The Arctic in 2011 was warmer, greener and with less ice cover than the past, with implications for whales, polar bears, walruses and human development, according to the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration’s yearly Arctic Report Card released Thursday.
The report card represents a year of research by an international team of 121 scientists, who track atmosphere, marine ecosystems, hydrology, sea ice and terrestrial ecosystems in the fast-changing Arctic.
NOAA used a color-coded system to rank change levels, tagging Arctic atmosphere, sea ice and hydrology as undergoing “significant change” in 2011.
Major findings included:
-A heightened near-surface air temperature. In 2011, the near-surface temperature of the Arctic Ocean was 2.5 degrees more than the 1981-2010 period.
-Less sea ice. In 2011 sea ice levels in the Arctic were at their second-lowest rate since 1979.
-Higher air temperatures led to more vegetation on the tundra -- meaning that a warmer Arctic is a greener Arctic.
-Changes in the Arctic mean less ice habitat for polar bears and walruses, but increased access to feeding grounds used by whales.
The entire report can be found online here.
