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Arctic showing “warning signs” of warming

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December 20, 2024
2 min read

Arctic showing “warning signs” of warming

Coastal flooding has worsened in many communities close to the Arctic with glaciers in the region and the Greenland Ice Sheet sending meltwater into the oceans. Heat-trapping gases released by Arctic wildfires, along with tundra thawing mix in the air quickly and add to emissions that are warming the planet.

Extreme and unusual weather patterns can threaten food supplies, but they also exacerbate the threats from wildfire and related smoke. All of these can be influenced by changes happening in the Arctic.

In the 2024 Arctic Report Card released on 10^th December, 97 scientists from 11 countries were brought together by US broadcaster PBS. Their expertise included wildlife, wildfires, sea ice, and snow. They were called on to report on the state of the environment in the Arctic.

The scientists described the rapid changes they saw throughout the region and the consequences for people and wildlife in every part of the planet. Today, the Arctic is very different compared with even one or two decades ago.

For the past 15 years, its snow season has been one to two weeks shorter than it had previously been, with the timing and character of the seasons shifting as well. Shorter snow seasons pose a risk to wildlife that depends on regular seasonal changes. Longer snow-free seasons can cause a reduction in water resources from snowmelt earlier in the spring or summer. This increases the risk of drought.

What’s more, the tundra landscape and its permafrost have acted as a ‘carbon sink’ taking and storing a gas that would trap heat in the atmosphere. But as the permafrost is warming and thawing, microbes in the permafrost can decompose the long-stored carbon, breaking it down into carbon dioxide and methane, and release it into the atmosphere, causing even more warming around the globe.

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