Every new scientific report, arctic weather alert. Even though it was recently discovered that this region of the Earth is warming twice as fast as the others, it was later learned that it did so three times faster. But now, researchers have uncovered it. it actually heats up even faster.
The Arctic is warming almost four times faster than the rest of the world, according to a study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, which shows that this region is “more susceptible” to global warming than previous estimates.
The analysis, using data from 1979 to 2021, was carried out by a team of scientists from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, showing the often-repeated idea that the Arctic region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. “significantly underestimate” seen in the polar regions.
In recent years, warming in this region has become more intense, a phenomenon called “Arctic amplification,” as the region warms on average two to three times more than the rest of the planet.
According to the authors led by Mika Rantanen, this is one of the most striking manifestations of climate change.
This new study using satellite data, “The Arctic has warmed at a rate almost four times faster than the global average over the past 43 years.”
“This rate – the magnitude of Arctic amplification – is higher than what is generally reported in the literature and media,” the researchers said in a statement from the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Up to seven times more at some points
According to the data, warming is even stronger at the local level: for example, seven times the world average in the Barents Sea region.
The scientists explain that on the one hand, the higher estimate is due to the strong and sustained warming of the Arctic region, while on the other hand, the assessment is influenced by the way the Arctic is defined as an area. the duration of the period for which the warming rate is calculated.
Thus, in the new study, Arctic region defined as the area within the Arctic Circle. The warming rate has been calculated from 1979 when more detailed satellite observations were available.
“The North Pole was defined using the Arctic Circle because we wanted to use an area that most people perceive as the North Pole,” says Rantanen, stating that they focused on a period that began in 1979. Strong warming began in 1970.
The team calculated that much of the Arctic Ocean warmed at a rate of 0.75 degrees Celsius or faster per decade during this time, at least four times faster than the global average.
In the Eurasian sector of the Arctic Ocean, near the archipelagos of Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya, warming reached 1.25 degrees in ten years, seven times faster than the rest of the world.
sea ice loss
The authors suggest that Arctic amplification intensified over time due to increased sea ice loss.
“Although the magnitude of Arctic amplification depends to some extent on how the region is described and the time period used in the calculation, climate models have been found to underestimate it almost regardless of definition,” Rantanen said.
The magnitude of Arctic amplification is affected due to both current climate change caused by human activity and long-term natural changes in climate. According to the analysis, both factors have likely caused an increase in amplification over the past 43 years.
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Environment department contact address:crisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
