It has been noticed that for the first time in history, at
least since scientists started keeping records, in Siberia the Arctic sea ice
has not yet started freezing and it has raised concerns among the researchers.
As per the climate scientists the delay in this natural
event, noticed in the Laptev Sea, has been caused by freakishly protracted
warmth in Russia's northern region and the intrusion of Atlantic waters. The
scientists have also warned about the impact of such incidents in the polar
region.
The ocean temperature in
the Arctic has been more than 5° Celsius above the average. In fact,
researchers noted a
record-breaking heatwave in the Siberian Arctic between January and June.
Scientists also noticed the unusual decline in sea ice last year too.
An Unprecedented Event
The graph of Laptev sea-ice extent shows a
healthy seasonal pulse that has a flat line in late October, which is not
usual. Now, there is a record amount of open Arctic sea without crystals.
Zachary Labe, a postdoctoral researcher at Colorado State University said that
this delayed annual freezing "is unprecedented" in the Siberian
Arctic area and this is in line with the expected impact of human-caused
environmental changes.
The researcher told The
Guardian that "2020 is another year that is consistent with a rapidly
changing Arctic". Unless the greenhouse gases are systematically reduced,
"the likelihood of our first 'ice-free' summer will continue to increase
by the mid-21st century," he said.
But along with the warmer temperature in the region, the
dramatic climate change is also pushing the balmy Atlantic currents toward the
Arctic sea—which is making it difficult to form the ice as the usual
arrangement between the cooler surface and warm deep waters are breaking up.
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