The Arctic in Crisis: Record Temperatures, Carbon Emissions, and a Rapidly Changing Landscape
The Arctic has recorded its second-hottest year ever, and its tundra is now
releasing more carbon dioxide and methane than it absorbs as permafrost
thaws. This shift from a carbon sink to a carbon source intensifies the
release of heat-trapping gases, accelerating global warming.
Findings in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Arctic Report Card highlight the region’s rapid transformations under climate change. Warming in the Arctic is occurring at two to four times the rate of lower latitudes, with the past nine years marking the warmest since 1900.
This phenomenon, known as Arctic amplification, is driven by the loss of reflective snow and ice, exposing darker surfaces like ocean water and rock that absorb more heat. Atmospheric and oceanic heat circulation further exacerbate the changes, leaving the Arctic fundamentally altered compared to a decade ago, according to Twila Moon, the report’s lead editor.
The report outlines a greener Arctic with shrinking snow and ice cover and more extreme weather. Impacts are no longer confined to the region: Arctic wildfires are sending smoke to populated areas, and melting ice is raising sea levels. Brendan Rogers of the Woodwell Climate Research Center emphasized that these changes affect everyone.
The carbon cycle in the Arctic is also shifting. Permafrost, which contains double the carbon in the atmosphere and triple the carbon in all global forests, is now releasing greenhouse gases instead of storing them. Historically a carbon sink due to cold, frozen conditions, thawing permafrost has become a significant emissions source.
Wildfires have compounded the problem. Last year, Arctic fires burned over twice the area of any previous year, generating emissions surpassing Canada’s entire economic output. Wildfire-related emissions even exceeded those of most countries, except China, the U.S., India, and Russia.
In 2023, wildfires forced 19,000 people to evacuate Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories, an area with thawing permafrost.
Arctic sea ice extent reached its sixth-lowest level since satellite monitoring began 45 years ago, with a 50% reduction since the 1980s. Meanwhile, tundra vegetation has expanded, making 2023 the second-greenest year on record.
Permafrost temperature readings from boreholes indicate near-record warmth, adding to a pattern of extreme climate metrics, Moon noted, signaling a radically changed Arctic landscape.
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