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A shocking satellite image shows that the Bering Sea, in the Arctic, is almost ice-free at a time when it usually reaches its maximum
- The images show an almost ice-free Bering Sea in April, a period that is usually the darkest
- The lack of ice will likely accelerate the warming of the ocean by reducing reflectivity
- Elsewhere in Alaska, land temperatures have reached historic highs
At this time of year, the Bering Sea is covered with a thick layer of ice that extends from the outskirts of Alaska to its northern neighbor, the Chukchi Sea, but according to scientists, the body of water is almost free of ice. & # 39;
The satellite images published this month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveal a disturbing picture of the decline in ice cover in the Bering Sea, which has reached a record low for two consecutive years.
According to experts, without the ice that covers the ocean, which usually helps to reflect sunlight, the Bering Sea is more likely to heat up and accelerate the melting of ice.
The Bering Sea looked left in April 2014, while the right image represents the current state of the water body.
In 2018, a scientist from the National Snow and Ice Data Center noted that there was about 500,000 square kilometers missing in the Bering Sea, the equivalent of "two texases".
"This virtually guarantees that the sea surface temperatures will be warmer than normal this summer and fall, and this will therefore have an impact on the ecosystem, including on the commercial fishery for fish. coming months, "said Rick Thoman, climate specialist for the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment. and politics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Elsewhere in all of Alaska last month, other records were broken. Klawock, a city in southeastern Alaska, reached its first temperature of 70 degrees on March 19th.
According to NOAA, elsewhere in the state, 55 record temperature records were broken between March 1st and 23rd.
Overall, the Arctic sea ice has recorded its seventh lowest range ever recorded this winter, according to NOAA, which released its analysis last month.
While the decline of Arctic ice has slowed slightly from one year to the next, NOAA says the trend has been clear over the last 40 years – the pack ice is in rapid decline.
Global temperatures have been documented around the world and have contributed to the melting of Arctic ice
Compared to the average between 1981 and 2010, the Arctic sea ice now lacks a geographic area equivalent to the size of Texas, NOAA announced last month.
The culprit is the steady rise in average temperatures around the world, say scientists.
According to a recent NOAA monthly report, the world's hottest months in 140 years have been from January to February this year.
The month of February reached 55.3 F, 1.42 degrees higher than the 20th century average of 53.9 degrees.
THE 2018 NOAA WINTER FORECAST
Temperature:
- Warmer than normal conditions are expected over most of the northern and western United States, with the highest probabilities in Alaska and the northwestern Pacific to the northern plains.
- The Southeast, the Tennessee Valley, the Ohio Valley, and the center of the Atlantic Coastline have equal chances of obtaining lower, near, or above average temperatures.
- The United States has no preference for below-average temperatures.
Northern Florida and southern Georgia have the best chance of above-average precipitation this winter
Precipitation
- Wetter than average conditions are favored in the southern United States and into the central Atlantic littoral. Northern Florida and southern Georgia have the best chance of above-average precipitation this winter.
- Drier than average conditions are generally encountered in parts of the northern Rockies and Plains, as well as in the Great Lakes and the northern Ohio Valley.
Drought
- Drought is expected to persist in parts of southwestern California, central Great Basin, central Rockies, northern plains, and parts of the interior of northeastern Ontario. West Pacific.
- Drought is expected to improve in parts of Arizona and New Mexico, southern Utah and Colorado, the Pacific Northwest and the central plains.
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