ARCTIC -- According to John Walsh, the chief scientist in the UAF International Arctic Research Center say that the air temperature is the "smoking gun" behind the rapid deterioration of the ice elements in the region.
"The Arctic system tends to shy away from it state in the 20th century into a state that does not only affect the Arctic, but also the rest of the world," says Jason Box. He is the lead author in the study conducted by the Geological Survey of Greenland and Denmark in Copenhagen.
Several researchers from the University of Alaska also co-authored this study and they say, "the increase in air temperature and the presence of precipitation are the two major drivers to the melting of the various components in the Arctic Region."
The study is the first one to ever combine the observations of physical indicators of the presence of the effects of climate change and the biological impacts as well. The snow cover and how it is related to the delayed blooming of the flowers are all taken into account as the researchers behind the study believe that these two are interconnected.
Various climate indicators are present in the environment and all of them make up the system, according to Walsh. A good example for this is the September Sea Ice extent where scientists considered the contributions of winds, temperatures, ocean heat and other variables to the changes that took place.
"We didn't think that the relationship between climate change and the increase in air temperature would be as strong as it is," said Walsh. "All the variables that we looked into are connected to air temperature. This along with all the other natural components in the Arctic contribute to its ever-changing nature."
"This is the first time that several climate indicators were included in one study," he said.
The authors of the study initiated by the Geological Survey of Greenland and Copenhagen correlated the observations that were made in a papers published from 1971 to 2017. They noted nine natural indicators present in the situation. It includes permafrost, air temperature, snow cover, hydroclimatology, land ice, sea ice, tundra, wild fires, carbon cycling and terrestrial ecosystems. All these are indicators that correlate with the rise in air temperature. This then points to the fundamental changes in the landscape of the Arctic brought about by climate change.
"Because the atmosphere of the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world, the weather patterns observed in North America, Asia and in Europe are becoming more persistent in the last few years. This means that the extreme weather conditions are to be expected," Box said.
The authors of the study conducted by the Geological Survey of Greenland and Copenhagen with the help of researchers from Alaska are hopeful that this new discovery would help people plan ahead. With more understanding of what is happening, they can plan ahead on what can be done to address the issues.
