The effects of global warming in the Arctic are so severe that the region is shifting to a different climate, one characterized less by ice and snow and more by open water and rain, scientists said Monday.
“Everybody knows the Arctic is changing,” said Landrum, a climate scientist and the lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change. “We really wanted to quantify if this is a new climate.” Arctic sea ice has declined by about 12% per decade since satellite measurements began in the late 1970s, and the 13 lowest sea-ice years have all occurred since 2007. This year is expected to be a record or near-record low for ice extent, which will be determined by the end of this month as the summer melt period ends.
Jennifer Kay, a climate scientist at the University of Colorado who was not involved in the research, said the new study builds on previous ones that had looked at fewer climate elements. Landrum said that Arctic communities are already suffering from the changes. Eroding coastlines are forcing some Alaska Native villages to consider relocating. Other changes are affecting the food supply. Warmer storms that bring rain on existing snow, for example, can lead to starvation of the animals Indigenous groups rely on.Landrum said the climate models used in the study simulated the future in a world where planet-warming emissions of greenhouse gases remained high.
Another study released Monday suggested that two Antarctic glaciers that have long been of concern to scientists over their potential to contribute to sea level rise may be in worse shape than previously thought.
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