North Pole
Recently, temperatures at the North Pole rose more than 20°C above average, crossing the threshold for ice to melt.
- About: The North Pole is found in the Arctic Ocean, on constantly shifting pieces of sea ice, northernmost point on Earth. The recent study has found:
o Since 1979, the Arctic has warmed four times faster than the global average.
o The Arctic acts as a refrigerator for the planet, and its warming can lead to rising sea levels and disruption of weather patterns.
o The unusually mild temperatures in the Arctic were due to a deep low-pressure system over Iceland, allowing warmer air from lower latitudes to enter the region.
o Hot sea surface temperatures in the northeast Atlantic further intensified the wind-driven warming.
o Arctic warming has been 3.8 times faster than the global average since the late 1970s.o Global temperatures have risen by 1.3°C since the 1850-1900 baseline, but this increase is uneven across the planet.
o The albedo effect is a major factor in the Arctic's rapid warming: sea ice reflects sunlight, but as ice melts, more land or water absorbs heat.
Detailed Solutions & Explanations
