The Arctic has changed over the past twenty years

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Scientists from all over the world are watching how more and more water melts from the Greenland ice sheet and Arctic glaciers. At the same time, the amount of gases released during Arctic fires and the thawing of the tundra is also radically increasing.

97 scientists from eleven countries with expertise in wildlife, forest fires, sea ice and snow collaborated on the Arctic Report Card 2024. It was published on December 10 with the aim of informing about the state of the Arctic environment. It details the changes and the consequences for humans and wildlife.

In the nineteen years of the Arctic Report Card program scientists have witnessed dramatically accelerated changes in recent decades. The most noticeable is the long-term shortening of the Arctic snow season which is one to two weeks shorter today than in the past. The shorter snow season has become a challenge for plants and animals and will also affect the character and timing of individual seasons. If there is a longer period without snow this will have a negative impact in the form of a reduction in water resources and increase the risk of drought.

The extent of sea ice has decreased so markedly that it now forms only a thin and seasonal landscape. In the past there was a huge amount of thick ice here which has practically disappeared. Sea ice seasons are constantly shortening exposing a dark ocean surface that allows more heat to be absorbed in the summer contributing to increased air and ocean temperatures.

The year 2024 brought the second warmest Arctic temperatures since records began in 1900 and the wettest summer on record. The Arctic tundra has acted as a sink for carbon dioxide for thousands of years, but today the permafrost across the Arctic is thawing and warming. Once the soils thaw, this allows microbes in the permafrost to break down the stored carbon into carbon dioxide and methane. These heat-trapping gases are then released into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Despite global agreements and bold targets, human emissions of heat-trapping gases are still at record highs.

The year 2024 brought the second warmest Arctic temperatures since records began in 1900 and the wettest summer on record. The Arctic tundra has acted as a sink for carbon dioxide for thousands of years, but today the permafrost across the Arctic is thawing and warming. Once the soils thaw, this allows microbes in the permafrost to break down the stored carbon into carbon dioxide and methane. These heat-trapping gases are then released into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Despite global agreements and bold targets, human emissions of heat-trapping gases are still at record highs.

Source:AlaskaBeacon/Editorial