Scientists stunned by what they saw during 2-week Arctic expedition: ‘Shocking and surreal’

Thanks to poor weather conditions, a group of researchers was unable to do much of its planned work during a two-week Arctic study. But that revealed something potentially much more important about our warming planet.

What’s happening?

This February, a research team from London’s Queen Mary University was attempting to study fresh snowfall in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. But as Meteored reported, most of the precipitation during their two-week stay was rain, meaning they could only gather fresh snow one time.

That warmer-than-expected weather made researchers rethink the feasibility of not just their work, but any Arctic research that relies upon freezing temperatures.

“Standing in pools of water at the snout of the glacier, or on bare, green tundra, was shocking and surreal,” researcher James Bradley told Meteored. “The thick snowpack covering the landscape vanished within days. The gear I packed felt like a relic from another climate.”

Instead of their planned study, the researchers wrote about the effects of warming temperatures on Svalbard and the Arctic as a whole, with their work appearing in the journal Nature Communications.

“Winter warming in the Arctic has long reached melting point and is reshaping Arctic landscapes,” the authors wrote. “These winter warming events are seen by many as anomalies, but this is the new Arctic.”

Why are rising temperatures important?

Changing weather events, including extreme heat and rain, are just one of the many effects of warming temperatures worldwide. And those rising temperatures, scientists agree, are a direct result of toxic, heat-trapping gases being released into our atmosphere.

Nowhere is this more evident than the Arctic. As this study notes, Svalbard is warming at a rate nearly seven times higher than the global average, and rain is projected to surpass snow as the Arctic’s primary form of precipitation before the end of this century.

And although the Arctic seems so far away, the effects of rising temperatures there are felt across the globe.

Melting glaciers and ice caps have been a driving force in the rise of sea levels worldwide. Since 1993, oceans have risen by an average of four inches, and the rate at which they rise has more than doubled. This rise not only changes life for marine wildlife, but also could eventually put coastal towns at risk of washing away.

What can I do about rising temperatures?

Reversing our planet’s warming will take a global effort, such as the one outlined within the Paris Agreement. But for everyone, that effort begins at home.

Taking seemingly small steps, like using less plastic or walking to more places, can make a big difference. And those ready to take a bigger plunge may want to consider upgrading their appliances or HVAC systems to eco-friendly models.

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