Climate Progress » Blog Archive » Senate hearing on climate bill on C-SPAN at 10 today

And that means you can watch it online here.

Full Environment and Public Works Committee hearing entitled, “Moving America toward a Clean Energy Economy and Reducing Global Warming Pollution: Legislative Tools.” Details here.

NASA - NASA Satellite [Allegedly] Reveals Dramatic Arctic Ice Thinning

The Arctic ice cap grows each winter as the sun sets for several months and intense cold ensues. In the summer, wind and ocean currents cause some of the ice naturally to flow out of the Arctic, while much of it melts in place. But not all of the Arctic ice melts each summer; the thicker, older ice is more likely to survive. Seasonal sea ice usually reaches about 2 meters (6 feet) in thickness, while multi-year ice averages 3 meters (9 feet).

The difference between 6 and 9 feet isn't much. Can this be accurately measured via satellite?

Flashback: Carbon traders sponsor alarmist trip to Arctic; note the admissions that we don't currently know much about Arctic sea ice thickness

Previous estimates of melting have been based on less reliable soundings made by satellites and submarines, which can’t distinguish ice from snow. Scientists have had few surface measurements because traveling on the ice cap can be so arduous.

“Sea ice thickness is the holy grail of the Arctic climate system because that gives you a sense of the long-term health of the Arctic,” said Walt Meier, a scientist at the Boulder, Colorado-based National Snow and Ice Data Center, or NSIDC. “This will give us a handle on how much ice we’re losing.”