Sea Ice Decline
The Arctic is warming two to three times as fast as the rest of the planet and has seen a dramatic decline of sea ice as a result. Since satellite records began in 1978, summer and autumn sea ice extent has decreased approximately 50 percent, an amount roughly equal to half the area of the continental United States. A new record for minimum area of Arctic sea ice was set in 2012, and back-to-back records were set in 2015 and 2016 for the lowest maximum sea ice extent (which typically occurs in March). The decline is unprecedented in the modern record and is consistent with human-induced climate change.
Read MoreMay 14, 2020 | Washington Post
Unusual warmth pours over North Pole, potentially jump-starting melt season for Arctic ice
Feb 11, 2020 | CNN
Some Antarctic penguin colonies have declined by more than 75% over 50 years
Jan 28, 2020 | InsideClimate News
Dwindling Arctic Sea Ice May Affect Tropical Weather Patterns
Jun 2, 2016 | National Snow and Ice Data Center
Arctic Sea Ice Extent
Jun 2, 2016 | National Snow and Ice Data Center
Arctic and Antarctic Interactive Sea Ice Extent Trends
Jun 2, 2016 | National Snow and Ice Data Center
Monthly Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Data
Feb 19, 2021 | Environmental Research Letters
Changing state of Arctic sea ice across all seasons
Feb 19, 2021 | The Cryosphere
Review article: Earth's ice imbalance
Feb 6, 2020 | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
Earth Systems Signals
Global warming is causing widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere.
Heat Signals
The Earth is getting hotter due to human activities that release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
Drought Signals
Climate change is making droughts more likely to occur, and more severe when they do.
Wildfires Signals
Climate change is increasing the size, frequency, intensity and seasonality of wildfires.
Hurricanes Signals
Warmer temperatures increase the rate of water evaporation, which feeds moisture and energy into storms.
Floods Signals
Worsening floods due to climate change are putting a growing number of communities at risk.