CU Boulder: Countdown to an ice-free Arctic: New research warns of accelerated timelines
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2024/12/03/countdown-ice-free-arctic-new-research-warns-accelerated-timelinesCountdown to an ice-free Arctic: New research warns of accelerated timelines
12/3/2024 By Yvaine Ye
The first summer on record that melts practically all of the Arctics sea ice, an ominous milestone for the planet, could occur as early as 2027.
For the first time, an international research team, including CU Boulder climatologist Alexandra Jahn and Céline Heuzé from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, used computer models to predict when the first ice-free day could occur in the northernmost ocean. An ice-free Arctic could significantly impact the ecosystem and Earths climate by changing weather patterns.
The first ice-free day in the Arctic wont change things dramatically, said Jahn, associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and fellow at CU Boulders Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. But it will show that we've fundamentally altered one of the defining characteristics of the natural environment in the Arctic Ocean, which is that it is covered by sea ice and snow year-round, through greenhouse gas emissions.
The findings were
published Dec. 3 in the journal Nature Communications. Jahn will also
present the results in Dec. 9 at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting in Washington D.C.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54508-3
https://nsidc.org/sea-ice-today