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Tag: arctic sea ice

Arctic sees second lowest November sea ice extent on record, favouring another cold season of extremes in mid-latitudes
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported on December 6 that November Arctic sea ice extent was the second lowest on record. Ocean waters normally ice-covered in parts of the Arctic are pumping heat into the atmosphere, altering atmospheric circulation, and contributing to extreme weather conditions that extend into mid-latitudes. A similar pattern was evident during the Fall of 2009 and the following Winter, as cold Arctic air pushed into some mid-latitude regions while warm air surged into parts of the Arctic.

Tens of thousands of walruses concentrating along Alaska’s shore
Alaska Dispatch in Anchorage reported on September 10 that USGS researchers were estimating that "anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000" walruses now have hauled out along Alaska's Chukchi coastline. "Walruses have been known to haul out onto land in large numbers in Russia," the article says, "but never on the Alaska side of their migratory corridor in the tens of thousands, as is being witnessed this year."

Global surface temperatures highest on record in April
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have just released data showing that global surface temperatures in April were the warmest on record. Indications of the warmth include record low snow cover in North America, a precipitous decline in the extent of Arctic sea ice, and record high sea surface temperatures in the region of the tropical Atlantic where most hurricanes originate.