Arctic research vessel to spend entire year studying sea ice decline
by Suzanne Goldenberg in Fairbanks, Alaska from Environment | The Guardian on (#17DF3)
Scientists hope monitoring the ice through winter, as well as summer, will give insight into the effect of winds, clouds, snow and sun on melt rates
A research ship will spend an entire year adrift with the ice floes of the Arctic to better understand the disappearance of the polar ice cap.
Scientists meeting in Fairbanks for the Arctic Science Summit warned this week that the area covered by this winter's Arctic sea ice could be the lowest ever recorded, after three months of extremely warm temperatures and above freezing days at the North Pole.
