NOAA report finds climate change making Arctic conditions warmer, wetter

Climate change is behind wetter and stormier conditions in the Arctic, according to a report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday.

The past year is the sixth-warmest in the region since 1900, while the last seven years are collectively the warmest seven years on record, according to the NOAA report.

Surface air temperatures were about 0.73 degrees Celsius warmer than the average from 1991 to 2020.

The warming temperatures in the Arctic are having a destabilizing effect. The Greenland ice sheet also receded for the 25th consecutive year.

"The Arctic continues to warm more than twice as fast as the rest of the globe, with even greater warming in some locations and times of year," the report found.

The summer of 2022 was the third-wettest recorded over land in the region over the last 72 years.

Wet conditions were particularly evident in southern and southeastern Alaska, while parts of Norway saw the highest-ever levels of rainfall for July.

In September, Typhoon Merbok pummeled parts of Alaska, leading to flooding in some areas and temperatures soaring above normal.

Storms are likely to continue to affect weather conditions in the Arctic region.

"With this important new chapter and other timely additions, the 2022 Arctic Report Card underscores the urgency to confront the climate crisis by reducing greenhouse gasses and taking steps to be more resilient," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement.

"The report provides observations and analysis to help build a Climate-Ready Nation in a region on the front lines of climate change."

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