Publication Date December 15, 2015 | Climate Central

Arctic Gets Check-Up: Temperature Highest on Record

Greenland
The Arctic has just received its yearly checkup from a group of international scientists, and the patient isn’t looking well. The region continues to be one of the fastest warming on the planet.
Melt days in June-August 2015 compared to the 1981–2010 average. Image: NOAA
Melt days in June-August 2015 compared to the 1981–2010 average. Image: NOAA

The Arctic has just received its yearly checkup from a group of international scientists, and the patient isn’t looking well. The region continues to be one of the fastest warming on the planet. From October 2014 to September 2015, it had the warmest average temperature on record going back to 1900, as the planet heads toward its warmest year on record. That accelerated warming has repercussions in the form of downward-spiraling sea ice coverage, melting of the massive Greenland Ice Sheet, and reduced summer snow cover