Polar Melting

‘Archived’ heat has reached deep into the Arctic interior, researchers say

Yale News-Archived Heat in the Arctic

Arctic sea ice isn’t just threatened by the melting of ice around its edges, a new study has found: Warmer water that originated hundreds of miles away has penetrated deep into the interior of the Arctic.
That “archived” heat, currently trapped below the surface, has the potential to melt the region’s entire sea-ice pack if it reaches the surface, researchers say.

Scientists are keeping a close eye on the Beaufort Gyre

PRI- Beaufort Gyre

The Beaufort Gyre, an immense 60-mile-diameter pool of cold freshwater and sea ice, is “stuck” in a clockwise rotation that should have ended years ago. Its eventual reversal could send massive amounts of chilly water straight toward western Europe, plunging it into brutal winters and disrupting fisheries.

Warming of the interior Arctic Ocean linked to sea ice losses at the basin margins

Science Advances- Warming of the interior Arctic Ocean linked to sea ice losses at the basin margins

Arctic Ocean measurements reveal a near doubling of ocean heat content relative to the freezing temperature in the Beaufort Gyre halocline over the past three decades (1987–2017). This warming is linked to anomalous solar heating of surface waters in the northern Chukchi Sea, a main entryway for halocline waters to join the interior Beaufort Gyre. 

If We Lose the Ice we Lose the Entire Ecosystem

Paul Nicklen- If we lose the ice we lose the ecosystem 8/18

The photographer has been documenting life at the poles for years. He is determined to safeguard these fragile habitats

The Guardian- Glacier Shrinkage-10/30/2018