An outbreak of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), also known as nacreous clouds, has been observed over the Arctic since December 9, approximately one month earlier than the typical season, which in the Arctic usually spans from January to March.
A recent study showed a significant decline in the navigability of the Northwest Passage, Arctic Archipelago due to obstructions caused by multilayer ice in the region.
Arctic’s seasonal sea ice loss began more slowly in May 2022 than in the recent years as air temperatures were closer to the 1981 to 2010 average. The month ended with the highest sea ice extent since 2013 – the 14th lowest in the satellite record.
The town of Verkhoyansk in Siberia hit 37.8 °C (100 °F) for the first time on Saturday, June 20, 2020– if verified, it will be the hottest-ever temperature recorded above the Arctic Circle. The hot temperature recorded in Verkhoyansk on Saturday may also…
An analysis of satellite observations shows that ozone levels over the Arctic hit a record low for the month of March, NASA researchers reported on April 16, 2020. Ozone levels reached their lowest point on March 12 at 205 Dobson units. The depletion was caused by…
A huge ozone hole has opened this year over the Arctic. While ozone holes normally form in the Antarctic zone every year because winter temperatures drop to extremely low values, allowing high-altitude clouds to develop– the Arctic has more varying temperatures and…
The arctic sea ice has reached its largest early February ice extent in 11 years, surpassing the average size from 2001 to 2010. The recovery is a result of a strong polar vortex. Sea ice analysis indicated that during this rather mild winter in the middle…
Polar stratospheric clouds, reported on December 9, 2016, over the skies of Kiruna, Sweden, indicate the stratosphere above the Arctic Circle is getting very cold. Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) form from the icy particles in the lower stratosphere, in extremely…
NASA satellite instruments have observed a marked increase in solar radiation absorbed in the Arctic since the year 2000 – a trend that aligns with the steady decrease in Arctic sea ice during the same period.While sea ice is mostly white and reflects the sun&rsqu
Winter in the Arctic is not only cold and dark, it is also storm season when hurricane-like cyclones traverse the northern waters from Iceland to Alaska. These cyclones are characterized by strong localized drops in sea level pressure, and as Arctic-wide decreases in
