USA warns of record Arctic warming

The Arctic is experiencing record-setting high temperatures, ice melt and glacier area loss, said the Arctic Report Card, a study conducted by a team of 69 international scientists.

The report highlights evidence that higher air temperatures in the Arctic contributes to changes in atmospheric circulation further south:

- Beyond affecting the humans and wildlife that call the area home, the Arctic’s warmer temperatures and decreases in permafrost, snow cover, glaciers and sea ice also have wide-ranging consequences for the physical and biological systems in other parts of the world, said Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to AFP.

- The Arctic is an important driver of climate and weather around the world and serves as a critical feeding and breeding ground that supports globally significant populations of birds, mammals and fish, she said. - Whatever is going to happen in the rest of the world happens first, and to the greatest extent, in the Arctic.