The Arctic is warming unexpectedly. It’s worse than previously thought

• The latest research shows that the temperature in the Arctic is rising four times faster than it is rising in other regions of the Earth
• In the 1980s, the warming of the Arctic was affected by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Melting ice reveals dark sea water that has little ability to reflect solar radiation, causing the temperature to rise further and melting more layers of ice.
• You can find more of this information on the Onet homepage

Arctic warming, known as arctic amplification, has been reported by scientists for a long time. It is based on a noticeable increase in temperature in the polar regions compared to low latitudes.

To date, it is assumed that these processes occur there twice as fast as in other regions of the planet. However, recent research shows that its pace is far more catastrophic than previously thought. By analyzing the temperature data, by the end of 2021, researchers estimate that the region is warming more than four times faster than the rest of the Earth, with catastrophic consequences of course.

The Arctic is warming at an unexpected pace

US scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory analyzed the problem of Arctic warming in their work published in June in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Their research shows that North Pole Warming up takes place at an unexpected pace, and the period of this process can be divided into two stages. The first significant rise in temperature was seen in 1985, and another in 2000.

– The study’s lead author, Peter Schilk, said, citing wired.com.

This means that most scientists have so far indicated numbers that are very low in today’s reality.

– said Lily Han, an arctic climatologist at the University of Washington.

The rest of the text is below the video:

The reason for the sharp increase in temperature

There are several reasons for the sudden warming in the Arctic. In the 1980s, this was due to an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. During the second leap, which occurred at the turn of the century, climatic changes such as the shift in ocean currents were likely to be the cause. However, the general cause of the warming of the Arctic is a severe decrease in albedo – Any low reflectivity of solar radiation – dark Water The sea under the melting ice.

In this way, as the ice melts and exposes sea water, the Arctic albedo decreases, causing the temperature to increase, causing more layers of ice to melt. So a vicious circle is created.

– Peter Schilk explained.

As it turns out, clouds also play an important role in raising temperatures, as they reflect some of the solar radiation back into space, but also absorb some of it like insulation. in winter It remains very low and thus traps heat in the landscape.

The extra heat stored in the summer is also captured in the Arctic Ocean and released throughout the winter.

– Han explained from the University of Washington.

The Arctic is plunged into uncertainty

The ever-changing susceptibility of phenomena in the Arctic makes it difficult for scientists to predict how this will affect the entire planet’s climate system. One concern is that a tipping point may be reached where warming will cause an abrupt change, such as the complete disappearance of Greenland.

source: www.wired.comAnd the polarpedia.eu