Arctic Warming Is Happening Faster Than Described
Arctic Warming Is Happening Faster Than Described, Analysis Shows
The rapid warming of the Arctic, a definitive sign of climate change, is occurring even faster than previously described, researchers in Finland said Thursday. From a report: Over the past four decades the region has been heating up four times faster than the global average, not the commonly reported two to three times. And some parts of the region, notably the Barents Sea north of Norway and Russia, are warming up to seven times faster, they said. The result is faster melting of the Greenland ice sheet, which leads to greater sea-level rise. But it also affects atmospheric circulation in North America and elsewhere, with impacts on weather like extreme rainfall and heat waves, although some of the impacts are a subject of debate among scientists.
While scientists have long known that average temperatures in the Arctic are increasing faster than the rest of the planet, the rate has been a source of confusion. Studies and news accounts have estimated it is two to three times faster than the global average. Mika Rantanen, a researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Helsinki, said he and his colleagues decided to look at the issue in the summer of 2020, when intense heat waves in the Siberian Arctic drew a lot of attention. The new findings are bolstered by those of another recent study, led by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which found similar rates of warming, although over a different time span.
I don't mean to discount this study. I am sure it's true. However, I recently discovered that there have been a plethora of news reports, saying that just about every country or region on Earth has been warming faster than any other. If you do a search, you might find some of these. I am perplexed about this. Not sure what is going on with the science. Apparently, the scientific community needs to get its messaging straight, or something. For one thing, I would like to know what is the true situation. For another thing, these contradicting stories give fuel to climate deniers in shouting down climate change policies. Thank you, to said deniers, for revealing these apparent glaring inconsistencies. This is precisely why I keep an eye on every side in any ongoing debate. Hopefully, this confusion will be resolved somehow. It is a little embarrassing, and looks like fearmongering.
My own understanding and opinion is that, yes, the Arctic and Antarctic have been warming considerably in relation to the rest of the planet. And this scenario has very good grounding in physics. Also, it is probable that some of the conflicting reports, such as those saying, e.g., Norway or Siberia are warming fastest, are related to the general highest warming nearer the poles.
The rapid warming of the Arctic, a definitive sign of climate change, is occurring even faster than previously described, researchers in Finland said Thursday. From a report: Over the past four decades the region has been heating up four times faster than the global average, not the commonly reported two to three times. And some parts of the region, notably the Barents Sea north of Norway and Russia, are warming up to seven times faster, they said. The result is faster melting of the Greenland ice sheet, which leads to greater sea-level rise. But it also affects atmospheric circulation in North America and elsewhere, with impacts on weather like extreme rainfall and heat waves, although some of the impacts are a subject of debate among scientists.
While scientists have long known that average temperatures in the Arctic are increasing faster than the rest of the planet, the rate has been a source of confusion. Studies and news accounts have estimated it is two to three times faster than the global average. Mika Rantanen, a researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Helsinki, said he and his colleagues decided to look at the issue in the summer of 2020, when intense heat waves in the Siberian Arctic drew a lot of attention. The new findings are bolstered by those of another recent study, led by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which found similar rates of warming, although over a different time span.
I don't mean to discount this study. I am sure it's true. However, I recently discovered that there have been a plethora of news reports, saying that just about every country or region on Earth has been warming faster than any other. If you do a search, you might find some of these. I am perplexed about this. Not sure what is going on with the science. Apparently, the scientific community needs to get its messaging straight, or something. For one thing, I would like to know what is the true situation. For another thing, these contradicting stories give fuel to climate deniers in shouting down climate change policies. Thank you, to said deniers, for revealing these apparent glaring inconsistencies. This is precisely why I keep an eye on every side in any ongoing debate. Hopefully, this confusion will be resolved somehow. It is a little embarrassing, and looks like fearmongering.
My own understanding and opinion is that, yes, the Arctic and Antarctic have been warming considerably in relation to the rest of the planet. And this scenario has very good grounding in physics. Also, it is probable that some of the conflicting reports, such as those saying, e.g., Norway or Siberia are warming fastest, are related to the general highest warming nearer the poles.