The North Pole is changing at a rapid rate. According to recent research reported by the University of Colorado, Boulder, most of the Arctic's sea ice could melt by 2027.
What's happening?
Researchers used computer models to predict the Arctic's first ice-free day in its northernmost ocean. "Ice-free" is defined as less than 1 million square kilometers (about 386,000 square miles) of ice, per the report.
They ran over 300 simulations with different scenarios in mind. Based on these, the earliest ice-free day could occur in 2027. The study, which was published in Nature late last year, acknowledged that "predictions of an ice-free Arctic have large uncertainties" and "the highest probability of the earliest ice-free day occurring lies within 7-20 years."
A summary of the research published by ScienceDaily said that "sea ice in the Arctic has disappeared at an unprecedented speed of more than 12% each decade."
While nothing drastic would happen within those 24 hours, according to the report, it does represent a tipping point — marking the shift away from the Arctic Ocean covered by ice and snow. Since the planet has been steadily warming for decades now, there's seemingly no stopping this change.
The only thing that can slow it down is a "drastic cut" in pollution, per the university report. In this report, study co-author Céline Heuzé from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden said: "Because the first ice-free day is likely to happen earlier than the first ice-free month, we want to be prepared."
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Why is the Arctic's sea ice important?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that sea ice's light color causes it to reflect more light into space. This maintains Earth's energy balance and keeps the polar regions cool.
If the Arctic loses the majority of its sea ice, the region will rapidly decline, putting several species, like polar bears, at risk.
It will (and, to an extent, already has) impact Indigenous people in the Arctic, like the Inuit, in part because many of them have traditionally led a hunting lifestyle.
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Definitely 👍 It will also affect the local ecosystem, restricting food access for walruses and other mammals that rely on the sea ice for hunting. With lower birth rates and less food, species could go extinct.
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What's being done about it?
Alexandra Jahn, one of the researchers and a climatologist, said in the university report that "any reductions in emissions" would help slow the sea ice's melting.
If you want to do your part in slowing it down, there are a couple of steps you can take to reduce your personal contribution to the planet's warming.
You could install solar panels, switching from dirty to clean energy. You could also upgrade to a natural lawn, which helps local pollinators and your neighborhood's ecosystem.
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