In a new study, researchers warn that the Arctic Sea ice may soon be a thing of the past in the summer months.
In a new study, researchers warn that the Arctic Sea ice may soon be a thing of the past in the summer months. Ten thousand years ago, the ice melted at temperatures similar to those we have today. This may have consequences for both the climate and ecosystems.
The "Last Ice Area" north of Greenland and Canada is the last sanctuary of all-year sea ice in this time of rising temperatures caused by climate change. A new study now suggests that this may soon be over.
Researchers from Aarhus University, in collaboration with Stockholm University and the United States Geological Survey, analyzed samples from the previously inaccessible region north of Greenland.
The sediment samples were collected from the seabed in the Lincoln Sea, part of the “Last Ice Area”. They showed that the sea ice in this region melted away during summer months around 10,000 years ago. The research team concluded that summer sea ice melted at a time when temperatures were at a level that we are rapidly approaching again today.
Read more at Aarhus University
Image: Icebreaker Oden in the sea ice north of Greenland. (Photo: Martin Jakobsson, Stockholm University)
