High temperatures, melting ice, and unprecedented emissions: scientists sound the alarm about the state of the Arctic

The Arctic experienced its second hottest year on record. The biggest concern for scientists is that the region has turned from a carbon sink to a source of emissions as permafrost melts, releasing carbon dioxide and methane.

This is an irreversible process. After all, melting ice increases the amount of heat-trapping gases that enter the atmosphere, paving the way for further warming, NBCNews writes.

The findings of scientists, published in the Arctic report of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, show how climate change is destroying ecosystems and changing the shape of the landscape in the part of the planet where global warming is most intense.

According to the researchers, the Arctic is warming two to four times faster than places at lower altitudes. Over the past nine years, it has experienced the highest average temperatures recorded since 1900.

This dynamic is the result of a phenomenon called Arctic amplification, experts say. As the Arctic loses snow cover and sea ice, more and more dark ocean water and rocks are appearing. These dark surfaces reflect less radiation back into space, absorbing heat instead.

Worryingly, these circulation patterns in the oceans and atmosphere are increasingly transferring heat to the Earth's poles, scientists say.

Twyla Moon, lead editor of the new NOAA report and a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, said the Arctic is fundamentally different from what it was 10 years ago.

The Arctic is becoming a greener landscape with more extreme precipitation and less snow and ice, the report says. According to the scientists, the effects of this transformation are becoming increasingly apparent closer to people's homes as fires in the Arctic send smoke into populated areas and melting ice raises sea levels.

"These problems don't just stay in the Arctic, they affect us all. The permafrost region contains twice as much carbon as is currently in the atmosphere, and about three times as much as the above-ground biomass of all the world's forests," said Brendan Rogers, a researcher at the Woodwell Center for Climate Research.

He added that permafrost regions "have been carbon sinks on average for thousands of years, largely because of the low temperatures and frozen ground." However, the Arctic has now become a source of greenhouse gas emissions as it melts and releases carbon and methane into the atmosphere.

According to scientists, forest fires also contribute to emissions in the Arctic. Last year, they burned more than twice as much land in the region as in any previous year, exceeding emissions from Canadian economic activity.

Frighteningly, this year's sea ice level was the sixth lowest in 45 years, with an area that has shrunk by about 50% since the 1980s. And the Arctic tundra has become the second greenest since records began in 2000.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!