Mark Serreze, NSIDC - "We Are Going To Lose The Summer Sea-Ice Cover. We Can't Go Back."

Arctic sea ice is on track to recede to a record low this year, suggesting that northern waters free of summer ice are coming faster than anyone thought. The latest satellite data show ice coverage is equal to what it was in 2007, the lowest year on record, and is declining faster than it did that year.

"Could we break another record this year? I think it's quite possible," said Mark Serreze of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo. "We are going to lose the summer sea-ice cover. We can't go back."

In April, the centre published data showing that sea ice had almost recovered to the 20-year average. That ignited a flurry of interest on climate change skeptic blogs. But much of that ice was thin and new. The warmest April on record in the Arctic made short work of it.

Ice cover has already fallen back to where it was in 2007 at this time of year and is disappearing at a faster pace than it did then. Serreze said winds, cloud cover or other weather conditions could slow the melt, but he points out that the decline is likely to speed up even more in June and July. "Will (thawing) this year be particularly fast?" asked Serreze. "We don't know. We really don't know."

EDIT

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/sci_tech/scientists-say-arctic-sea-ice-on-track-to-match-record-low-set-in-2007-94275949.html