Nature, 15 March 2023
An examination of decades of measurements from the Fram Strait concluded that Arctic sea ice crossed an essentially irreversible threshold of loss between 2005-2007, when fully half of the Arctic’s thick multi-year ice disappeared — and has never recovered. Even today, less than one-tenth of Arctic sea ice passing through the Fram Strait is over 4 meters thick. The unprecedented lows reached in 2005, and again in 2007, marked a transition point across the Arctic Basin, shifting this ice-capped environment to a thinner, more vulnerable landscape. This shift to thinner ice makes it easier for large sheets of sea ice, or “ice floes” to enter the Strait and melt in warm Atlantic waters, preventing the winter growth of sea ice from lasting through the summer. Overall, ice floes now spend one-third less time in the Arctic since 2007. These findings highlight the existence of thresholds and “non-linear” changes in cryosphere, and the very long-lasting impacts of current global warming on the world’s ice stores.
ICIMOD, April 24, 2026 2026 marks the fourth consecutive year of below-average snow conditions in…
Ocean Science, 20 Apr 2026 Global warming and increased freshwater input from melting ice are…
Science, 23 Apr 2026 Specially-adapted species living in glacier regions face rapid snowpack and ice…
Science Advances, 24 Apr 2026 Observations from the grounding zone beneath the Ross Ice Shelf…
The Hindu Kush Himalaya faces rising climate extremes that threaten mountain communities, demanding a shift…
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 23 April 2026 Observations suggest we are currently tracking…