Arctic winter sea ice loss may exceed previous projections

Arctic winter sea ice could diminish far faster than climate scientists previously anticipated, ScienceDaily Earth Science reported. By evaluating ocean sediment samples from a warmer climatic period 6,000 years ago, researchers compared historical data to current climate simulations. ScienceDaily Earth Science and Science Daily both report that future Arctic winter ice coverage may shrink by roughly one million square kilometers more than earlier models projected. [1][2]

The Arctic climate region centers on the North Pole and extends south toward the Arctic Circle at approximately 66 degrees 33 minutes North latitude. The surrounding Arctic Ocean covers roughly 14 million square kilometers. Climate change in the Arctic causes the polar region to warm at a rate three to four times faster than the global average. This rapid warming accelerates the retreat of sea ice, the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, and the thawing of permafrost landscapes. [6][7]

Existing evaluations indicate that ongoing environmental transformations in the polar landscape are expected to remain irreversible for centuries or millennia. Environmental models indicate that climate change will render the Arctic region profoundly different by 2050. [6]