Arctic warming 4 times faster than the rest of the world, study shows

Science & Tech 16:01 14.08.2022
Scientists have known the Arctic is warming faster than climate models show, but a new study just put into context how much worse the problem is. 
 
It’s long been reported that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. The researchers behind a Finnish Meteorological Institute study found the Arctic is heating four times faster than other parts of Earth.
 
The escalation of temperature rise in the Arctic is known as Arctic amplification, explains Mika Rantanen, a researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the lead author of the study published Thursday. Since the 1960s the globe has warmed by about 1 degree, and the Arctic has warmed by more than three degrees. 
 
“Temperatures are rising faster in the Arctic region than globally,” Rantanen said. “One of the main reasons for Arctic amplification is the sea ice and snow loss, for example, because the open water surfaces and open land surfaces, they are darker, they absorb more solar radiation.”
 
Arctic amplification has been documented through weather station data as far back as the 1920s, so that is not news. But the Finnish Meteorological Institute study used publicly available data to quantify just how bad it is compared to the rest of the planet.
 
Since the 1960s, the world has warmed by about 1 degree and the Arctic has warmed by more than three degrees.
 
How fast is the Arctic actually warming?
 
Using satellite observations and data collected in the Arctic Circle from 1979 to 2021, compared with climate model data, the research team found the Arctic is warming not twice as fast but four times quicker than our globe as a whole. 
 
Rantanen said a summer 2020 heat wave in the Arctic was partially an inspiration for the peer-reviewed study.
 
“We were frustrated about the discrepancy after saying ‘twice as fast as the globe as a whole,” Rantanen said. “When we look at the data, and it’s actually four times faster and frustrated of this discrepancy, we decided that this is something which needs to be updated to the current day.”
According to their study, future climate models are not currently getting the amplification ratio correctly.
 
“Most of them simulate lower amplification than what is observed,” he said. “It means that the Arctic is perhaps more sensitive to global warming than previously thought.”
 
What needs further research is what role internal climate variation from ocean circulation or atmospheric changes play in Arctic amplification.
 
Another study by the Los Alamos National Laboratory published in Geophysical Research Letters in July also rang the alarm about Arctic warming happening four times faster than the rest of the world. 
 
And here’s the kicker: Doubling the amplification from two to four wasn’t a big surprise to the scientific community. Climate scientists do hope it’s a wake-up call for the public. 
 
John Walsh, a climate scientist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center, said the recent studies were able to put an overall picture together to pin down a number based on the Arctic Circle.
 
“That’s where I think the study is a step forward,” Walsh said.
 
Defining the Arctic
 
Narrowing down where in the Arctic to include in the study was also part of the challenge of quantifying the amplification.
 
“You wouldn’t believe how many hours scientists spend trying to decide what the boundaries of the Arctic are,” Walsh said. 
 
The Arctic Circle at the 66-degree latitude line is a natural boundary, but Walsh said the Arctic could also be defined as the region north of 60 degrees. That includes places like Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska, Oslo, Norway, Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland.
 
Meanwhile, Walsh said, other studies include areas with drainage basins that flush fresh water into the Arctic Ocean, including the McKenzie River in Canada and several Russian rivers south of 60 degrees.
The study’s lead author said who or what is included in the Arctic “can vary depending on who you ask.”
 
No matter how you define the Arctic, weather stations have well documented the warming trend.
 
In the 1920s and 1930s, stations documented a period of Arctic warming greater than what was happening in mid-latitudes, followed by a cooling period for a few decades.
 
“Since the 1970s, as this recent study shows, the Arctic warming has really taken off. It’s been much more rapid than the global warming,” Walsh said. “We’re seeing these ups and downs and temperature swings that are just greater in the Arctic than elsewhere.”
 
Walsh said there had been some scientific quibbling over the time period used in the Finnish study because it started in 1979 when the period of intense warming began. However, the researchers accounted for that and modeled different outcomes if they had started earlier or later. 
 
Even with a different start date, the data still would have produced a number higher than two times the warming found elsewhere in the world. 
 
“The message is similar, no matter how you slice it: the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world,” Walsh said.
IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Members of the Public Council under ANAMA have visited the region
16:52 08.05.2025
The "Roots of Peace" organization will host the "Peace Walk"
16:49 08.05.2025
"Since 1948 SL Heads of State have ‘relayed’ on the Ethnic conflict"
15:32 08.05.2025
A conference on the topic "Heydar Aliyev-Independence and Glorious Victory" was held in Lachin
12:44 08.05.2025
Azerbaijan showcases tourism opportunities in Israel
12:39 08.05.2025
''Azerbaijan House'' opened in Lebanon
12:33 08.05.2025
Vietnam prioritizes strategic and political cooperation with Azerbaijan
12:27 08.05.2025
Opening of new Baku City Prosecutor's Office building held
12:23 08.05.2025
Azerbaijani and Morocco may organize mutual cultural days
12:15 08.05.2025
Sahiba Gafarova: Heydar Aliyev's personality is symbol of wisdom for every Azerbaijani
12:09 08.05.2025
Milli Majlis to adopt statement on Heydar Aliyev's 102nd birth anniversary
12:03 08.05.2025
Azerbaijan Confederation of Trade Unions organized an event
11:58 08.05.2025
The 102nd anniversary of the birth of National Leader Heydar Aliyev was celebrated in Berlin
11:52 08.05.2025
Azerbaijan's First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended session at Antalya Diplomacy Forum
11:43 08.05.2025
Azerbaijan, Vietnam explore prospects for educational cooperation
11:37 08.05.2025
Petrovietnam aims to expand cooperation with Azerbaijan
11:32 08.05.2025
The heads of state of Azerbaijan and Vietnam made statements to the press
11:29 08.05.2025
Kamran Aliyev:' 'Heydar Aliyev had unparalleled role as founder of Azerbaijani statehood''
11:24 08.05.2025
Azerbaijani and Vietnamese discuss strategic partnership
11:21 08.05.2025
Azerbaijan ready for further coordination and cooperation with Syria
11:16 08.05.2025
Scientists have discovered a possible candidate for the ninth planet in the solar system
11:12 08.05.2025
Business Council to be established between Azerbaijan and Vietnam
11:08 08.05.2025
May 8 is World Thalassemia Day
11:03 08.05.2025
Special session of Milli Majlis dedicated to year of Constitution and sovereignty
10:59 08.05.2025
General Secretary of the Central Committee Of Vietnam visited the Alley of Martyrs
10:51 08.05.2025
General Secretary of the Central Committee of Vietnam visits the Old City
10:47 08.05.2025
Azerbaijan's position with China as a reliable partner is strengthening
10:43 08.05.2025
The Aztelekom flag was raised at the Heydar Aliyev Summit
10:39 08.05.2025
President: There are great prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Vietnam in the defense industry
10:34 08.05.2025
Azerbaijani and Iraqi FMs explore regional issues
10:25 08.05.2025
Joint Statement opens new chapter in the history of Vietnam-Azerbaijan relations
10:12 08.05.2025
Leaders of Azerbaijan and Vietnam viewed exhibition of Vietnamese paintings
10:09 08.05.2025
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister meets with Iraqi PM
10:02 08.05.2025
Rebuilding hope amid the landmines Thembisa Fakude writting...
13:45 07.05.2025
How TikTok and Instagram Became New Tools of Diplomacy?
12:44 07.05.2025
Students of one of Turkey's leading universities were informed about the legacy of the great Nizami Ganjavi
12:26 07.05.2025
Azerbaijani energy minister holds several meetings in Türkiye
12:21 07.05.2025
Azerbaijan-Iran bilateral cooperation agenda discussed in Baku
12:18 07.05.2025
Azerbaijan shows progress in banking regulatory reforms
12:17 07.05.2025
About 20 Azerbaijani citizens returned from Germany yesterday
12:13 07.05.2025
Hamısı