Increasing River Temperatures Trigger Arctic Sea-Ice Decline and Atmospheric Warming

Science Advances, November 6

Warmer river discharge waters into the Arctic Ocean contributed up to 10% of regional sea-ice loss from Arctic continental shelves between 1980 and 2015. Particularly notable, this injection of warm freshwater also increased sea-ice breakup in late spring and early summer. The decline of Arctic sea-ice causes a warmer Arctic Ocean during the summer, increasing atmospheric warming. These findings show that rising river temperatures nearly double the impact of river discharge waters on the Arctic region.

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/45/eabc4699

Compiled by Amy Imdieke.