‘It was not just a marginal record’

2024 was the hottest year on record, and new research has shown the devastating impact of those heat waves on the Arctic.

What’s happening?

As New Scientist reported, researchers found that in just six weeks, the archipelago of Svalbard lost 1% of its ice cover, equivalent to 62 gigatons. That alone was enough to raise global sea levels by 0.16 millimeters, an utterly unsustainable rate. 

Thomas Schuler of the University of Oslo explained the loss shattered past records: “It was shocking. It was not just a marginal record. The melt was almost twice as high as in the previous record.”

Svalbard is a sparsely populated archipelago administered by Norway. It’s home to a global seed vault that contains over 1.3 million samples from around the world, acting as a safeguard against any future global catastrophe. More than half of the islands’ landmass is covered by ice. While some melt is typical in the summer months, the historic average was 10 gigatons. The total ice loss for 2024 was more than six times the average, primarily because of surface melt caused by soaring air temperatures. 

Why is sea ice loss such a concern?

The heat waves were the product of the planet-heating pollution driven by human activity, and the Arctic is heating up much faster than anywhere else. According to one study, the rate of warming is four times that of the rest of the world. This will accelerate the loss of sea ice, leading to rising sea levels and placing many coastal settlements at risk. Indeed, some islands could soon disappear entirely.

Additionally, warmer oceans are the perfect breeding ground for devastating hurricanes such as Helene and Milton. Such extreme weather events will only become frequent and intense. 

What’s being done about sea ice loss?

Drastic measures may soon be necessary to buy more time to reduce harmful pollution worldwide. Direct human interventions to thicken sea ice in the winter have shown some early promise, albeit at a limited scale. It remains to be seen whether those experiments can be successfully applied at scale.

Regardless, it’s vital to raise awareness of the severity of the problem and take individual and collective steps to slow the melt. Adopting clean, renewable energy is one approach, and reducing waste and taking local action are others.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}