Trapped heat below Arctic surface could melt entire region’s ice: study

Archived’ heat trapped below the surface of the Arctic has the potential to melt the entire region’s sea ice, scientists warn.

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Why is it in news?

  • Archived’ heat trapped below the surface of the Arctic has the potential to melt the entire region’s sea ice, scientists warn.
  • The study, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that Arctic sea ice is not just threatened by the melting of ice around its edges.
  • Warmer water that originated hundreds of miles away has penetrated deep into the interior of the Arctic, researchers found.

More in news

  • The upper ocean in the Canadian Basin has seen a two-fold increase in heat content over the past 30 years.
  • They traced the source to waters hundreds of miles to the south, where reduced sea ice has left the surface ocean more exposed to summer solar warming.
  • In turn, Arctic winds are driving the warmer water north, but below the surface waters.
  • This means the effects of sea-ice loss are not limited to the ice-free regions themselves, but also lead to increased heat accumulation in the interior of the Arctic Ocean that can have climate effects well beyond the summer season.

Source

The Hindu