Tropical Storm Ophelia takes on New York

Parts of New York City are underwater as record rains have led to life-threatening flooding. Brooklyn received more than a month's worth of rain within three hours. By nightfall on Friday 29 September, Queens recorded... READ MORE

Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Declared

The National Snow and Ice Data Center has just announced that the 2023 minimum Arctic sea ice extent occurred on 19 September and is the 6th lowest on record.... READ MORE

The World Above 1.5°C: Flooding Disasters from Libya to Hong Kong

Global temperatures have slightly decreased after a  summer with 36 consecutive days above any previous record, a phenomenon not seen in at least 125,000 years. However, the two consecutive months above 1.5C provided a... READ MORE

Polar Tipping Points Hub in WEF Global Collaboration Village

This week, the Polar Tipping Points Hub was launched in the Global Collaboration Village, a metaverse built by the World Economic Forum in partnership with Accenture and Microsoft, with scientific support from Arctic... READ MORE

Arctic Basecamp Plays Significant Role in New Polar Metaverse by World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the Polar Tipping Points Hub, a groundbreaking virtual reality experience in collaboration with Accenture and Microsoft, yesterday at UN Climate Week in New York... READ MORE

COUNTDOWN

CO2 Budget Depletion

30 Sep 2022 | Arctic Ocean

ARCTIC OCEAN ACIDIFYING 4X FASTER

30.09.2022, Arctic Ocean. In August, it was confirmed that the Arctic is warming 4x faster than the planetary average. Yesterday researchers from China and the US established that the Arctic Ocean is also acidifying 4x faster than other oceans.

The rapid melting of sea ice means the Arctic Ocean is particularly vulnerable to acidification. Normally, the alkalinity of the ocean offers some protection, but melting ice is diluting this buffer and causing the Arctic Ocean to acidify rapidly.

Our addiction to fossil fuels means that the ocean covering 71% of Earth’s surface is no longer a stabilising force for the environment but is becoming an acid bath. Some of the effects of this acidity are well known–for example, it reduces carbonate ions that form coral skeletons or oyster shells. However, some effects are not yet fully understood but are expected to have toxic impacts–not just on marine life but on humans and entire planetary systems.

Our planet is screaming in every way it can that we cannot continue to burn fossil fuels.

To learn more about how the Arctic is at the epicenter of many of these global phenomena, head HERE for more information on the global risks from Arctic change.

Read the full study in Science HERE.

Read the Guardian article HERE.

LATEST NEWS & ALERTS

ARCTIC RISK INDICATORS

The following gauges show up-to-date data regarding key indicators in the Arctic. These indicators clearly point to the crisis at hand.

Greenland rate of ice loss
13 million l/s
on average
13 million tonnes/s
on average
Arctic Sea Ice Extent
2,379,999 km²
below 1981-2010 average on 29-Sep-2023
918,917 mi²
below 1981-2010 average on 29-Sep-2023
Arctic Amplification
4 times
faster than global average
Arctic 66N+ Wildfire emissions
24,916.64 megatonnes CO₂e
CO₂e emissions in 2023 so far
Arctic Air Quality (PM2.5)
4.33 microgram per cubic meter
on 30-Sep-2023
Global mean Sea Level
3.4mm/year
since 1993