albedo

Albedo. What the heck is that right? Well, its is a measurement of the reflectiveness of the earth's surface. Basically, white (snow/ice) reflects more than anything else. Less white = less albedo. This summer, for the first time in recorded human history, we might be looking at a north pole free of ice. Regardless of the crazy Russians and their claim to it, this is a scary idea. Good for shipping, but not good news for the earth overall. A few years ago, saying this could happen in 50 years was pretty radical. Today, its a matter of this year, next year, or maybe a couple years from now..

Couple to this the recent studies of Greenland's ice cores, which show that massive climate change occurred in 4-10yrs, with sometimes very short bursts of intense change, and there is a good chance that the best skiing will be in Morocco in a few years...