VBA / C# Developer Developer - Quant Team - Hedge Fund - London

VBA / C# Developer Developer - Quant Team - Hedge Fund - London

My client is looking for an experienced VBA Developer to work in their Quant Research and Risk team.

The main function of this role is provision of analysis and development skills with the development team currently in place. As risk is also an important part of the Quant offering, this role will provide the analysis capabilities to both Equity and Fixed Income quant teams.

You will provide analysis and development capabilities to risk managers and work with the Head of Quant and Risk Technology

Although preferable, we do not require a CV, please feel free to get in touch regarding this role to this role. Or email . For more current openings with our clients call 02079971023 for a discreet conversation. We welcome speculative and tentative applications roles and others of a similar nature that we may have available on our books.

Allegis Group Limited and Aston Carter Limited operate Employment Businesses and Agencies and are companies within the Allegis Group Inc. group of companies, the fourth largest staffing company in the world, (collectively referred to as the "Allegis Group"). TEKsystems and Aerotek are divisions of Allegis Group Limited. Applicant data will be treated in accordance with the Allegis Group's Privacy Notice http://www.allegisgroup.com/Privacy/Default.aspx). By submitting personal data to any company or division within the Allegis Group, the applicant is providing explicit consent to the use of such data by the Allegis Group and to the transfer of such data to and from the Allegis Group companies within the UK, Europe and outside the European Economic Area in connection with the fulfilment of the applicant's voluntary requests, and the fulfilment of other job opportunities that match the applicant's profile, and confirms that they may be contacted about such job opportunities.

Source: http://www.technojobs.co.uk/job.phtml/1056324?ref=RSS

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Women's Health ? Gynecologic Cancer Warning Signs :- Meal Plans ...

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Article by Rachelle Kirk

Gynecologic Cancer is actually a grouping of several different types of cancer that affect women. The tissues and organs that are targeted by gynecologic cancer are portions of a females reproductive system. This includes cervical cancer, uterine cancer, fallopian tube cancer, vulvar cancer, vaginal cancer, and ovarian cancer.Although any woman is potentially at risk for developing female (gynecological) cancer, certain factors can increase the likelihood of developing this disease. Smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, HPV infection, and the use of particular medications (such as certain types of birth control medications) can increase a womans odds of developing gynecologic cancer. Because heredity plays a role, women with a family history of cancer have a higher probability of getting this disease.Even though we all know how crucial early detection is when dealing with a potentially life threatening illness, no one likes to consider the fact that they might have a deadly disease. However, if you experience any of these warning signs and symptoms, you need to speak with your healthcare provider in order to find out the cause.Pelvic pain or pressure. Any type of pelvic pain or pressure should be taken very seriously. This includes pain in the pelvis that appears during certain situations (such as when you twist your body a specific way), when you bend, move, or during sexual intercourse. These are all warning signs that need to be evaluated by your doctor.Abnormal bleeding. This is a very important sign. Bleeding when it is not your monthly period, bleeding after menopause, bleeding in between periods, and unusually heavy flow during your period these are all warning signs of gynecologic cancer. Report any abnormal vaginal, urinary tract, or anal bleeding to your doctor as soon as possible.Abnormal discharge. Inform your gynecologist about any changes from your normal vaginal discharge.Any sore that does not heal. If you have a sore that either doesnt heal or that heals very slowly, let your doctor know.Continual feeling of fullness. If you have trouble eating because you already feel full, or experience the feeling of fullness soon after you begin eating, inform your healthcare provider.Changes in bathroom habits. Changes in your normal bladder (frequency or urgency) or bowel patterns (including nausea, diarrhea, gas, and indigestion) that last longer than 2 weeks should be reported to your doctor.Unintended weight changes. If you suddenly lose weight without dieting or exercise, or unexpectedly begin to gain weight for no apparent reason, let your doctor know.Low back pain. Although many non-cancerous conditions can cause low back pain, pain in the low back can sometimes indicate a problem with the ovaries or uterus. Only a doctor can tell for certain.Other signs include: Skin color changes, burning pain in the genital region, and abdominal bloating.Have annual physicals, routine gynecologic examinations, and pap tests in order to safeguard yourself against the dangers of cancer. Speak with your doctor about any unusual changes that you may be experiencing, especially if you have one or several of the above warning signs of gynecologic cancer.

About the Author

Rachelle Kirk writes about Health information, wellness, and chiropractor treatment. If you are looking for natural pain relief for back pain, sciatica, and other health conditions then http://www.backinaction.net is the perfect place for you.

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Rachelle Kirk writes about health information, wellness, and chiropractor treatment. If you are looking for natural pain relief for back pain, sciatica, and other health conditions then http://www.backinaction.net is the perfect place for you.












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Source: http://howcanyouloseweighttoday.com/2012/09/22/womens-health-gynecologic-cancer-warning-signs-meal-plans-for-weight-loss/

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Police probe alleged poisoning of dogs in Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) ? Cruelty to animals has long been a problem in Russia, with animal protection laws loosely enforced and packs of stray dogs, uncared for by the state, left to roam the streets of Moscow.

But that cruelty has taken on a new dimension and sparked a public outcry with a recent spree of dog poisonings in a posh neighborhood in Moscow. Dozens of dogs have died, allegedly after eating poison concealed in scraps of meat left in a park where pets were being walked.

On Friday, police opened a criminal investigation.

Vera Lesovets, whose 5-year-old Corgie died that way, blames what she calls dog hunting, a hobby gaining ground in the Russian online community.

"They have websites," she said. "They write how they kill them, post photographs, tell you which poison is better and where to buy it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-probe-alleged-poisoning-dogs-moscow-141507372.html

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Khoe-San peoples diverged before 'out-of-Africa' migration of modern humans

ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2012) ? Genetically, culturally and ethically the Khoe-San have something special to add to this world.? The largest genomic study ever conducted among Khoe and San groups reveals that these groups from southern Africa are descendants of the earliest diversification event in the history of all humans -- some 100,000 years ago, well before the 'out-of-Africa' migration of modern humans.

Some 220 individuals from different regions in southern Africa participated in the research that led to the analysis of around 2.3 million DNA variants per individual -- the biggest ever.

The research was conducted by a group of international scientists, including Professor Himla Soodyall from the Human Genomic Diversity and Disease Research Unit in the Health Faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Entitled Genomic variation in seven Khoe-San groups reveals adaptation and complex African history, the study has been selected for early online publishing in the scientific journal, Science, on September 20, 2012.

"The deepest divergence of all living people occurred some 100,000 years ago, well before modern humans migrated out of Africa and about twice as old as the divergences of central African Pygmies and East African hunter-gatherers and from other African groups," says lead author Dr Carina Schlebusch, a Wits University PhD-graduate now conducting post-doctoral research at Uppsala University in Sweden.

Soodyall, from National Health Laboratory Services in South Africa, has a long standing relationship with Khoe and San communities and said that the findings are a "phenomenal tribute to the indigenous Khoe and San people of southern Africa, and through this magnificent collaboration, we have given the peoples of Africa an opportunity to reclaim their place in the history of the world."

Besides the publication of the study, the authors will also be visiting the San groups in the Kalahari, in the Askam area in South Africa on the 24th of September 2012 for the country's Heritage Day celebrations. "We are excited that together with some of our colleagues from Uppsala University, we will be able to join in the celebrations with the San groups in the Kalahari who participated in our research and to acknowledge their contribution in making our research possible."

The researchers are now making the genome-wide data freely available: "Genetic information is getting more and more important for medical purposes. In addition to illuminating their history, we hope that this study is a step towards Khoe and San groups also being a part of that revolution," says Schlebusch. Another author, Professor Mike de Jongh from University of South Africa adds, "It is important for us to communicate with the participants prior to the genetic studies, to inform individuals about the nature of our research, and to also go back to not only to share the results with them, but also to explain the significance of the data for recapturing their heritage, to them."

According to Assistant-Professor Mattias Jakobsson from Uppsala University, these deep divergences among African populations have important implications and consequences when the history of all humankind is deciphered.

The deep structure and patterns of genetic variation suggest a complex population history of the peoples of Africa. "The human population has been structured for a long time," says Jakobsson, "and it is possible that modern humans emerged from a non-homogeneous group."

The study also found surprising stratification among Khoe-San groups. For example, the researchers estimate that the San populations from northern Namibia and Angola separated from the Khoe and San populations living in South Africa as early as 25,000 -- 40,000 years ago.

"There is astonishing ethnic diversity among the Khoe-San group, and we were able to see many aspects of the colorful history that gave rise to this diversity in their DNA," said Schlebusch.

The study further indicates how pastoralism first spread to southern Africa in combination with the Khoe culture. From archaeological and ethnographic studies it has been suggested that pastoralism was introduced to the Khoe in southern Africa before the arrival of Bantu-speaking farmers, but it has been unclear if this event had any genetic impact.

The Nama, a pastoralist Khoe group from Namibia showed great similarity to 'southern' San groups. "However, we found a small but very distinct genetic component that is shared with East Africans in this group, which may be the result of shared ancestry associated with pastoral communities from East Africa," says Schlebusch.

With the genetic data the researchers could see that the Khoe pastoralists originate from a Southern San group that adopted pastoralism with genetic contributions from an East African group -- a group that would have been the first to bring pastoralist practices to southern Africa.

The study also revealed evidence of local adaptation in different Khoe and San groups. For example, the researchers found that there was evidence for selection in genes involved in muscle function, immune response, and UV-light protection in local Khoe and San groups. These could be traits linked with adaptations to the challenging environments in which the ancestors of present-day San and Khoe were exposed to that have been retained in the gene pool of local groups.

The researchers also looked for signals across the genome of ancient adaptations that happened before the historical separation of the Khoe-San lineage from other humans. "Although all humans today carry similar variants in these genes, the early divergence between Khoe-San and other human groups allowed us to zoom-in on genes that have been fast-evolving in the ancestors of all of us living on the planet today," said Pontus Skoglund from Uppsala University.

Among the strongest candidates were genes involved in skeletal development that may have been crucial in determining the characteristics of anatomically modern humans.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of the Witwatersrand, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Carina M. Schlebusch, Pontus Skoglund, Per Sj?din, Lucie M. Gattepaille, Dena Hernandez, Flora Jay, Sen Li, Michael De Jongh, Andrew Singleton, Michael G. B. Blum, Himla Soodyall, and Mattias Jakobsson. Genomic Variation in Seven Khoe-San Groups Reveals Adaptation and Complex African History. Science, 20 September 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1227721

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/dhbT_U4jPsA/120920141139.htm

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Compact body scanner ready for space station

13 hrs.

Handheld?"tricorders" from "Star Trek" remain just a science fiction fantasy for astronauts who need advanced medical care in space. But a new version of full-body scanning technology has the right size and power requirements to possibly fit aboard the International Space Station.

The smaller, cheaper version of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine could provide "slice" images of astronauts' bodies to improve studies of human health in space ? issues such as bone and muscle loss in low-gravity environments or the effects of deep-space radiation. Space explorers living on moon bases or traveling to Mars could also benefit from having such medical technology available during missions lasting for months or years.

"I would like to build a facility-class, whole-body-sized MRI," said Gordon Sarty, acting chairman of the biomedical engineering division at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. "Such a project would require an agreement between the ISS space agencies."

The compact MRI could weigh less than a ton ? one-twentieth of a ton for a smaller version that scans arms and legs ? and would require far less power than traditional MRI. Costs for the full-body MRI could drop from $2 million to as low as $200,000.

Sarty presented his team's compact MRI technology at AIAA Space 2012, a conference organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, on Sept. 13. He hopes to win funding from the Canadian Space Agency to launch the machine to the space station around 2020.

MRI machines work by using radiofrequency coils to broadcast signals to the human body and receive return signals to build an image of the body's innards. Gradient coils control the machine's magnetic field to produce the precise "slice" images of certain parts of the body.

But MRI technology has limits that would make it both difficult and risky to operate on the space station. Typical MRI machines weigh about 11 tons or more because they rely upon heavy superconducting magnets cooled by liquid helium, and also create stray magnetic fields that could interfere with the space station's operations. Another problem comes from the MRI gradient coils' need to consume huge amounts of power in short bursts. [8 Surprising High-Tech Uses for Helium]

"These characteristics make it impractical and potentially dangerous to take a conventional MRI into space," Sarty told InnovationNewsDaily.

Compact MRI uses two different technologies to get around such problems. First, it uses a permanent Halbach magnet that is lighter than the superconducting magnet and does not create stray magnetic fields outside the magnet. Second, the compact MRI eliminates the power-hungry gradient coils by using Transmit Array Spatial Encoding (TRASE) that encodes images through the radiofrequency coil alone.

The smaller MRI technology has many uses far beyond space ? it could improve overall medical care on Earth by making the cheaper machines available around the world. Its smaller size could also lead to easier use of MRIs in battlefield hospitals or distant parts of the world with limited space and power.

Many of the new technology's pieces have already fallen into place. Halbach magnets have shown they can create the required magnetic fields, and TRASE Coils have successfully created images inside a conventional MRI machine with the gradient coil fields switched off. Sarty's team has also created a full-size mock-up of the compact MRI.

Several of the space conference attendees urged Sarty to develop the Earth applications first before pushing use of the compact MRI in space. But Sarty hopes the Canadian Space Agency can take enough interest to fully fund the concept for testing in a space environment.

"Eventually someone will break a bone in space," Sarty said. "We have no idea if that bone will heal."

You can follow TechNewsDaily Senior Writer Jeremy Hsu on Twitter @ScienceHsu.

Copyright 2012 TechNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/new-compact-body-scanner-ready-space-station-1B6022146

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New uses for old tools could boost biodiesel output

ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2012) ? Tried-and-true techniques could help optimize oilseed yield for biodiesel production, according to studies conducted by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

For more than 30 years, near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy has been used as a rapid and nondestructive method for measuring protein, moisture, and oil levels in whole grains. Now Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research leader Dan Long is studying how to use remote sensing tools to quickly assess seed oil quality and quantity before and after harvest.

ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of developing new sources of bioenergy.

Long, who works at the ARS Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center in Pendleton, Ore., used a special NIR sensor to assess seed oil content in 226 canola samples from Montana, Washington and Oregon. Seed oil concentration is used to estimate extraction efficiency, which is the percentage of oil recovered in relation to the amount of oil in seed.

Using this technique, Long was able to determine that oil concentrations in the samples ranged from 32 percent to 46 percent, and that the NIR sensor estimated seed oil content with an average error of 0.73 percent. A bout of abnormal weather affected results from one group of seeds in this study. If this group had been excluded from the analysis, the overall error rate would have been less than 0.5 percent.

Long believes that NIR sensors could be installed in seed crushing facilities to rapidly and continuously measure the oil content of clean seeds flowing into the expeller, where they are crushed to obtain the oil. Using NIR to monitor extraction efficiency might enable workers to adjust the choke setting on the expeller to compensate for oil loss in meal.

This would boost profits associated with seed processing, and lower the costs of the oil feedstock that is converted into fuel. NIR measurements might also help reduce the number of acres needed for oilseed feedstock production by maximizing seed oil extraction rates in the seed crushing facilities.

Findings from these studies were published earlier this year in the Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by United States Department of Agriculture - Research, Education and Economics. The original article was written by Ann Perry.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. D. Long, J. McCallum, F. Young, A. Lenssen. In-stream measurement of canola (Brassica napus L.) seed oil concentration using in-line near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 2012; 20 (3): 387 DOI: 10.1255/jnirs.993

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/0GszBO0iFkU/120920164650.htm

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How Popular Is Passbook? Sephora Sees 17,000 Passbook Users On Day One, 20K After 24 Hours

sephora-passbookHow popular is Apple's Passbook, the new iOS 6 application that lets you store tickets, cards, and coupons in a mobile wallet-like interface? According to some early data from Branding Brand, the company that built the app for cosmetics and skin care brand Sephora, Passbook adoption is booming. In the first day following iOS 6's availability, Sephora's "Beauty Insider" card was added to 17,000 users' Passbooks. Twenty-four hours later, that number reached 20,000.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/17G9PT-5-AY/

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Business groups protest Calif. carbon market

California Air Resources Board Member Ron Roberts talks with ARB chair Mary Nichols during a hearing held Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in Sacramento, Calif. The board took testimony from experts and the public on the the cost to businesses and consumers with the implementation of AB32, California's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

California Air Resources Board Member Ron Roberts talks with ARB chair Mary Nichols during a hearing held Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in Sacramento, Calif. The board took testimony from experts and the public on the the cost to businesses and consumers with the implementation of AB32, California's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Dorothy Rothrock, of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association, urged members of the California Air Resources Board to reconsider the state's pending cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions during a hearing held Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in Sacramento, Calif. The board took testimony from experts and the public on the the cost to businesses and consumers with the implementation of AB32, California's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Members of the United Steel Workers in joined dozens of others calling for the California Air Resources Board to reconsider the state's pending cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions, during a hearing Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in Sacramento, Calif. The board took testimony from experts and the public on the the cost to businesses and consumers with the implementation of AB32, California's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

(AP) ? A key component of California's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law would impose enormous costs on businesses at a time when the state's economy is sputtering, oil refiners, manufacturers and others said Thursday.

Fees from the state's pending cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions amount to a $1 billion-a-year tax increase on about 500 businesses in the state, the California Air Resources Board was told.

While the board wasn't voting or taking any significant action regarding cap-and-trade at Thursday's meeting, it was the last chance for businesses to be heard before the program begins.

The California Chamber of Commerce and others have written Gov. Jerry Brown urging him to halt the start of the program, which begins in earnest on Nov. 14 and is the central element of California's 2006 climate-change law, AB32.

A key issue for those opposed to the program is costs associated with the permits ? called allowances ? which the program will require businesses to buy, some at auction.

In general, cap-and-trade will place a limit, or cap, of the emissions of heat-trapping gases that are allowed from pollution producers like refineries and cement manufacturers. The businesses will be required to buy these allowances from the state, with each permit allowing for a ton of carbon each year.

For the first two years of the program, businesses will receive 90 percent of their allowances for free, with the free amount and the cap declining over time. The board has estimated that businesses will pay $964 million in allowances in fiscal year 2012-2013.

The chamber and other businesses want the amount of free allowances increased to reduce the impact on their businesses in a struggling economy.

"The fact is that this auction represents a multi-billion dollar hidden tax that will harm California businesses and consumers by dramatically increasing energy costs at a time we can least afford it," the letter to the governor stated.

Some business groups say the uncertainty about what costs associated with cap-and-trade will be in 2015 ? when the number of free allowances are set to be reduced ? are influencing investment decisions being made now. They want assurance that those costs will be lowered by offering more free allowances.

"We need to send the message now ... that more allowances will be available to industry," said Dorothy Rothrock of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association. "2015 is right around the corner and manufacturers are making plans this year for the next three-to-five years and capital investments may or may not happen in California based on the current regulations."

Supporters of the auctioning of allowances say making all of them free, as the oil companies and manufacturers want, would nullify the point of the program: to put a price on carbon.

Mary Nichols, the board's chairman, said the auction is important if the cap-and-trade program is to "provide an efficient and equitable way to discover the actual value of a ton of carbon ? and to create an incentive for those who can reduce it more cheaply than the allowance price to invest in the technologies to do so."

The board has designed the system to financially reward businesses that reduce emissions below their cap ? meaning money could be made through cap and trade. Officials also said the new market for technologies needed to curb emissions will spur innovation and economic growth.

Companies that cut emissions and have extra allowances can then sell the permits in a marketplace; greenhouse gas emitters could purchase those allowances if they failed to cut emissions.

Polluters that reduce emissions could turn a profit if the market price for extra allowances rises above the initial cost of the permit.

A company can also meet up to 8 percent of its emissions reduction obligations by purchasing carbon "offsets," or investments in forestry or other projects that reduce greenhouse gases.

"This system rewards those that are more efficient and allows those who can't or don't want to reduce their emissions too keep on operating and pass the cost of allowances on to their customers," Nichols said.

Not all business groups were opposed to cap and trade. Leonard Robinson of the California Black Chamber of Commerce said the program is needed to help the state transition to a "green energy" economy.

"Carbon markets put a price on inefficiencies ... and the long-term financial benefits will supersede the short term costs," Robinson said.

The program, the largest in the U.S., is modeled on similar programs in Europe, and designed to be able to link up with plans in other states and elsewhere to increase the size of its market for carbon allowance trading.

"(The board) has gone a long way to make these regulations as simple and palatable as possible," Nichols said. "At this point it's time for CMTA and (Western States Petroleum Association) and the chamber to join the many of hundreds of businesses that are investing in the fight against climate change instead of fighting AB32."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-09-20-California-Greenhouse%20Gases/id-9d598fbe159e4653b8aa6541b1822458

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Arctic sea ice hits smallest extent in satellite era

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The frozen cap of the Arctic Ocean appears to have reached its annual summertime minimum extent and broken a new record low on Sept. 16, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has reported. Analysis of satellite data by NASA and the NASA-supported NSIDC at the University of Colorado in Boulder showed that the sea ice extent shrunk to 1.32 million square miles (3.41 million square kilometers).

The new record minimum measures almost 300,000 square miles less than the previous lowest extent in the satellite record, set in mid-September 2007, of 1.61 million square miles (4.17 million square kilometers). For comparison, the state of Texas measures around 268,600 square miles.

NSIDC cautioned that, although Sept. 16 seems to be the annual minimum, there's still time for winds to change and compact the ice floes, potentially reducing the sea ice extent further. NASA and NSIDC will release a complete analysis of the 2012 melt season next month, once all data for September are available.

Arctic sea ice cover naturally grows during the dark Arctic winters and retreats when the sun re-appears in the spring. But the sea ice minimum summertime extent, which is normally reached in September, has been decreasing over the last three decades as Arctic ocean and air temperatures have increased. This year's minimum extent is approximately half the size of the average extent from 1979 to 2000. This year's minimum extent also marks the first time Arctic sea ice has dipped below 4 million square kilometers.

"Climate models have predicted a retreat of the Arctic sea ice; but the actual retreat has proven to be much more rapid than the predictions," said Claire Parkinson, a climate scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "There continues to be considerable inter-annual variability in the sea ice cover, but the long-term retreat is quite apparent."

The thickness of the ice cover is also in decline.

"The core of the ice cap is the perennial ice, which normally survived the summer because it was so thick", said Joey Comiso, senior scientist with NASA Goddard. "But because it's been thinning year after year, it has now become vulnerable to melt".

The disappearing older ice gets replaced in winter with thinner seasonal ice that usually melts completely in the summer.

This year, a powerful cyclone formed off the coast of Alaska and moved on Aug. 5 to the center of the Arctic Ocean, where it churned the weakened ice cover for several days. The storm cut off a large section of sea ice north of the Chukchi Sea and pushed it south to warmer waters that made it melt entirely. It also broke vast extensions of ice into smaller pieces more likely to melt.

"The storm definitely seems to have played a role in this year's unusually large retreat of the ice", Parkinson said. "But that exact same storm, had it occurred decades ago when the ice was thicker and more extensive, likely wouldn't have had as prominent an impact, because the ice wasn't as vulnerable then as it is now."

NASA scientists derive 2012 sea ice concentration data from microwave instruments aboard Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites. The wind data in the visualization is from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

###

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center: http://www.nasa.gov/goddard

Thanks to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/123677/Arctic_sea_ice_hits_smallest_extent_in_satellite_era

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