From: "Mike Ledbetter" <answer3@passport.ivv.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: How much of the Arctic ice has melted due to global climatic change?
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 14:00:10 -0400

-----Original Message-----
From: onair@passport.ivv.nasa.gov <onair@passport.ivv.nasa.gov>
Date: Tuesday, April 28, 1998 12:43 PM
Subject: How much of the Arctic ice has melted due to global climatic
change?


>Joe C. asks this Question:
>
>How much of the Arctic ice has melted due to global climatic change?
>
>
>Answer:
>
>Joe:

You have asked one of the most important questions in Arctic research! We
have several large research programs underway to answer that question. If is
very difficult to get a definitive answer because new ice is formed each
year. Therefore it is difficult to determine how much is melted when there
is continually new ice forming.  The best way to answer the question is a
very surprising one. We can use data collected from US Navy nuclear
submarines that have a sonar that looks upward to keep the sub from running
into the bottom of the ice. We have not finished that analysis yet. Stay
tuned for the answer!