Overheated planet update, July 16 edition: Extra-thick ice freezes early operations in Arctic

Offshore drilling: Extra-thick ice freezes early operations in Arctic -- 07/16/2012 -- www.eenews.net

There's a rite of passage that plays out in the Arctic each year as the daylong summer sun warms and weakens the thick polar ice pack, eventually clearing the frigid waters to make way for ships, hunters and sea life.
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"The ice is starting to recede. But because of the thickness, it hasn't receded in the time frame that people thought," she said. "For safety reasons, the Coast Guard won't be patrolling in the Arctic unless there's open water."

The icy conditions have forced Royal Dutch Shell to delay plans to move its drill ships, the Noble Discoverer and the Kulluk, into the Arctic to explore for oil....
Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center warned that the American Arctic could experience a backlash as a result of the recent cold winter.

"When you lose the ice a little bit later, the ice reflects the solar energy and keeps the ocean waters colder," he explained. "The colder ocean waters will lose whatever heat they gain during the summer faster. That allows ice to regrow more quickly when the sun goes down in the fall."