The Arctic's Shrinking Sea Ice Cover: Why Should We Care?

Arctic sea ice extent at the end of the summer melt season has declined sharply over the past 30 years and is projected to largely disappear well within this century, perhaps as early as 2030. The extreme September ice extent minima of the past five years serve as exclamation points on the downward trend. While the factors responsible for this trend have and will continue to be widely studied, less attention has been paid to the environmental and societal consequences of current and future sea ice loss. Ice loss is already contributing to increased wave action and coastal erosion and is resulting in strong rises in Arctic air temperature during autumn, not just at the surface, but extending through a considerable depth of the atmosphere. This strong warming, termed Arctic amplification, is starting to extend beyond areas of ice loss to influence Arctic land areas. Continued loss of the ice cover is in turn likely to impact on patterns of atmospheric circulation and precipitation not just within the Arctic, but into middle latitudes; there is growing evidence that this is already occurring. Finally, as the ice core retreats, the Arctic is becoming more accessible for marine shipping and oil and gas exploration, increasing the economic and strategic importance of the region.