It's considered the last stronghold against climate change in the Arctic: a swath of sea ice just north of Greenland and Canada that is predicted to r

Climate change may be more dangerous to Arctic's 'Last Ice Area' than predicted

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2021-07-01 19:00:09

It's considered the last stronghold against climate change in the Arctic: a swath of sea ice just north of Greenland and Canada that is predicted to remain frozen even as climate change drives the Earth's temperatures higher. It's an important ecological area, providing a haven for ice-dependent life, such as polar bears, gulls and walruses, and the indigenous people of the Arctic regions. 

"Current thinking is that this area may be the last refuge for ice-dependent species," said Axel Schweiger, a polar scientist at the University of Washington. But this region, the "Last Ice Area," might be more vulnerable to climate change than previously believed.

Schweiger leads a new study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on Thursday, which examined an eastern subregion of the LIA known as the Wandel Sea, to understand how it coped during the summer of 2020. Last year, the overall Arctic sea ice concentration was the second-lowest on record, while the sea itself experienced its own record low in August. But why?

The Wandel Sea used to be covered in thick sea ice all year round. Some of the ice would remain in the Arctic for years and, over time, it piles up against the coast of Canada and Greenland. Previous modeling, looking into how climate change might affect the area, has shown this ice seems to stick around the longest.

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