SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Sunset over the Arctic Ocean, north of western Russia. (Photo: Mike Dunn, NC State Museum of Natural Sciences/NOAA Climate Program Office)
Climate Change Driving 'Profound' Shift in Arctic Ecosystem
NOAA warns Arctic is warming 'twice as fast as other parts of the planet'
Dec 15, 2015
The 2015 report card compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and released Tuesday comes to a disturbing conclusion: record highs in air temperatures, and lows in peak ice, reveal that--for the marine ecosystem--climate change is already "profound."
"Changes in sea ice alone are having profound effects on the marine ecosystem (fishes, walruses, primary production) and sea surface temperatures," reads a statement from the federal agency, whose findings were produced by 72 scientists from 11 countries.
The findings were grim. Measurements of sea ice--and the end and beginning of the winter period--found a shorter window of freezing, and a dramatic shift in the ecosystem overall.
Maximum sea ice extent in February was "15 days earlier than average and the lowest value on record" since 1979, NOAA warns. "Minimum ice extent in September was the 4th lowest on record. Sea ice continues to be younger and thinner: in February and March 2015 there was twice as much first-year ice as there was 30 years ago."
Loss of sea ice, and climbing temperatures in the Barents Sea, off the coast of Norway and Russia, are causing "a poleward shift in fish communities," according to the agency. These changes are impacting wildlife, as well as Indigenous communities that rely on them for their survival.
"The Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts of the planet, which has ramifications for global security, climate, commerce, and trade," said NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Rick Spinrad at a press conference on Tuesday in San Francisco.
NOAA summarized its findings in the following video:
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare is web editor at In These Times. She is a former Staff Writer at Common Dreams. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch.
The 2015 report card compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and released Tuesday comes to a disturbing conclusion: record highs in air temperatures, and lows in peak ice, reveal that--for the marine ecosystem--climate change is already "profound."
"Changes in sea ice alone are having profound effects on the marine ecosystem (fishes, walruses, primary production) and sea surface temperatures," reads a statement from the federal agency, whose findings were produced by 72 scientists from 11 countries.
The findings were grim. Measurements of sea ice--and the end and beginning of the winter period--found a shorter window of freezing, and a dramatic shift in the ecosystem overall.
Maximum sea ice extent in February was "15 days earlier than average and the lowest value on record" since 1979, NOAA warns. "Minimum ice extent in September was the 4th lowest on record. Sea ice continues to be younger and thinner: in February and March 2015 there was twice as much first-year ice as there was 30 years ago."
Loss of sea ice, and climbing temperatures in the Barents Sea, off the coast of Norway and Russia, are causing "a poleward shift in fish communities," according to the agency. These changes are impacting wildlife, as well as Indigenous communities that rely on them for their survival.
"The Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts of the planet, which has ramifications for global security, climate, commerce, and trade," said NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Rick Spinrad at a press conference on Tuesday in San Francisco.
NOAA summarized its findings in the following video:
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare is web editor at In These Times. She is a former Staff Writer at Common Dreams. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch.
The 2015 report card compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and released Tuesday comes to a disturbing conclusion: record highs in air temperatures, and lows in peak ice, reveal that--for the marine ecosystem--climate change is already "profound."
"Changes in sea ice alone are having profound effects on the marine ecosystem (fishes, walruses, primary production) and sea surface temperatures," reads a statement from the federal agency, whose findings were produced by 72 scientists from 11 countries.
The findings were grim. Measurements of sea ice--and the end and beginning of the winter period--found a shorter window of freezing, and a dramatic shift in the ecosystem overall.
Maximum sea ice extent in February was "15 days earlier than average and the lowest value on record" since 1979, NOAA warns. "Minimum ice extent in September was the 4th lowest on record. Sea ice continues to be younger and thinner: in February and March 2015 there was twice as much first-year ice as there was 30 years ago."
Loss of sea ice, and climbing temperatures in the Barents Sea, off the coast of Norway and Russia, are causing "a poleward shift in fish communities," according to the agency. These changes are impacting wildlife, as well as Indigenous communities that rely on them for their survival.
"The Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts of the planet, which has ramifications for global security, climate, commerce, and trade," said NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Rick Spinrad at a press conference on Tuesday in San Francisco.
NOAA summarized its findings in the following video:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.