Virunga National Park rangers have been killed in recent years allegedly at the hands of militias concerned about a loss of revenue.

The report 'The Last Stand of the Gorilla - Environmental Crime and Conflict in the Congo Basin' can be accessed at http://www.unep.org/

Source:
Cable Network News, "Report: Central African gorillas may go extinct", accessed March 30, 2010

China sends emergency food to drought-stricken provinces

China has sent 1.4m tons of emergency grain supplies to drought-stricken southern provinces that are struggling to cope with the worst drought in decades, the local media reported today.

Authorities say well digging and other relief efforts may also need to be widened as the normally lush and humid region undergoes a dry spell that threatens wildlife, crop production and hydropower generation.

The drought has left 18 million people and 11m livestock in Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan and Chongqing without adequate water, according to the ministry of civil affairs.

As Yunnan is home to several of Asia's biggest rivers, including the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween, the downstream impact of a prolonged drought is of concern to almost a billion people.

The economic damage is already estimated at 24bn yuan (about £2.4bn) and with more than 7m hectares of farmland affected, including China's biggest horticulture base, the amount could rapidly grow unless there is rain.

Thousands of water trucks have been sent to the affected area, but in the Himalayan foothills, residents of at least one remote village are having to walk more than 20 kilometers each day to get water.

The authorities have blamed changing weather patterns that have curtailed the rainy season. According to Chen Zhenlin, the spokesman for China's meteorological administration, the average daily temperature in Yunnan over the past six months has been two degrees higher than normal, while the province has had only half the rainfall of an ordinary year. Both are at levels not experienced since the 1950s.

Environmental activists said the government had worsened the problem by encouraging the widespread clearing of forest for rubber and eucalyptus plantations, which are far less capable of conserving water than the original trees. "This has caused significant water and soil erosion and intensified the drought in these regions," said Yu Xiaogang, director of Green Watershed, a local NGO. "We need to review this issue and come up with solutions, otherwise we would face more serious drought problems in the future."

Villagers in Nongtai, a remote corner of Guangxi region, are having to walk six hours a day through the mountains to fetch water for their families, according to the Global Times. Most of them are over 60 years old because all the young and middle-aged adults in the community have left to do migrant work in cities.

With the drought spreading, the government has spent 2.6bn yuan on emergency measures. According to People's Daily, authorities have dispatched tens of thousands of water trucks and strengthened irrigation systems over an area of a million hectares.

The Pearl river delta (left) – the nation's industrial hub – is also being affected. The lake at the source of the Pearl is down to less than a quarter of its normal volume. Hydroelectric dams, which normally generate almost a third of the province's electricity, are underpowered because of low reservoir levels, trimming 10% from supply capacity.

Source:
London Guardian, "China sends emergency food to drought-stricken provinces", accessed March 27, 2010

60 Minutes - Swimming with the Great White Shark

60 Minutes aired a report by Anderson Cooper on great white sharks to learn more about these much feared species. Cooper dives unprotected with great white sharks and the South African, Mike Rutzen, who has spent more time up close with the ocean's most feared predator than anyone else.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Source:
60 Minutes,The Sharkman, accessed August 30, 2010

Steady as She Goes for Ocean's Conveyor

Europe can rest easy. A new analysis of data from satellites and drifting sensors finds no evidence that the Atlantic portion of the "Conveyor Belt"—the great warm current flowing ultimately from the Pacific toward the frigid far North Atlantic—is slowing. Scientists and the public had worried that global warming might be shutting down the conveyor flow and threatening a big chill for Europe. Now, judging by its behavior, the conveyor appears to be far less susceptible to throttling by climate change than once feared.

Headlines warning of Europe’s coming ice age first appeared 5 years ago. In a 2005 Nature paper, oceanographers analyzed temperature and salinity measurements made during five brief ship surveys between 1957 and 2004. These data suggested a 30% decline in the northward flow of the Atlantic conveyor near 26°N around the turn of the century.

There were many climate scientists who believed that it was quite possible that the North Atlantic Current could shut down, which would have caused a mini ice age for Northern Europe and affected the entire global weather system

But continuous measurements by cable-moored instrument arrays soon revealed fluctuations in conveyor flow in the space of a year that would have swamped the once-a-decade surveys. Signs of an ice age evaporated, at least by scientists’ reckoning if not the public’s.

Physical oceanographer Joshua Willis has now further allayed those fears. Working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, he combined centimeter-accuracy satellite measurements of the height of the sea surface with observations from subsurface, free-floating Argo drifters. He could then calculate the conveyor flow at 41°N. As he writes in a new paper in Geophysical Research Letters, the different approach at a latitude where the flow is much less variable shows “that substantial slowing of the [conveyor] did not occur during the past 7 years.” Judging by the satellite data alone—before the Argo float program got going in about 2002—substantial slowing “is unlikely to have occurred in the past two decades.”

A finding of no slowing is fine by physical oceanographer Carl Wunsch of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. The satellite-drifter analysis is only the latest evidence against a slowing, he says. And at this rate, he adds, it will likely be decades before the conveyor changes enough to be detected by in situ or satellite-borne instruments.

Source:
Science, "Steady as She Goes for Ocean's Conveyor", accessed March 27, 2010

From the Inbox: Rare wolves on brink of extinction! Act Now

Act Now to Save Lobos on the Brink F836 -- one of the few wild lobos left in the world -- was killed by a lawless wolf-killer last year shortly after being released into the wild. Wolf-killing criminals coupled with years of inflexible management have led this rare sub-species of wolf to the brink of a second extinction in the wild. Just 42 lobos remain in the wild! Please urge Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to fast-track federal recovery efforts for these highly endangered wolves. Help us reach our goal of generating 30,000 messages by Friday, March 26th. Please send your message today and forward this message to at least five others who care about wildlife.

Disturbing news: Just 42 "lobos" or Mexican gray wolves remain in the wilds of the Arizona and New Mexico, according to the federal government’s latest count.

These amazing animals exist nowhere else in the wild, and they are quickly running out of time in their fight for survival.

Take action today to save these rare and beautiful wolves. Urge the Obama administration to fast-track recovery of Mexican gray wolves and help prevent a second extinction of these amazing animals in the wild.

Over the last year, the number of wild Mexican gray wolves has declined by ten -- a nearly 20 percent reduction in one of the most endangered wild wolf populations in the world.

With just two breeding pairs left outside of captivity, these wolves are again threatened with extinction in the wild.

With so few lobos remaining, the loss of even one wolf could spell disaster for this rare wolf.

The lobo can’t wait. Tell U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to expedite the federal plan to recover lobos and restore them to their rightful place the Southwest.

During the last century, an orchestrated lobo eradication campaign nearly wiped these magnificent animals off the face of the earth.

Fortunately, the federal government protected lobos under the Endangered Species Act in 1976. Then with the help of zoos in the U.S. and Mexico, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched a captive breeding program to keep these highly endangered wolves from disappearing forever.

But 33 years later, lobos remain on the brink of extinction in the wild due to past mismanagement that killed or removed too many wolves, increasing criminal poaching of wolves and a vocal anti-wolf minority that has prevented reasonable management to save these important animals.

Help save lobos from a second extinction in the wild. Please take action now.

For the Wild Ones, Eva Sargent Director, Southwest Program Defenders of Wildlife

Wildlife Update

Alaska's out-of-control wolf-killing program has claimed its latest victims. Last week, the Webber Creek pack of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve was slaughtered by state agents in a helicopter -- including two radio-collared adults being tracked for National Park Service research. Defenders and our sister organization, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund are continuing efforts on the ground, in Congress and in the courts to stop the state’s brutal, unnecessary and unscientific program.

From the Inbox - Is Congress making the Grade?

Is Congress Making the Grade? Find out how your representative and senators voted on key conservation issues. Download a printable copy of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund’s Conservation Report Card (PDF file) Do you care about saving the lives of imperiled wolves, polar bears and other wildlife? Do you wonder if Congress does, too? Check out Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund’s new Conservation Report Card to see how your elected officials are making the grade when it comes to safeguarding our imperiled wild animals and wild lands. Our new Conservation Report Card measures the commitment of U.S. Senators and Representatives to wildlife and habitat conservation during each Congressional session. It reviews House and Senate votes on key conservation issues and assesses the efforts of members of Congress to protect wildlife and wild lands for future generations. This year, we scored key votes on… Preserving life-saving Endangered Species Act protections that safeguard red wolves,jaguars,manatees and roughly 1,300 species in danger of extinction; Addressing climate change that is destroying vital habitat for polar bears, bighorn sheep, monk seals and other wildlife; Preventing reckless oil and gas drilling that could ruin America’s beaches, poison and decimate essential nesting habitat for threatened and endangered sea turtles; and Much, much more. Our Report Card is an important resource that you can use to examine your elected officials' efforts to conserve our nation's natural heritage for our children and grandchildren, so please check it out right now! For the Wild Ones Robert Dewey Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

From the Inbox: Pledge to End Mountaintop Removal in 2010

Make The Pledge To End Mountaintop Removal in 2010! RAN activists taking action at the EPA last week Photo by Paul Corbit Brown Over the last few weeks, I have personally witnessed the heroism of Americans doing everything in their power to stop mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR). I have been with hundreds of coalfield residents lobbying in DC; I have watched a dozen activists lock-down at EPA headquarters for over 30 hours, sacrificing comfort and risking arrest, to demand an end to MTR. Now is the time for every one of us to protect our mountains and drinking water from careless destruction. The movement to end MTR is gaining strength as people all over the country join with affected residents of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia to say no to greed-crazed coal companies poisoning headwaters and laying waste to a once wild and exceptionally biodiverse land. The people of this movement are demanding that America's mountains remain standing. But this movement will only thrive if it grows from the few people willing to take brave heroic action, like you,to a groundswell of national momentum. This is why I've signed the pledge to help end MTR in 2010, and I am asking you to join me. The Appalachian Mountains are literally at stake,as coal companies jockey for permits allowing them to blast apart the summits of mountains and bury our rivers and streams with the remains. Take the pledge to help end mountaintop removal. Pledge to spread the word online, pledge to pressure decision makers standing in our way, pledge to hit the streets. Whatever actions you decide to take will be amplified by the actions of your friends, family and fellow community members. We must grow this movement and we must do it now. Pledge to take action to end MTR. Trust me, you'll be in good company. Let's build that groundswell and not waste any time doing it. Whether you care about clean drinking water, protecting an ancient mountain range and preserving wild forests, or whether you just believe that blowing up precious natural resources for small amounts of coal is outrageous and downright un-American, now is the time to pledge your action. And now is the only time, because once a 300 million year old mountaintop is removed, there is simply no growing it back. Sign the pledge and inspire all of your friends, family and co-workers to join you. Time is of the essence. Let's end mountaintop removal in 2010. Together. For the mountains, Amanda Starbuck Global Finance Campaign

Scientist: Don't blame cows for climate change

A scientist in the United States has questioned the impact meat and diary production has on climate change, and accused the United Nations of exaggerating the link.

In 2006, a report published by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) titled "Livestock's Long Shadow," claimed meat production was responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, which it added was greater than the impact of transport.

Livestock farming already occupies 30 percent of the world's surface and its environmental impact will double by 2050 unless drastic action is taken, the U.N. warned.

Environmentalists and leading campaigners including Paul McCartney, used the findings to urge consumers to eat less meat and save the planet. Last year the former Beatle's much hyped-campaign featured the slogan: "Less meat = less heat."

But Frank Mitloehner,(left) an air quality specialist from the University of California at Davis (UCD), said the U.N. reached its conclusions for the livestock sector by adding up emissions from farm to table, including the gases produced by growing animal feed; animals' digestive emissions; and processing meat and milk into foods.

But its figures for transport did not add up emissions from well to wheel; instead, it considered only emissions from fossil fuels burned while driving.

"This lopsided 'analysis' is a classical apples-and-oranges analogy that truly confused the issue," Mitloehner said on the university's Web site.

Mitloehner also pointed to the fact that leading authorities agree raising animals for food accounts for about 3 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., while transportation creates an estimated 26 percent.

He said campaigners such as McCartney were "well-intentioned," but "not well-schooled in the complex relationships among human activities, animal digestion, food production and atmospheric chemistry."

He added "smarter animal farming not less farming will equal less heat."

One of the report's authors, Pierre Gerber, told CNN he accepted the comparison with transport data was inaccurate.

"This was not done deliberately," he said. "But the comparability of the data does not challenge the estimate of 18 percent.

"It has been endorsed by the scientific community, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) made reference to it, so this is not in doubt.

"We thought it would be useful to compare the figures to another sector -- transport -- and I accept this comparison is now a little doubtful."

He added that the FAO plans to publish a revised report on the impact of the livestock industry.

Meanwhile, Liz O'Neill of British Vegetarian Society -- an educational charity which counts Paul and Stella McCartney among its patrons, told CNN the meat industry remains a hugely significant contributor to climate change despite.

"It's obviously convenient to have comparisons but 18 percent is still a really massive contribution," she said.

"But it's not only about reducing emissions in this area. We have to do it all. The Vegetarian Society has always been careful never to say 'go vegetarian and then you can go on long-haul flights on your holiday.' We say this is just one of things you can do to make a contribution."

Duncan Pullar of the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX), which promotes the beef and lamb industry in Britain, said the "credibility gaps" on both sides of the argument are making it difficult for consumers to understand the impact of food production.

"Talking about livestock production versus transport in a world context is meaningless," he said. I don't understand what it offers us," he told CNN.

"There are claims and counter-claims that don't help to create a balanced view of how we should individually and collectively respond.

But he added there has been no drop-off in sales of meat across the industry, despite the vigorous media debate about sustainability in the food industry.

Source:
Cable Network News, "Scientist: Don't blame cows for climate change", accessed March 24, 2010

Climate change kills off scented flowers - Is this the death of sweet romance?

ROMANCE may never be as sweet again after scientists have discovered that climate change is killing the scent of flowers around the world.

This is the concern of environmentalists as flowers are losing their scent due to climate change and air pollution. And their fragrance may be lost forever.

Science and Technology Professor Emeritus at University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Dr Abdul Latif Mohamad, said genetically modified flowers might be the way out.

Climate change is also the reason Kuala Lumpur City Hall is increasingly turning to shady trees, because flowers which previously formed the centerpiece of its beautification program have been wilting fast.

"It was getting too costly to beautify the city. Flowers were dying fast," he said, adding that City Hall would continue to plant shady trees more suited for soaking up the increasing pollution and coping with global warming.

Latif said UKM might have offered plausible reasons as to why some pollinators were not spreading flower seeds, a pattern caused by the missing "scent trail" with scent tissues burning easily due to global warming.

"The aroma producing chemical compounds in flowers dry up faster now compared with before."

The only way out, he said, was to genetically modify the flowers so that the effects would not be permanent and the future generation would not be robbed of nature's beauty.

"The act is almost like producing essential oils. Scientists add on certain chemicals for stronger scent."

He said scents in flowers last longer in colder climate as plants can hold on to their essential oils longer.

"The flowers may still have strong scents in colder climate. But locally, we fear this might be lost forever."

With flowers emitting lesser scent, the insects and butterflies are travelling further and longer to get a share of nectar.

Latif said birds and insects were heading towards hilly areas and deeper into the jungles where the weather is cooler.

He related an incident in Sungai Siput, Perak, where the farmers failed to get fruits from their orchards.

Upon investigation, Latif's team discovered that the flowers were no longer pollinating after dust from a hill blast blocked the growth of stigmas.

He said Malaysians could no longer rely on nature to heal itself without the help of science.

He said Malaysia needed to follow in the footsteps of Japan, Europe, the United States, China and South Korea which have invested millions in the research of genetically modified seeds.

Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Latif Mahmod said recently the extreme weather change might affect the life span of trees as a result of lighter or heavier rain.

"We should look at how trees can be mutated so that they will not be destroyed."

Source:
Daily Telegraph, "Climate change kills off scented flowers - Is this the death of sweet romance?", accessed March 23, 2010

From the Inbox: What a week in Washington

We're pleased to tell you that last week's 5th Annual Week in Washington was an amazing success! Because of the hard work of people like you -- who called and emailed their representatives in support of the more than 200 citizen lobbyists on the ground in D.C. -- we have brought the number of co-sponsors to 10 in the Senate and 167 in the House, including recent additions Mike Quigley and Bill Foster from Illinois, and Republican Bob Inglis from South Carolina.

The diligent and persuasive citizen lobbyists who came to D.C. from all over the country held more than 150 scheduled meetings and over 200 drop-in visits with House, Senate, and Federal agency Representatives. (You can check out pictures from this year's Week in Washington on our Flickr account.)

Everybody who contacted their representatives, went to Washington, or made a financial contribution to support our efforts in D.C. made a tremendous difference. We are already seeing the waves of everyone's work ripple through the Executive and Legislative Branches of government, bringing signs of hope that the days of mountaintop removal coal mining are numbered.

Now, let's keep that momentum going by growing our movement in the coming weeks. Here's what you can do:

1, Take few moments to visit your Personal Action Page and invite your friends and family to join you on iLoveMountains.org.

2. If you haven't already done so, become a fan of iLoveMountains on Facebook or follow us on Twitter -- then retweet or suggest to friends that they do the same.

3. Consider giving a presentation or showing a film about mountaintop removal to your friends, family, church, classmates, or any other audience you can think of. We have a free Living Room kit that makes hosting an event easy. Interested in learning more?. Contact Stephanie@iLoveMountains.org or call 917.664.5511.

4. Set up an iLoveMountains.org outreach table at markets, festivals, your church, or other public venues. We have a tabling kit we can send you for free, as well as other items you can order. Contact Stephanie@iLoveMountains.org to learn more.

Every effort you make to recruit a friend or neighbor -- whether on Facebook or in your community -- strengthens our ability to show Congress that Americans are eager for an end to mountaintop removal coal mining.

Thank you for everything you do to spread the word and to keep the pressure on Congress.

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

60 Minutes this Sunday - Swimming with the Sharks

Would you have the courage to swim with killer sharks even with a professional veteran with you? I wouldn't - not going to happen - ever. It only takes one bite as they say and you're shark dinner.

However, whether it's from a well of great courage or an overabundance of blind stupidity, CNN's and 60 Minutes reporter, Anderson Cooper, does just that in his segment on 60 Minutes this Sunday. This report was taped last fall in South Africa and the CBS website has put up a short description about the segment and a video clip. So if you are interested in killer sharks especially of the great white variety, you might want to catch this.....

From 60 Minutes:

CNN's Anderson Cooper joins "The Sharkman" on " 60 Minutes" for an unprotected swim with the ocean's most feared predator.

No one spent more time getting closer to great white sharks than Mike Rutzen. He has learned a great deal about the ocean's most feared predator by swimming just inches away from the toothy creatures, completely unprotected - no cage. That's just what Anderson Cooper will do on Sunday's "60 Minutes" when he reports on Rutzen - a man so convinced great whites are misunderstood that he risks his life over and over to prove it.

How do you swim with the star of "Jaws?" With a paramedic on board and an ambulance on the shore, as Cooper reports from under the waters off Cape Town, South Africa, as they visit with a 15-foot great white.

Watch the short clip:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

From the Inbox: Which wildlife issues do you care the most about?

As a member of Defenders of Wildlife’s online community, you’re probably already familiar with our commitment to protecting wildlife and our work to save the lives of wolves, polar bears and other imperiled wildlife. That’s why today I’m asking you to let us know what issues are most important to you. We are committed to giving you the online actions and information you want as we work together to protect endangered animals and the habitat they need to survive. Please let me know: What wildlife issues interest you most? Feedback from caring people like you is crucial to our work, and your comments and suggestions will help us decide where to devote our energies and resources. Just click here to take our survey. I hope you’ll take just a few minutes right now to let us know what you think of our work and offer us ways we can keep you even more connected and informed. Your answers will be confidential, and there will be a space at the end of the survey where you can add comments or suggestions in your own words. Click here to take the survey now! Thank you for all you do on behalf of imperiled wildlife. Sincerely, Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife

Wind contributing to Arctic sea ice loss, study finds

New research does not question climate change is also melting ice in the Arctic, but finds wind patterns explain steep decline.

Much of the record breaking loss of ice in the Arctic ocean in recent years is down to the region's swirling winds and is not a direct result of global warming, a new study reveals.

Ice blown out of the region by Arctic winds can explain around one-third of the steep downward trend in sea ice extent in the region since 1979, the scientists say.

The study does not question that global warming is also melting ice in the Arctic, but it could raise doubts about high-profile claims that the region has passed a climate "tipping point" that could see ice loss sharply accelerate in coming years.

The new findings also help to explain the massive loss of Arctic ice seen in the summers of 2007-08, which prompted suggestions that the summertime Arctic Ocean could be ice-free withing a decade. About half of the variation in maximum ice loss each September is down to changes in wind patterns, the study says.

Masayo Ogi, a scientist with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology in Yokohama, and her colleagues, looked at records of how winds have behaved across the Arctic since satellite measurements of ice extent there began in 1979.

They found that changes in wind patterns, such as summertime winds that blow clockwise around the Beaufort Sea, seemed to coincide with years where sea ice loss was highest.

Writing in a paper to be published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the scientists suggest these winds have blown large amounts of Arctic ice south through the Fram Strait, which passes between Greenland and the Norwegian islands of Svalbard, and leads to the warmer waters of the north Atlantic. These winds have increased recently, which could help explain the apparent acceleration in ice loss.

"Wind-induced, year-to-year differences in the rate of flow of ice toward and through Fram Strait play an important role in modulating September sea ice extent on a year-to-year basis," the scientists say. "A trend toward an increased wind-induced rate of flow has contributed to the decline in the areal coverage of Arctic summer sea ice."

Ogi said this was the first time the Arctic winds have been analyzed in such a way.

"Both winter and summer winds could blow ice out of the Arctic [through] the Fram Strait during 1979-2009," she said.

A number of other factors were also responsible for ice loss, including warming of the air and ocean, she added.

According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado, Arctic sea ice "is in a state of ongoing decline". Since 1979, the ice has shrunk by about 10% a decade, or 28,000 square miles each year. The ice reaches its minimum extent each September, when it begins to reform as the freezing Arctic winter takes hold.

Source:
London Guardian, "Wind contributing to Arctic sea ice loss, study finds", accessed March 23, 2010