Neven: "Long story short: Even though 2016 has been breaking records all year so far, as things currently stand, it will take special weather conditions for it to break any records near the end of the melting season." I've seen the polls but I'm curious to know how much of an extent you think we're likely to have come mid September.

Yes, Jim, I've seen you there. I'm currently debating with them on their thread "Atmospheric Temperatures Plummeting At A Record Pace". I'm sure they'll change their tune come September. :-)

I think it's time to harass Tony Heller. :-)

Ostepop: "There was a big change after the incredibly huge 1997 El Nino, after which the patterns changed." Ostepop, take a look at 2010's El Nino here http://www.drroyspencer.com/wp-content/uploads/UAH_LT_1979_thru_July_2013_v5.6.png

@Fryingpan136: "When I clicked on the link I was redirected to a porn site." Yikes!!! It works perfectly for me on IE 7, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari. Try another browser.

Below is a sampling from Steven Goddards "Real Science" site. If they ridicule us we can just link them to this jewel: Terra Incognita says: September 3, 2011 at 10:57 pm [Steven Goddard said:] “New ice is starting to form in the Arctic, and it looks like 2011 has a possibility of becoming the shortest melt season (time from peak to minimum) on record. Longer polar melt seasons are a fundamental tenet of global warming theory.” [TI replies:]I see. The shortest melt season on record will give us the second smallest ice extent on record. That’s a lot of melt for such a short season. I guess the shorter them der seasons get the more ice will melt. (We could use some animated laughing smileys). Reply Steven Goddard says: September 3, 2011 at 11:08 pm You missed the part about MYI doubling over last year and quadrupling since 2008. http://www.real-science.com/shortest-arctic-melt-season-record#comment-49617

This link will take you directly to the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkpFNteryX8&list=UUtZdUYUZr493AUh_EInBYxQ&feature=player_detailpage

Is there a thread listing all the predictions for an ice free Arctic by those who post here? It would be interesting to see who has what opinions.

I hope this is not off topic. These are a couple of videos that could be instructive for the non-professional general audience on the subject of Methane. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKyRHDFKEXQ and more dramatic, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRLD_vH5Efo (fast forward to the 3:30 - 4:31 minute mark.)

@ Allen W. McDonnell "... a complete absence of Arctic sea ice in early summer could be the trigger to flip the northern hemisphere into the hothouse mode just as it was when last the Earth had 400 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere." Allen, what time period are you referring to? If it was over 3 million years ago then you have to take into account that the isthmus of Panama had not yet formed. That changed the ocean currents probably contributing to a warmer Earth. I'm not saying there wouldn't be a transition just that it could be different (milder?) from the last time we had the same amount of CO2.

Then there's Joe Bastardi whose real name doesn't need much imagination to spoof. Marc Morano only needs one letter in his name switched. ;)

@fryingpan136: "...what are the likely long term climatic consequences of an ice free Arctic?" Warmer ocean -> more evaporation -> more intense storms/flooding -> crop damage.

It would be simple just to assign them letters. The letters would stand out more than numbers. Example 2013-A etc.

@ R. Gates: "...that those of us who might be named, or have a friend or family named "Irene", or "Gloria" or "Bob" or "Sandy", etc. would not take it personally to have a storms named after first names in our culture." Yes, I thought of that but the cultural divide is to large to assume anything. Such naming would be done by a foreign culture with a history of negative interactions. It could very easily give the impression of ridicule As to who to consult the elders should be the first and they should be consulted as a group.

We should consult with the Inuit people due to the possibility that they may be offended by the idea of having their names attached to storms that affect their lives adversely. Much as I would like to see storms named after Monckton et al any official naming done by meteorologists would be subject to public pressure if they offend anyone. Such naming would amount to nothing more than a private joke.

@Paul Beckwith "People forget that the Arctic stayed ice free quite happily year round in the past when the continents were in the same locations as today. The Arctic region supported lush forests and critters that required temperatures to remain above freezing. This flora and fauna adapted quite happily with months of total darkness and total lightness." Are you implying that an ice free Arctic ocean will have no impact on civilization? Our civilization depends on agriculture which, unlike a natural ecosystem, is very fragile and susceptible to extreme short term changes.

Does anyone know how much warmer an ice free ocean (3 months) will get?

Wayne: "you can go to the betting shop place a wager against anything they predict and get rich." Usually, but beware the liar who sometimes comes up with a truth even if its accidental. ;-)

A question from a newbie/village idiot. I've been tuning in to Bremen and Cryosphere concentration maps. What are the pros and cons of both of them? I appreciate the greater resolution of Bremen but I don't know how much of it is artefactual (yellows and greens)and how much of it is "real".

@Bob Bingham: "If we had a quick (quicker) break up of the Arctic ice, say down to 1 mill sq Km in five years it would seriously hamper food production in the North. Not to get off topic but it might be a good idea for Neven to start a post on the consequences of the Arctic meltdown on our crops and its social impacts.

The Long Winter by John Christopher - more of a social commentary than sci fi though. Coming up on June 7 is the movie After Earth. A father and son crash land on a post global warming earth and try to survive. In the words of the Father "Everything on this planet has evolved to kill humans." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIt20emgLY

Since we're on a roll here with Geo-engineering fantasies let me mention that science fiction writer Jerry Pournelle, in his book Oath of Fealty, came up with the idea of towing icebergs to supply household water to cities. Won't do a damn for global warming but at least the faucets won't dry up. ;-)

A suggestion, The image of the Earth should not be split in two but whole and I would place the support and donate link on the bottom so it doesn't convey the thought that it's the first thing you want to get people's attention. Off topic but out of curiosity, which languages do you translate?

An idea for a non-animated image. Four 'ice cube' images, side by side, each representing one decade.

"I wonder what drives this criminal evasiveness in so many climate scientists. To be frank, I think it is all about covering their butts." I spoke to Julienne Stroeve on the issue of when the ice cap would melt at, of all places, Steven Goddards "Real Science" site. She said 2030/2035 for a partial meltdown. I think that the phrase 'criminal evasiveness' is way too harsh but it does seems that there are two different species of Deniers.