More on the melt in the Arctic....

The more we research, the more we find other factors besides global warming...

As much as a third of the warming trend in arctic regions is caused by "dirty snow," not by greenhouse gases, UC Irvine researcherssay, a finding that could have implications for pollution control effortsacross the Northern Hemisphere.

In a study published in a science journal in June, 2007, climate researcher Charlie Zender and his team say that Arctic snow is being darkened by soot from tailpipe exhaust, smokestacks and forest fires.

Because darker surfaces absorb more heat from sunshine, Zender said, soot is making a significant contribution to Arctic warming, which is melting permafrost, increasing spring runoff and causing a variety of woes for the people who live in these regions.

Better control of pollution sources that emit large amounts of soot – coal-fired power plants in China, for example – could be a relatively easy way to reduce arctic warming, he said.