Aarhus University researchers analyzed samples from the previously inaccessible region north of Greenland in collaboration with Stockholm University and the US Geological Survey.
The sediment samples were taken from the seafloor of the Lincoln Sea, which is part of the "Last Ice Area."
They discovered that the sea ice in this region melted away around 10,000 years ago during the summer months.
The research team came to the conclusion that summer sea ice melted when temperatures were at a level that we are rapidly approaching again today.
"Climate models predict that summer sea ice in this region will melt in the coming decades, but it's unclear whether this will happen in 20, 30, 40, or more years."
Sea Ice May Soon Disappear From The Arctic During The Summer Months
(Photo : FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
"This project has demonstrated that we are very close to this scenario and that temperatures only need to rise slightly before the ice melts," says Christof Pearce, Assistant Professor at Aarhus University's Department of Geoscience.
The researchers used data from the Early Holocene period to predict when sea ice will melt today. During this time period, summer temperatures in the Arctic were higher than today, which was caused by natural climate variability rather than man-made warming, but it still serves as a natural laboratory for studying the fate of this region in the near future.
The marine samples were analyzed in Aarhus with the help of Associate Professor Marianne Glasius and academic technical staff Mads Mark Jensen from the Department of Chemistry, as per Phys.org.
They studied molecules from certain algae that are only produced when there is sea ice, among other things. As a result, the researchers can determine when summer sea ice was present in the area.
When the sea ice in the Lincoln Sea begins to melt during the summer months, it can have serious climate consequences.
Whereas white ice reflects the sun's rays, a dark sea absorbs more than ten times as much solar energy, contributing to global warming. Furthermore, it has the potential to harm ecosystems.
Many ecosystems rely on sea ice as a foundation. The algae we studied are food for fish, and fish are food for birds, and so on.
How will the global marine ecosystems be affected if sea ice melts? Henrieka Detlef, an assistant professor in the Department of Geoscience, concurs.
According to the Aarhus University researchers, the study can be interpreted as both good and bad news for the climate.
The bad news is that this could happen very soon. Data shows that the trend can be reversed if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set ambitious political goals.
According to Henrieka Detlef, if they can keep temperatures stable or even fall, sea ice will return to the area.
A Wake-up call
In response to the report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared it a "code red for humanity."
The alarm is deafening, and the evidence is unmistakable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people in immediate danger, as per The Ecologist.
He called for an end to coal-fired power plants and fossil fuel exploration, a shift to renewable energy, and funding to protect vulnerable communities, and said Covid-19 recovery spending must be consistent with climate goals.
As the report was released, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that the next decade would be critical in securing the planet's future.
Related article: Climate Crisis: Ground Temperatures Reaches 118 Degrees in the Arctic Circle
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