What is causing the Arctic to warm faster than the rest of the world during increased levels of climate change? This is what a recent study published in Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated the reasons behind the Arctic experiencing between triple and quadruple the temperatures as the rest of the planet. This study has the potential to help researchers better understand climate change’s global impact and the steps that can be taken to mitigate them.
For the study, the researchers used a combination of satellite data and computer models to conduct a first-time relationship between Arctic warming and clouds since scientists remain puzzled about how the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet. The researchers also attempted to predict how clouds could influence future scenarios of increased Arctic temperatures. In the end, the researchers found that 21 of the 30 models the researchers conducted overestimated the ice-to-liquid ration in clouds that are responsible for reflecting sunlight during the summer and insulating heat during the winter.
“The biggest uncertainty in our forecasts is due to clouds,” said Dr. Takuro Michibata, who is an associate professor at the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics at Kyushu University and co-author on the study. “Fixing these models is essential not just for the Arctic, but for understanding its impact on weather and climate change across the globe.”
This study comes as climate change continues to ravage the planet with more extreme weather events and increased global temperatures. The Arctic is most susceptible to these increased weather events, specifically increased temperatures, due to the prolonged periods of sunlight and lack of sunlight throughout the year.
What new discoveries about climate change and the Arctic will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research, EurekAlert!
Featured Image Credit: 2012 RUSALCA Expedition, RAS-NOAA | Kate Stafford