Arctic is hotter than it's been in 125 years, with record-low sea ice: NOAA report

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual Arctic report card shows how rapidly and profoundly climate change is warming and altering the region.

The Arctic last season was the hottest it has been in the past 125 years. The extent of sea ice during its usual maximum in March was the lowest in 47 years of satellite recordkeeping. The North American tundra was more green with plant life than ever recorded.

These observations, shared Tuesday in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual Arctic report card, show how rapidly and profoundly the region is shifting as the planet warms.

“The Arctic continues to warm faster than the global average with the 10 years that comprise the last decade marking the 10 warmest years on record,” said Steve Thur, NOAA’s acting chief scientist and its assistant administrator for oceanic and atmospheric research.

As a result of this warming, “melting permafrost is altering ecosystems, turning over 200 watersheds in Arctic Alaska orange as iron and other elements are released into its rivers,” Thur said. Researchers have observed higher acidity and a greater concentration of toxic metals in these rusting streams.