Warming Facts 100 yr global temp. rise 0.6°C 20 yr decr. in Arctic Ice extent 2.9% Incr. in Annual Snowfall over Canada & Alaska 10% to 20% Avg. 30 yr warming of Arctic Region 1.5°C 20 yr incr. in Arctic Melt Season 8% or 10 days Did you know? The ice thickness of Alaskan glaciers has decreased by around 30 feet over the last forty years. Large areas of open water, called "leads", have opened in the Arctic sea ice with increasing regularity. Current atmospheric models project a pronounced warming over the Arctic as melting snow and ice lead to accelerated absorption of sunlight. While the Arctic warming of the recent decades may have multiple causes, long-term temperature records from tree rings, ice cores, lake bed pollen samples, and sediment analysis indicate that the Arctic is warmer now than any time during the previous 10,000 years.

Global Warming & the Arctic

According to leading scientists and policy makers, human-induced climate change can no longer be dismissed as a theoretical or academic concept. Most scientists agree that rapidly increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere are at least partially responsible for warming trends seen worldwide.

Though, the effects of global climate change are very difficult to predict, most studies suggest that the Arctic, as a whole, will warm more than the global mean. In fact, the evidence is already mounting: glacial melting, declining sea ice, warming landmasses, decreasing ocean salinity, rising sea levels, and changes in Arctic and North Atlantic air and ocean circulation have all been observed. 20th century data has shown a warming trend of as much as 5° C over extensive land areas in the region; since the 1950s there has been a significant decrease in summer sea ice extent; and new areas of extensive permafrost thawing have developed.

The polar environment is highly sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation patterns with significant implications for Arctic plants, animals, and inhabitants. Impacts can occur on many scales: from Arctic ice algae and other micro-organisms, to walrus and polar bear populations and to Arctic human inhabitants, such as the Inuit.

Sea ice is critical to energy exchange between ocean and atmosphere limiting the exchange of carbon dioxide between water and air as well as the penetration of light into the water. Thus, changes in sea ice would affect the productivity of algae and plankton impacting vital marine systems. Thawing permafrost could have adverse effects on terrestrial environments. Changes in migration routes, food chains, wildlife interactions, and changes in species composition could result. Arctic peoples directly dependent on climate for access to game animals, fishing and hunting grounds, and suitable places for settlement would also be affected.