Rapid Periods of Arctic Sea Ice Loss Driven by More Extreme Cyclones

Communications Earth & Environment, 22 January 2025

Late summer Arctic sea ice extent has decreased by more than 40% since 1979. In light of this trend, a new study investigated how Arctic cyclones impact sea ice loss over short, two-week time scales. Researchers found that increasingly warm summer temperatures and thinning sea ice have increased the frequency of very rapid sea ice loss events in June-August over the last 30 years. As sea ice thins, it becomes much more vulnerable to ocean waves and low-level atmospheric winds breaking it up. These mechanisms may cause even more rapid break-up events in the future if emissions continue on their current high trajectory.

Full paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02022-9