What was once thought to be the last sea ice to lose its perennial ice sheet in the Arctic Ocean is now melting twice as fast as any ice located in the area.
Scientists have released a video showing that the oldest and thickest layer of frozen ocean water in the past 35 years has lost 95% of its mass, which experts say is a "dramatic indicator" of climate change.
The area is now dominated by thinner and more mobile ice, which is more susceptible to melting, which "has put stress on the entire spectrum of ice-dependent organisms, from glacial algae to polar bears."
The study was carried out by the American Geophysical Union, an accredited earth science organization, which also released a video detailing how "the oldest and thickest" sea ice in the Arctic is melting.
Sea ice, located in the western Canadian Arctic archipelago and extending to the northern coast of Greenland, is believed by experts to be "the last to lose its multi-year ice sheet," according to an article in Advancing Earth and Space Science.
Climate models predict that summer in the Arctic may soon be ice-free, and this is expected to happen as early as 2030.
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This means that less than 386,000 square miles (almost a million square kilometers) of summer sea ice will cover the Arctic Ocean - up from 1.60 million square miles (over 4 million square kilometers) in 2016.
The retreating sea ice "is alarming, not only an indicator of our changing climate, but also a factor affecting fragile regional ecosystems," the researchers write.
The melting of old sea ice has made room for younger frozen layers, which are between one and four years old, which are more susceptible to melting during the summer months, experts say.
The ice is thinning in two separate sub-regions, which are losing 1.3 feet of ice thickness over a decade (approximately 40 centimeters), which is 5 feet of ice loss since the late 1970s (over 150 centimeters), according to a new study.
The last ice region was home and refuge for a variety of wildlife and is the last place they can retreat in a world where temperatures are constantly rising.
According to the study authors, understanding how the recent ice regions change over the course of the year could help determine which locations are best suited to provide refuge for wildlife dependent on sea ice.
For example, places with less ice movement may provide more suitable conditions for a nature reserve, as the ice will stay there longer. The new study provides information for policymakers to consider when establishing protected areas in the Arctic, Moore said.