Slowly melting away

Monday, Sept. 1, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

On the global warming front, the news is getting worse. Scientists are now reporting that Arctic sea ice is at its second-lowest level on record.

That finding was reported Tuesday by the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado. Arctic sea ice is 760,000 square miles below its average for this time of year, based on records dating to 1979. The only lower level on record occurred last year, but with several more weeks remaining in the annual melt season, scientists are wondering whether an all-time low will be reached before 2008 ends.

The most immediate effect of the slow-melting ice cap has been on polar bears, more of which are being spotted in open water. Over a 16-year period that ended in 2003, federal observers spotted only 12 bears in open water. Last month, nine bears were spotted in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast. Although the bears are good swimmers, they can drown if exhausted.

Scientists also report that summer ice in the Arctic will be gone by 2030, due not only to rising air temperatures but also to warmer sea water.

With Antarctica also experiencing breakaway icebergs, the wrath of global warming is clearly upon us. If we do nothing, the long-term result could be rising seas and loss of habitat.

We urge the next president of the United States to implement a national strategy to reduce the release of harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, and to use his position to persuade leaders of other nations to do the same.