December 11, 2024
4 min read
A Rapidly Warming Arctic Looks Dramatically Different Now Than It Did 20 Years Ago
Rising temperatures, increasing precipitation, thawing permafrost and melting ice are pushing the Arctic outside its historical norms
An aerial view of icebergs and ice sheet in the Baffin Bay near Pituffik, Greenland on July 19, 2022 as captured on a NASA Gulfstream V plane while on an airborne mission to measure melting Arctic sea ice.
Kerem Yücel/AFP/Getty Images
CLIMATEWIRE | The Arctic continued its relentless transformation in 2024, experiencing its wettest summer, its second warmest permafrost temperatures and its second hottest overall year on record.
It’s the continuation of a long-term pattern — and serves as the latest evidence the Arctic has shifted into a new state of being, according to the latest installment of NOAA’s annual Arctic Report Card. Temperatures, precipitation patterns, ice melt, permafrost and other factors have moved beyond the region’s historical norms. Change is constant.
“The Arctic exists now within a new regime, in which conditions year after year are substantially different than just a couple of decades ago,” Twila Moon, a scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center and lead editor of the report, said at a press conference Tuesday announcing the findings. “Yet climate change is not bringing about a new normal. Instead, climate change is bringing ongoing and rapid change.”
On supporting science journalism
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
The Arctic Report Card, issued annually since 2006, provides regular documentation of the Arctic’s evolution. The first installment warned of melting sea ice and thawing permafrost and pointed to “hot spots” across the region. It…
Read the full article here
