Arctic draining

A new study finds that lakes around the Arctic have disappeared at an alarming rate over the past 20 years as the area around the North Pole warmed four times faster than the rest of the world.

Writing in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers from the University of Florida document how lakes in northern parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, Scandinavia and Alaska have either gotten smaller or entirely dried up.

“The vanishing lakes act as cornerstones of the Arctic ecosystem,” the team said in a news release.

“They provide a critical source of fresh water for local Indigenous communities and industries. Threatened and endangered species, including migratory birds and aquatic creatures, also rely on the lake habitats for survival,” it added.