NPR

Arctic Report Card Documents 'Cascading Effects' Of Warming Ocean Temperatures

The U.S. government says warming ocean temperatures and melting ice have resulted in the "most unprecedented transition in history" in the Arctic, leading to extreme weather events across the globe.
Sea ice is seen from NASA's Operation IceBridge research aircraft off the northwest coast of Greenland in March 2017. A new report says rapid warming over the past three decades has led to a 95 percent decline of the Arctic's oldest and thickest ice.

The Arctic has experienced the "most unprecedented transition in history" in terms of warming temperatures and melting ice, and those changes may be the cause of extreme weather around the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2018 Arctic Report Card.

The released Tuesday says rapid warming over the past three decades has led to a 95 percent decline of the Arctic's oldest and thickest ice. This research comes as world leaders convene at the by the International Panel on Climate Change.

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