The Arctic is changing. And not for the better, scientists say

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The Arctic is warming up to four times the global rate, and we need accurate, holistic, and comprehensive knowledge of how climate changes will affect the amount of carbon the Arctic is taking up and storing, and how much it’s releasing back into the atmosphere, in order to effectively address this crisis,” Dr. Sue Natali, Woodwell Climate scientist and lead author of the research, said in a Tuesday statement. “Essentially, the further north you go when you get into colder areas and what we call continuous permafrost and the vegetation starts getting sparser, the more carbon we’re seeing being emitted,” Dr. Brendan Rogers, an associate scientist at the Massachusetts-based Woodewell Climate Research Center who was a co-author of the research, told The Independent on Wednesday. Wildfire emissions and thawing permafrost have contributed to changes in the Arctic’s tundra, scientists say “We’ve done some other estimates that say that the Arctic could be emitting carbon over this next century the same size as an industrialized nation might be doing,” Schurr said. The findings come after scientists warned that the Arctic could see its first “ice-free day” in the coming decades, and amid widespread concern about Earth’s carbon sinks.