A report out this week from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the Arctic summer surface air temperatures were the warmest on record, with some areas, including northern Alaska and Canada, 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit or more above the 1991-2020 average.
The summer Arctic average temperature was a record 43 degrees Fahrenheit, which NOAA’s 2023 Arctic Report Card asserts is evidence of accelerating climate change.
The 18th annual report card is the work of 82 authors from 13 nations. It shows that sea ice extent – the area of ice that covers the Arctic Ocean at a given time – continues to decline. September extents from 2007 to 2023 were each the lowest on record.
Mean sea surface temperatures in Aug