New modeling suggests that even under a low emissions scenario, the Arctic could experience ice-free Septembers as early as the 2030s. “It is surprising and concerning, that even if we’re able to reduce emissions, we’re still projecting an ice-free Arctic,” Nathan Gillett, one of the Canadian co-authors of the study, told Eye on the Arctic. “Results indicate that the first sea ice-free September will occur as early as the 2030s–2050s irrespective of emission scenarios,” said the study, published Tuesday, in the journal Nature Communications. “These results emphasize the profound impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the Arctic, and demonstrate the importance of planning for and adapting to a seasonally ice-free Arctic in the near future,” the research paper said. “Our observationally-constrained projections based on attribution results also suggest that we may experience an unprecedented ice-free Arctic climate in the next decade or two, irrespective of emission scenarios,” the study said.

Source: CBC News June 06, 2023 20:11 UTC