Arctic Region Report May be Evidence for Drastic Global Warming
The Arctic Region is going through negative changes, according to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A team of 121 international scientists collected from 14 different countries compiled the "2011 Arctic Report Card." The annual report began in 2006 and said there is now enough sufficient information that points to a "persistent decline in the thickness and summer extent of the sea ice cover, and a warmer, fresher upper ocean."
The report also said the Arctic is currently melting at a faster pace. The Arctic is darkening and it is absorbing too much of the sun's heat.
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"Given the projection of continued global warming, it is very likely that major Arctic changes will continue in years to come, with increasing climatic, biological and social impacts," said the report.
The average temperatures that were recorded shows temperatures have risen 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit from a 1981 to 2010 baseline. The warming of the Arctic caused several interesting effects, such as new vegetation and a 20 percent increase in phytoplankton.
Don Perovich, a geophysicist at the Army Corps of Engineers Cold Research and Engineering Lab, co-authored the report. He spoke about the 2010 summer's sea ice melt: "We've got a new normal. Whether it's a tipping point and we'll never recover, who's to say?"
The wind patterns of the Arctic were also analyzed in the report, and this aspect of the cold region was first detected last year.
"The Arctic region continues to warm, with less sea ice and greater green vegetation," said Monica Medina of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"Reports like this one help us to prepare for increasing demands on Arctic resources so that better decisions can be made about how to manage and protect these more valuable and increasingly available resources,” Medina added.
The findings of the recent report may be evidence of global warming.
