Notes on the 2009 Nenana Ice Classic

“The Nenana classic is a pretty good proxy for climate change in the 20th century,” noted Dr Martin Jeffries, a geophysicist at the University of Alaska.

If this is true, what does the 2009 Nenana Ice Classic tell us about global warming?

The 2009 break-up of the river recorded at 8.41 pm, 1 May ranks (from earliest to latest) as the 35th in 92 years of the contest. This follows the 2008 6 May break-up which now ranks as the 59th out of 92 years.

So, if the Nenana Ice Classic was a blood pressure reading for our climate, it's unlikely that the doctor would raise his (or her) eyebrows. It's currently tracking well within the range of normal.