Norwegian scientists studying climate change in the Arctic state with dismay that the Arctic is rapidly freeing from ice - even in winter, according to the Norwegian TV channel NRK.
Lars Henrik Smedsrud, a professor at the University of Bergen, notes that until recently, the Arctic Ocean quickly froze over in winter. But now everything has changed. The Barents Sea has already begun to lose most of its ice in winter, and it looks like much of the ocean is going to be the same.
The American organization National Center for Snow and Ice Research in the United States publishes detailed information, in particular with the support of NASA.
The Center notes that sea ice in the Arctic peaked on 17 March. Then the ice cover was 14.48 million square kilometers. In the 40 years that satellite measurements have been taken, this is the second worst indicator.
Over the past four years, ocean ice has been steadily shrinking.
This winter, temperatures throughout the Arctic Ocean were four degrees warmer than usual. And the air temperature is seven.
The scientist believes that already in the 2020s, many seas of the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice-free in summer. And then a similar fate may await the sea ice in winter. This can have both positive and negative consequences.
On the positive side, there are great opportunities for shipping, fishing and mining.
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In this regard, the role of the Norwegian Kirkenes may significantly increase. Large volumes of goods can be sent to the port from Europe, and from there to Asia.
But climatic changes mean at the same time a serious shake-up for the entire ecosystem and problems for the peoples living in the ice.
If warming continues, large volumes of methane, which are now frozen in Siberian ice, will be on the surface. And this will mean further warming of the globe.
Scientists say that before the end of this century, the Arctic Ocean may be free of ice.
Now in the summer in the ocean there are only 4.5 million square kilometers of ice, and back in the 1980s, ice covered an area of almost 8 million.