Together with Erick Rogers, Thomson's colleague in the study and from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Mississippi, they gathered the measurements of the Arctic Ocean waves through sensors anchored on the sea floor, 150 feet under the surface of the Beaufort Sea.
Tech Times reports them also having mentioned that they were in the process of placing several dozens of similar sensors in the Arctic Ocean to analyze the physics of sea ice retreat and the increasing presence of heavy seas.
Thomson said, 'Almost all of the casualties and losses at sea are because of stormy conditions, and breaking waves are often the culprit.'
He added, 'At this point, we don't really know relative importance of these processes in future scenarios.'
Meanwhile, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the Arctic's sea ice is already decreasing rapidly this summer, with "the second half of June having the second fastest sea ice extent loss in satellite data records."
According to data from the University of Washington, sea ice thickness in 2014 has also been tracked as amongst the lowest four years on record. In a Tech Times report, 2012 also set a record low in Arctic sea ice extent, having showed an incredible and rapid drop in sea ice beginning in the late summer. 49 percent of the ice cap reportedly went missing that year, and sea ice extent dropped to an astonishing 18 percent below the 2007.
Unfortunately, the ice melting which causes Arctic Ocean waves are not only caused by heat, but are triggered by weather patterns above the ice as well.
Reports say that storms can accelerate or decelerate sea ice loss depending on timing and location. 2012 saw a massive Arctic storm which was enhanced by sea ice melt and pushed the year across the record line. As sea ice thins, stronger Arctic winds and waves will follow, and thus other ice becoming prone to breakage.
Also affected by an ice-free Arctic is our ability our capability to operate in the North Pole, may it be for oil drilling or trans-Arctic shipping. Already unfavourable weather topped with massive could present hazardous conditions for operations.
Arctic Ocean waves are caused by the steady loss of sea ice since the 1970s. But the loss has been accelerated in 2002, reports National Geographic. The reported 16-foot Arctic Ocean waves that scientists saw reportedly occurred during strong winds on Sept. 18, 2012.
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