Current:Home > InvestArctic Report Card: Lowest Sea Ice on Record, 2nd Warmest Year-LoTradeCoin
Arctic Report Card: Lowest Sea Ice on Record, 2nd Warmest Year
View Date:2024-12-23 19:51:39
The Arctic experienced its second-warmest year on record in 2017, behind only 2016, and not even a cooler summer and fall could help the sea ice rebound, according to the latest Arctic Report Card.
“This year’s observations confirm that the Arctic shows no signs of returning to the reliably frozen state that it was in just a decade ago,” said Jeremy Mathis, director of the Arctic program at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which publishes the annual scientific assessment.
“These changes will impact all of our lives,” Mathis said. “They will mean living with more extreme weather events, paying higher food prices and dealing with the impacts of climate refugees.”
The sea ice in the Arctic has been declining this century at rates not seen in at least 1,500 years, and the region continued to warm this year at about twice the global average, according to the report. Temperatures were 1.6° Celsius above the historical average from 1981-2010 despite a lack of an El Nino, which brings warmer air to the Arctic, and despite summer and fall temperatures more in line with historical averages.
Among the report’s other findings:
- When the sea ice hit its maximum extent on March 7, it was the lowest in the satellite record, which goes back to 1979. When sea ice hit its minimum extent in September, it was the eighth lowest on record, thanks in part to the cooler summer temperatures.
- Thick, older sea ice continues to be replaced by thin, young ice. NOAA reported that multiyear ice accounts for just 21 percent of the ice cover, compared with 45 percent in 1985.
- Sea surface temperatures in the Barents and Chukchi seas in August were up to 4°C warmer than the 1982-2010 average.
- Permafrost temperatures in 2016 (the most recent set of complete observations) were among the highest on record.
The report card’s findings were announced at the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union, an organization of more than 60,000 Earth and space scientists. The report card is peer reviewed, and was contributed to by 85 scientists from 12 countries.
Timothy Gallaudet, a retired Navy admiral who is the acting NOAA administrator, told the audience of scientists that the findings were important for three main reasons. The first reason, he said, was that “unlike Las Vegas, what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic.”
The next two reasons, he said, “directly relate to the priorities of this administration”: national security and economic security.
“From a national security standpoint, this information is absolutely critical to allow our forces to maintain their advantage,” Gallaudet said.
From an economic one, the changes in the Arctic bring challenges—like those faced by Alaskan communities threatened by coastal erosion—but also opportunity. “Our information will help inform both of those as we approach the changing Arctic,” he said.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to watch the fight, time, odds
- Minneapolis Police Department faces stark officer shortage as it seeks to rebuild public trust
- Long-term mortgage rates retreat for second straight week, US average at 7.02%
- They survived Maui's deadly wildfires. Now many are suffering from food insecurity and deteriorating health.
- MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup continues with conference semifinals
- Vermont to grant professional licenses, regardless of immigration status, to ease labor shortage
- Surgery patients face lower risks when their doctors are women, more research shows
- Brad Marchand says Sam Bennett 'got away with a shot,' but that's part of playoff hockey
- Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
- 2024 NFL schedule release winners, losers: Who got help, and who didn't?
Ranking
- 'This dude is cool': 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge brings realism to literary detective
- Promising rookie Nick Dunlap took the PGA Tour by storm. Now he's learning how to be a pro
- Greek defense team says 9 Egyptians accused of causing deadly shipwreck were misidentified as crew
- Surgery patients face lower risks when their doctors are women, more research shows
- Does the NFL have a special teams bias when hiring head coaches? History indicates it does
- Ukraine says it has checked Russia’s offensive in a key town, but Moscow says it will keep pushing
- Watch: Brown bear opens SoCal man's fridge, walks off with a slice of watermelon
- Review: Proudly bizarre 'I Saw the TV Glow will boggle your mind – and that's the point
Recommendation
-
Kyle Richards Swears This Holiday Candle Is the Best Scent Ever and She Uses It All Year
-
2024 PGA Championship highlights: Xander Schauffele leads with 62
-
UN reports improved prospects for the world economy and forecasts 2.7% growth in 2024
-
CW exec 'very concerned' about Miss USA Pageant allegations, mulls breaking TV contract
-
What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
-
Clean like a Pro with Shark’s Portable Wet & Dry Vacuum (That’s Also on Sale)
-
Maria Shriver Calls Out Harrison Butker for Demeaning Graduation Speech
-
Oregon man convicted of sexually abusing 2 teen girls he met online gets 12 1/2 years in prison