Are the small spots and squiggles on the Sea Surface Salinity maps an indication of melting at big cracks? And, isn't that a huge East-West crack that just opened up at the edge of the MYI, from at least 20W to 90W, at about 85N?

At this point, would it be correct to say that all of the Arctic Sea Ice is fractured/broken up except the small area of thickest ice bordering Canada (i.e., the Navy “black” ice)?

FYI: NASA TV will debut “Science Uncut: Arctic on the Edge?" Mon Feb 4 at 8pm Eastern Time (US). You can watch NASA TV at www.nasa.gov/ntv .

Terry, I remember seeing Burma Shave signs. Long time ago, but clearly they made a lasting impression. I attempted a few new ones to bring it home: We skated ponds And taught our child But now our winter’s Much too mild Climate Change Summer picnic Lemonade Record heat wave Medic aid! Climate Change River rushing Clear blue sky Months without rain River dry Climate change House in mountains Seasons turning Beetle damage Trees are burning Climate Change

Arctic Sea Ice Keeps your cool. Arctic Sea Ice Keeps you cool. Arctic Hot = Miami Not What if arctic ice No longer recycled? Coming Soon: An Ice-Free Arctic Apt. for rent - Landlord absent Attic on Fire Arctic Melt = People Melt Recalculating. Would you give up your car To save the planet? The Stone Age did not end Because we ran out of stones. The Oil Age will not end Because we ran out of oil. In .5 century, exit planet.

Could *drift* become a vital factor in this year’s melt? The remaining thick ice (i.e., green/yellow on the navy animations) is moving rapidly south toward the Alaska/Canada border; about a third has moved below 80N in the past few weeks. Last summer, essentially all ice south of 80N melted completely away (and much of it was thicker than the current pack). If the present drift continues over the next few weeks, doesn’t that pretty much bode “game over” for thick ice this summer?