Arctic is warming at its fastest pace in 1,500 years

The Arctic is running a fever.

The magnitude and pace of the Arctic’s sea-ice decline and ocean warming is “unprecedented” in at least the past 1,500 years and probably much longer, according to a federal report released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The polar region shows no sign of returning to its reliably frozen state of recent decades, and its permafrost is thawing faster than ever before, the report warned.

“The Arctic is going through its most unprecedented transition in human history, and we need better observations to understand and predict how these changes will affect everyone, not just the people of the north,” said Jeremy Mathis, head of NOAA’s Arctic Research Program. “The Arctic has traditionally been the refrigerator to the planet, but the door of the refrigerator has been left open.”

Research shows that changes in Arctic sea ice and temperature can alter the jet stream, a major factor in U.S. weather and climate patterns.

“There are some connections between the warming in the Arctic and the extreme weather events down here,” Mathis said.

The shift probably is partly responsible for the unusual weather in the U.S. in recent years, including the destructive wildfires in California and the sharp cold snap in the South and East, said NOAA scientist James Overland.

Retired Navy rear admiral Timothy Gallaudet, acting NOAA administrator, said Tuesday that “the rapid and dramatic changes we continue to see in the Arctic present major challenges and opportunities.”