Without its insulating ice cap, Arctic surface waters warm to as much as 5 C above average

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A comparison of 2000 and 2007 shows how the ice edge has retreated as the ice cap has shrunk and how surface waters have warmed compared to the 100-year average. For example parts of the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea were 3 and 3.5 degrees warmer tha ...
A comparison of 2000 and 2007 shows how the ice edge has retreated as the ice cap has shrunk and how surface waters have warmed compared to the 100-year average. For example, parts of the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea were 3 and 3.5 degrees warmer than the historical average. The spot that was 5 degrees above average was found at the center of the 4 degree area of water north of the Chukchi Sea. Credit: Applied Physics Laboratory/UW
Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of its natural "sunscreen" than ever in recent summers. The effect is so pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 C above average in one place this year, a high never before observed, says the oceanographer who has compiled the first-ever look at average sea surface temperatures for the region.


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