Nature Communications, 21 July 2025
Winter air temperatures exceeded 0°C for 14 days during February 2025 in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, setting a new record and triggering widespread snow and ice loss. When winter warming exceeds 0°C, it marks more than just a warm anomaly – it signals a fundamental shift in Arctic winter dynamics with long-term environmental consequences, including decreased ice formation, increased microbial decomposition in permafrost soils, and an altered carbon cycle with harmful impacts on the global carbon budget and local biodiversity. The record-breaking temperatures observed in February 2025 were not an isolated occurrence: winter warming events such as these have grown increasingly common in recent decades, reshaping Arctic landscapes and signaling a dramatic shift towards a new Arctic.
Full Paper | News Coverage by Queen Mary University of London
By Emily Jacobson, Science Writing Intern; Amy Imdieke, Global Outreach Director; and Pam Pearson, Director of ICCI.
Published 9 月. 18, 2025 Updated 9 月. 18, 2025 6:38 下午
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