The Conversation - The Arctic can feel like a far-off place, disconnected from daily life if you aren’t one of the 4 million people who live there. Yet, the changes underway in the Arctic as temperatures rise can profoundly affect lives around the world. Coastal flooding is worsening in many communities as Arctic glaciers and the Greenland Ice Sheet send meltwater into the oceans. Heat-trapping gases released by Arctic wildfires and thawing tundra mix quickly in the air, adding to human-produced emissions that are warming the globe. Unusual and extreme weather events, pressure on food supplies and intensifying threats from wildfire and related smoke can all be influenced by changes in the Arctic.
In the 2024 Arctic Report Card, released Dec. 10, we brought together 97 scientists from 11 countries, with expertise ranging from wildlife to wildfire and sea ice to snow, to report on the state of the Arctic environment.They describe the rapid changes they’re witnessing across the Arctic, and the consequences for people and wildlife that touch every region of the globe.
The Arctic of today looks stunningly different from the Arctic of even one to two decades ago. Over the Arctic Report Card’s 19 years, we and the many contributing authors to the report have watched the pace of environmental change accelerate and the challenges become more complex. For the past 15 years, the Arctic snow season has been one to two weeks shorter than it was historically, shifting the timing and character of the seasons.
Shorter snow seasons can challenge plants and animals that depend on regular seasonal changes. Longer snow-free seasons can also reduce water resources from snowmelt earlier in spring or summer and increase the possibility of drought.
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