The Expanding Footprint of Rapid Arctic Change

Arctic land ice is melting, sea ice is decreasing, and permafrost is thawing. Changes in these Arctic elements are interconnected, and most interactions accelerate the rate of change. The changes affect infrastructure, economics, and cultures of people inside and outside of the Arctic, including in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Moon, Twila A., Overeem, Irina, Druckenmiller, Matt, Holland, Marika, Huntington, Henry, Kling, George, Lovecraft, Amy Lauren, Miller, Gifford, Scambos, Ted, Schädel, Christina, Schuur, Edward A. G., Trochim, Erin, Wiese, Francis, Williams, Dee, Wong, Gifford
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 2019
Subjects:
permafrost
land ice
coastal
climate
Arctic
sea ice
Geological Sciences
Science
Ice
Sea ice
The Cryosphere
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/149352
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF001088
Description
Summary:Arctic land ice is melting, sea ice is decreasing, and permafrost is thawing. Changes in these Arctic elements are interconnected, and most interactions accelerate the rate of change. The changes affect infrastructure, economics, and cultures of people inside and outside of the Arctic, including in temperate and tropical regions, through sea level rise, worsening storm and hurricane impacts, and enhanced warming. Coastal communities worldwide are already experiencing more regular flooding, drinking water contamination, and coastal erosion. We describe and summarize the nature of change for Arctic permafrost, land ice, and sea ice, and its influences on lower latitudes, particularly the United States. We emphasize that impacts will worsen in the future unless individuals, businesses, communities, and policy makers proactively engage in mitigation and adaptation activities to reduce the effects of Arctic changes and safeguard people and society.Key PointsRapid changes in the Arctic physical environment have substantial impacts in low and midlatitudesLoss of sea ice, land ice, and permafrost is accelerating, and these losses are further exacerbating climate changeEffects of Arctic change include rising sea level, increased coastal erosion, greater storm impacts, and ocean and atmospheric warming Peer Reviewed https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149352/1/eft2525.pdf https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149352/2/eft2525_am.pdf

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