The Polar Ocean and World Climate.

J. O. Fletcher

Expert InsightsPublished 1968

A review, with 24 charts, of the effect of the polar ice pack on world climate. About 10 percent of the northern hemisphere ocean area and 13 percent of the southern is covered in winter by floating ice of variable extent. As the ice pack recedes, storm tracks go farther north and midlatitude rainfall patterns shift eastward. Apparently changes in solar radiation intensity in Antarctica result in changes in the global circulation, which, in turn, affect the extent of the Arctic pack ice, especially during the northern summer. After examining the possible effects of removing the ice pack, and the possibilities of doing so, the study concludes that--however undesirable it may be politically, economically, or environmentally--we probably do have the technological ability to eliminate the ice, but far more research is needed before we can predict the consequences for the entire earth-atmosphere physical system. 60 pp. Bibliog.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1968
  • Pages: 60
  • Document Number: P-3801

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Fletcher, J. O., The Polar Ocean and World Climate. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1968. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P3801.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.