A monumental climatic event is unfolding before our eyes this year. The ramifications will affect entire human race, nay, the entire community of Gaia dwelling souls.
David Barber, 21st Century Arctic Explorer, has been warning us for years, but too many of us have been blinded by our greed for oil and money. The Arctic will go completely ice free this summer. This will no doubt force polar bears into extinction and set off a globe spreading chain reaction of extinction and desolation.
This extraordinary occasion deserves its own geological name. I propose we call it the “Barber Event.”
“We’ll always have ice in the winter time in the Arctic, but it will always be first-year ice,” Barber said on Friday. “2015 is our estimate for summer free (of) ice.”
As Barber said, the Arctic will always have ice in the winter, but some winters may have more or less than others. Data collected over time has allowed the calculation of the average ice extent for each day of the year. Of course, that average is higher in the winter and lower in the summer. The lowest average occurs in September after the long summer melt. Deviations from this average are called the “anomaly.”
In September the average ice extent drops down to about 4.5 million square kilometers. But in recent years the anomaly has been negative. So, the ice extent in September has been less than 4.5 million square kilometers.
Barber made his prediction in 2008 after that the previous year’s anomaly had dropped to about 2.5 million square kilometers. That is, after that year’s summer melt there was only about 2 million square kilometers of ice left. The strange thing is, six out of seven years since Barber made his prediction the anomaly has been higher (i.e. there was a greater ice extent) after the summer melt than in 2007. This might surprise you, because you would expect that anomaly to get lower and lower (more and more negative) as you approached the dreaded ice free summer.
One might think that this strange circumstance indicates that Barber was wrong about his prediction. But that can’t be, because he is a SCIENTIST (SCIENTIST, Scientist, scientist, scientist).
So here is what we can expect the anomaly to do this year…
If Professor David Barber is right, then the 2015 Arctic ice extent anomaly will look something like this.
Barber could have made a lot of money (for his favorite charity) off of this prediction, because there was some blogging kook who gave him 10 to 1 odds that it wouldn’t happen. But I am sure he felt it was much more important to remain the impartial SCIENTIST (SCIENTIST, Scientist, scientist, scientist).
Back in 2008 University of Manitoba Professor David Barber made two rediculous statements. First, National Geographic reported on June 20th, 2008, that Barber said
“We’re actually projecting this year that the North Pole may be free of ice for the first time [in history].”
Of course, that did not happen. At the low point for the year there were still 3 million square kilometers of ice in the Arctic and 2.25 million square kilometers in the Arctic Basin. But Barber wasn’t done sharing his insight. That year the Star Pheonix (Saskatoon) reported
The ice that has covered the Arctic basin for a million years will be gone in little more than six years because of global warming, a University of Manitoba geoscientist said. And David Barber said … he estimates the Arctic sea should see its first ice-free summer around 2015.
…a friendly wager based on this prediction. I will bet David Barber $1000(US) that the ice covering the Arctic Basin will not be gone anytime before December 31st, 2015. The bet would involve no transfer of cash between myself or Barber, but rather, the loser will pay the sum to a charitable organization designated by the winner.
Definition of terms. The Arctic Basin is defined by the regional map at Cryosphere Today. “Gone” means the Arctic Basin sea ice area is less that 100,000 square kilometers, according to National Center for Environmental Prediction/NOAA as presented at Cryosphere Today . Charitable organizations will be agreed upon at the time the bet is initiated.
David Barber is a smart guy and evidently an expert in his field. Taking on a wager with an amateur like me should be like shooting fish in a barrel. I look forward to reaching an agreement soon.
Today I am offering Barber 10 to 1 odds. That’s right, I will put up $10,000 to his $1000 that the ice covering the Arctic Basin will not be gone anytime before December 31st, 2015, all the rest of the terms being the same. Today I sent Prof. Barber this email, to the address found here. I am looking forward to hearing from him soon.
Climate Sanity 
