Climate alert: the Arctic will lose all its ice by summer 2030, sooner than scientists predict

He climate change continues to wreak havoc on the planet. However, an article published by the Pohang University of Science and Technology (South Korea) – in collaboration with German and Canadian scientists – estimates that the Arctic ocean time is running out, and that if global warming continues as it is doing now, the ice will begin to disappear from the summer of the next decade.

Two months ago, in March, the Sixth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that the Arctic will be sea-ice free by mid-century, this in a scenario of intermediate and high greenhouse gas emissions. However, the new study, published on Tuesday, ensures that the The Arctic Ocean will lose all its ice from 2030 to 2050.

“The results indicate that the first month of September without sea ​​ice could occur in the years 2030-2050whatever the scenario Greenhouse gas emissions“, detailed the scientists in the specialized journal Nature Communications. “It’s about a decade earlier than most recent projections“, added the specialists of the text.

According to South Korean researchers, the disappearance of the ice is mainly caused by the Greenhouse gas emissions; however, there are other less important factors, such as aerosols, solar and volcanic activity. On the contribution of aerosols and other substances that deplete the ozone layer (ODS), the magazine PNAS published a study last May on how the Montreal Protocol, which limits their use, contributes to delaying this scenario.

It should be mentioned that this protocol aims to reduce atmospheric concentrations of ODS, commonly used in products such as refrigerators, air conditioners, fire extinguishers and aerosols. However, experts say the disappearing ice cream It is mainly caused by emissions of greenhouse effect.

Finally, scientists have warned that the disappearance of the ice “will accelerate Arctic warmingwhich may lead to an increase in extreme weather events at mid-latitudes, such as heat waves and Forest fires”.

Faced with this gloomy panorama, the specialists recalled that a Arctic without sea ice would affect human societies and ecosystems natural resources, both inside and outside this region, for example altering marine activity, accelerating the warming of the region and altering the carbon cycle.