The Arctic Is Warming Faster Than at Any Point in the Past 1,500 Years

[babylonsister]

The Arctic Is Warming Faster Than at Any Point in the Past 1,500 Years
“Unprecedented.”

Megan Jula
Dec. 12, 2017 4:09 PM



The Arctic is warming faster than at any point in the past 1,500 years, according to a federal government report released Tuesday. The report, led by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also found that maximum winter sea ice coverage in the Arctic was the smallest ever recorded.

The peer-reviewed annual report card, presented at the American Geophysical Union fall meeting, compiled the work of 85 scientists from 12 nations.

“The Arctic is going through the most unprecedented transition in human history,” said Jeremy Mathis, director of NOAA’s Arctic Research Program, during a press conference.

In 2017, maximum winter sea ice area, measured each March, was the lowest ever observed. Permafrost, the layer of soil that remains frozen in the Arctic, also thawed faster than ever before.

A section of the report based on geological records found that sea ice is now declining, and temperatures warming, at a faster rate than at any other time in the last 1,500 years.

2017 was the second warmest year in the Arctic since 1900, when instrumental recordkeeping began. The all-time record was set last year. While fewer records were shattered this year than in 2016, the Arctic shows no sign of returning to the reliably frozen region it was decades ago, the report says.

more...

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/12/arctic-climate-change-warming/

[nitpicker]

1. Link to BBC

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42330771

(snip)
Source: 2017 NOAA Arctic Report Card

Warmer air: Average annual air temperature over land was the second highest after 2016, with a temperature 1.6C above average.

Declining sea ice: The maximum winter sea-ice area, measured each March, was the lowest ever observed. Sea ice is also getting thinner each year.

Warmer ocean: Sea surface temperatures in August 2017 were 4C above the average in the Barents and Chukchi seas. Surface waters of the Chukchi Sea have warmed by more than half a degree C per decade since 1982.

Plankton blooms: Springtime melting and retreating sea ice allows sunlight to reach the upper layers of the ocean, meaning more of these microscopic marine plants can photosynthesise.

Greener tundra: Overall vegetation, including plants getting bigger and leafier and shrubs and trees taking over. Grassland or tundra, increased across the Arctic in 2015 and 2016, as measured by satellite.

Ups and downs for snow: For the 11th year in the past 12, snow cover in the North American Arctic was below average, with communities experiencing earlier snow melt. The Eurasian part of the Arctic saw above average snow cover extent in 2017 - the first time that has happened since 2005.

Less melt on Greenland Ice Sheet: Melting began early on the Greenland Ice Sheet in 2017, but slowed during a cooler summer, resulting in below-average melting when compared with the previous nine years. Overall, the Greenland Ice Sheet, a major contributor to sea-level rise, continued to lose mass this past year, as it has since 2002 when measurements began.
(snip)

[nitpicker]

2. Link to NOAA Arctic report card

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card/Report-Card-2017

[The_jackalope]

3. Yeah, it's true. So what?

We're not going to do anything about it.