Arctic Ocean faces risk of being ice-free by 2030s

According to a new study published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth and Environment , the thickness of the Arctic Ocean ice sheet is decreasing significantly compared to observations in 1978.

Sea ice varies with the seasons. However, each year the amount of summer ice is decreasing due to human-caused global warming.

Sea ice is typically at its lowest in September, the researchers said. However, they predict that between 2035 and 2067, there will be ice-free Septembers.

Alexandra Jahn, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder, said this is no longer a remote possibility and that regardless of emissions levels, an ice-free Arctic Ocean will still happen.

"We predict that complete sea ice loss may only occur in the 2040s, but it could also happen much earlier, around 2030, or even within five years, depending on how the atmospheric circulation changes," said Dr Alexandra Jahn.

However, scientists note that “ice-free” in the above context does not mean completely ice-free. Researchers define it as a time when the entire Arctic Ocean has less than 1 square kilometer of sea ice remaining. Additionally, due to the vagaries of atmospheric circulation, the iceberg melt will not occur continuously.

Researchers warn that the ice-free period is unlikely to last more than 10 years and that the ice can melt at a rapid pace soon after. The Arctic Ocean is at risk of losing another 2 million square kilometers of ice cover in just four years.

"The Arctic is one of the first areas of the climate system where we can clearly identify the effects of warming due to human activity, because the seas there are isolated from all changes. So we can say that the loss of sea ice in the Arctic is a direct effect of climate change," added Dr. Alexandra Jahn.

The study's scientists also say there is an urgent need to better understand the impacts of an ice-free Arctic Ocean, including on marine ecosystems, the global energy budget, wave heights and coastal erosion.

Minh Hoa (reported by VTV, VOV)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/bac-bang-duong-doi-mat-nguy-co-khong-con-bang-vao-nhung-nam-2030-a655156.html