2024 Arctic Report Card:
A recent report titled the 2024 Arctic Report Card by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveals that the Arctic, once a major carbon sink, is now becoming a carbon source due to ongoing climate-induced warming.
Key Findings of the Report:
- The Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rate, with 2024 marking the second-warmest year since records began in 1900.
- The Arctic’s summer of 2024 was the third warmest on record, with regions like Alaska and Canada experiencing extreme heat waves.
- Permafrost thaw is causing the Arctic tundra to switch from a carbon sink to a carbon source.
- Decomposing permafrost releases carbon dioxide and methane, accelerating global warming.
- Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity, releasing more carbon and extending the wildfire season.
- The extent and thickness of sea ice have reduced significantly over the past decades.
- The shorter sea ice season exposes more dark ocean surfaces, which absorb more heat and further contribute to warming.
- Arctic glaciers and the Greenland Ice Sheet continue to contribute meltwater to oceans, exacerbating global sea-level rise.
- Changes in the Arctic contribute to global challenges like coastal flooding, extreme weather events, and wildfires.
- The Arctic’s diminishing ability to store carbon underscores the need to urgently reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions to mitigate further risks.
- The reindeer or caribou are in decline due to climate change affecting Indigenous communities reliant on them for food and cultural practices.
