Scientists walk across Greenland's glacial ice sheet, examining the effects of climate crisis. This past winter has been the warmest the Arctic has ever seen. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Researchers 'Staggered' by 'Crazy, Crazy' Record-Setting Warm Winter in Arctic
Arctic warming is just a symptom of "disease" that's getting worse, say climate scientists, as U.S. leaders refuse to curb human activities that contribute to climate crisis
This past winter has set a worrying record in the Arctic, as scientists examining the effects of climate crisis continue to express dismay at the region's warmest winter since researchers began documenting the climate there.
At the northernmost tip of Greenland, researchers were "staggered" when they recorded more than 60 hours of above-freezing temperatures in February. Before last month, scientists had observed Arctic temperatures rising above freezing only in the month of February, both for brief periods--suggesting that the region is rapidly changing due to the warming of the Earth.
"It's just crazy, crazy stuff," Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, told the Associated Press. Serreze is known for his research on the decline of sea ice in the Arctic. "These heat waves--I've never seen anything like this."
"The extended warmth really has staggered all of us," Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said.
In Barrow, Alaska, also known as Utqiagvik, February was 18 degrees warmer than normal while the whole season was about 14 degrees warmer, according to researchers.
Sea ice in the Arctic Circle also retreated to unprecedented low levels this winter, covering about 5.4 million square miles--62,000 fewer square miles than last year.
The reports of the record-setting Arctic winter come as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shuts down parts of its website dedicated to climate science and rolls back regulations meant to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
"The underlying disease that's causing this [Arctic warming] is getting worse," Jennifer Francis said, a research professor at Rutgers University, said. "These are just the symptoms."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This past winter has set a worrying record in the Arctic, as scientists examining the effects of climate crisis continue to express dismay at the region's warmest winter since researchers began documenting the climate there.
At the northernmost tip of Greenland, researchers were "staggered" when they recorded more than 60 hours of above-freezing temperatures in February. Before last month, scientists had observed Arctic temperatures rising above freezing only in the month of February, both for brief periods--suggesting that the region is rapidly changing due to the warming of the Earth.
"It's just crazy, crazy stuff," Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, told the Associated Press. Serreze is known for his research on the decline of sea ice in the Arctic. "These heat waves--I've never seen anything like this."
"The extended warmth really has staggered all of us," Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said.
In Barrow, Alaska, also known as Utqiagvik, February was 18 degrees warmer than normal while the whole season was about 14 degrees warmer, according to researchers.
Sea ice in the Arctic Circle also retreated to unprecedented low levels this winter, covering about 5.4 million square miles--62,000 fewer square miles than last year.
The reports of the record-setting Arctic winter come as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shuts down parts of its website dedicated to climate science and rolls back regulations meant to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
"The underlying disease that's causing this [Arctic warming] is getting worse," Jennifer Francis said, a research professor at Rutgers University, said. "These are just the symptoms."
This past winter has set a worrying record in the Arctic, as scientists examining the effects of climate crisis continue to express dismay at the region's warmest winter since researchers began documenting the climate there.
At the northernmost tip of Greenland, researchers were "staggered" when they recorded more than 60 hours of above-freezing temperatures in February. Before last month, scientists had observed Arctic temperatures rising above freezing only in the month of February, both for brief periods--suggesting that the region is rapidly changing due to the warming of the Earth.
"It's just crazy, crazy stuff," Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, told the Associated Press. Serreze is known for his research on the decline of sea ice in the Arctic. "These heat waves--I've never seen anything like this."
"The extended warmth really has staggered all of us," Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said.
In Barrow, Alaska, also known as Utqiagvik, February was 18 degrees warmer than normal while the whole season was about 14 degrees warmer, according to researchers.
Sea ice in the Arctic Circle also retreated to unprecedented low levels this winter, covering about 5.4 million square miles--62,000 fewer square miles than last year.
The reports of the record-setting Arctic winter come as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shuts down parts of its website dedicated to climate science and rolls back regulations meant to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
"The underlying disease that's causing this [Arctic warming] is getting worse," Jennifer Francis said, a research professor at Rutgers University, said. "These are just the symptoms."