The sea ice cover in the Arctic is shrinking at an unprecedented rate. A threatening milestone for Earth could occur as soon as 2027 – the first-ever summer in history when virtually all sea ice in the Arctic melts.
An international research team, which also includes climatologist Alexandra Jahn from the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU Boulder) and Céline Heuzé from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, has now calculated this using computer models. According to the scientists, such an ice-free Arctic could have a significant impact on the Earth’s ecosystem and climate through changing weather patterns.
“The first ice-free day in the Arctic won’t change the situation dramatically,” said Jahn, who works at CU Boulder’s Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research. “But it will show that we have fundamentally changed one of the defining features of the Arctic Ocean’s natural environment, which is that it is covered in sea ice and snow year-round, due to greenhouse gas emissions.”
For their calculations, Jahn and his colleague Céline Heuzé of the University of Gothenburg based their calculations on the current scientific definition, according to which the Arctic Ocean, which has an area of over 14 billion square kilometers, is considered ice-free if less than one million square kilometers kilometer is covered with ice.
The sea ice is disappearing at a rapid pace
As the Earth continues to warm due to increased greenhouse gas emissions, Arctic sea ice is disappearing at an unprecedented rate of more than twelve percent per decade. In September, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported that this year’s Arctic sea ice minimum – the day with the least amount of frozen seawater in the Arctic – was one of the lowest on record since 1978.
At 14.28 million square kilometers, this year’s minimum was above the historic low set in September 2012. But that’s still a sharp decline from the average coverage of 6.85 million square kilometers between 1979 and 1992.
As the researchers’ simulations show, the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free for the first time in late summer 2027 if it happens three years in a row: an unusually warm autumn, which weakens the sea ice, is followed by a warm Arctic region. winter, which prevents the formation of new sea ice, and an equally warm spring.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
