- Providing up-to-date and reliable information on the effects of climate change in the Arctic, in order to stimulate policies and actions that combat climate change
- Supporting field-based projects in the Arctic where information on climate change is generated or collected.
- Assisting in the development and implementation of adaptation strategies for species, ecosystems, and cultures in coping with a changing climate in the Arctic.
Arctic climate change
Observations, whether from satellites, sensors, or from people who live in the Arctic tell the same story – the Arctic climate is changing, and warming is the dominant trend. These changes are being driven by global warming gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere.
How is the Arctic affected by climate change?
Summer sea ice is disappearing
The results of computer modeling of future climate all show a clear trend towards an overall warming in the Arctic, and a resulting melting of the sea ice.- Arctic sea ice has decreased 14% since the 1970s.
- In 2011, Arctic temperatures were the highest ever recorded, breaking the previous record set in 2010.
- By 2040, summer sea ice could be limited to the northern coast of Greenland and Canada. This is the Last Ice Area.
The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world
Why? Shiny ice and snow reflect a high proportion of the sun's energy into space. As the Arctic loses snow and ice, bare rock and water absorb more and more of the sun’s energy, making it ever warmer. This is called the albedo effect.
A small temperature shift can have enormous implications
Even an increase of 2°C could be too much. A slight shift in temperature, bringing averages above the freezing point, will completely alter the character of the region. - Polar bears could become extinct by the end of this century if there is an almost complete loss of summer sea ice cover.
- As snow and ice melt, the ability of the Arctic to reflect heat back to space is reduced, accelerating the overall rate of global warming.
- Some arctic fisheries will disappear.
- We are likely to see more forest fires and storm damage to coastal communities in the Arctic.
- Glaciers, sea ice and tundra will melt, contributing to global sea level rises.
- A warmer Arctic could halt the Gulf Stream, which brings warmer water and weather to north-western Europe.
What WWF is doing
Key contact
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Martin Sommerkorn
Head of Conservation
WWF Arctic Programme,
Oslo
Arctic climate change news
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Another record year for Arctic heat
In what has become an alarmingly regular occurrence, the Arctic set another record for high temperatures last year.
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“World’s most unnecessary coal mine”
The Norwegian government has given the go-ahead to a new coal mine in Svalbard, a high-arctic archipelago off the northern coast of Norway, despite clear objections from WWF and an acknowledgement ...
