New Study Shows Arctic Warming Nearly Four Times Faster Than Rest of World
The study looked at warming from 1979 to 2021.
- By Alex Saurman
- Aug 19, 2022
A recently published study suggests that the Arctic may be warming at a faster rate than the rest of the world.
In previous studies, reports and literature, the Arctic was reported to warm at a rate of two or three times faster than the rest of the planet. Now, a new study shows it may be warming much faster than that.
Researchers used data to study the warming of the Arctic Circle from 1979 to 2021. They calculated the arctic amplification (AA), or the “ratio of Arctic warming to the global-mean warming,” according to the report.
They found that on average, the Arctic was warming at a rate of 3.8 times faster than the rest of the world, though some areas were warming faster. One area north of Russia, "in the sea areas near Novaya Zemlya," warmed at a rate of almost seven times faster. "In general, there are no regions within the Arctic Circle where AA43 is smaller than two, apart from the northern North Atlantic," the report said.
The researchers noted in the report, “Our results indicate that the recent four-fold Arctic warming ratio is either an extremely unlikely event, or the climate models systematically tend to underestimate the amplification."
About the Author
Alex Saurman is the Content Editor for Environmental Protection.