There can be no sea ice left in the Arctic roughly a decade earlier than expected, warned scientists in another sign of the climate crisis accelerating faster than expected as pollution continues to heat the planet.

Journal Nature Communications published a new study on Tuesday which stated that Arctic sea ice is likely to completely disappear during the month of September in the 2030s.&nbsp;

The scientists stated that even if planet-heating pollution is significantly reduced, the sea ice in the Arctic may still disappear in summer by the 2050s.

The changes from 1979 to 2019 were analysed by the researchers, as they compared different satellite data and climate models to understand how Arctic sea ice was changing.

It was understood that sea ice was declining largely because of human-caused, planet-heating pollution, and Arctic sea ice melting trends were underestimated by the previous models.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/soviet-era-rocket-makes-re-entry-to-earth-near-the-arctic-564684">Soviet-era rocket launched in 1980 makes re-entry, falls in Arctic region of Russia</a>

“We were surprised to find that the ice-free Arctic will be there in summer irrespective of our effort at reducing emissions, which was not expected,” stated Seung-Ki Min, lead author of the study and professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, while speaking to CNN.

During the winter, Arctic ice builds up and then melts in the summer months, generally hitting its lowest levels in September, before the cycle starts again.

"Once Arctic summers become ice-free, the buildup of sea ice in the colder seasons will be much slower," Min stated.&nbsp;

With a ‘higher emissions pathway’, &nbsp;in which fossil fuels continue to be burned and levels of planet-warming pollution continue to increase, the study emphasises on complete loss of sea ice in the Arctic from August until as late as October before the 2080s, said Min.&nbsp;

<h2>Study in contrast with the UN’s report&nbsp;</h2>

The findings of the study are in contrast with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2021 state-of-the-science report which stated that the Arctic would be “practically ice-free near mid-century under intermediate and high greenhouse gas emissions scenarios.”

Min said that the new study shows that ice-free Arctic can occur 10 years earlier than expected, regardless of emission scenarios.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;Arctic is warming quadruple times faster than the world, research tells

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Researcher with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the 2022 study's lead author Mika Rantanen said that the study benefited from “novel and state-of-the-art methodology” for predicting when the Arctic will go ice-free.

“The methodology is very careful and brings a high degree of certainty in the attribution,” stated Rantanen, who was not a part of the study.&nbsp;

“The most striking result is not that the sea ice loss is attributed to greenhouse gas increases, which was already largely known, but that they project the ice-free Arctic earlier than previously thought by about a decade," he added.&nbsp;

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The ice-free conditions will impact Arctic indigenous communities as their hunting and traveling will be affected. Animals that depend on sea ice will feel the impact.&nbsp;“As Arctic warming is enhanced, permafrost will also melt earlier and many species, including polar bears, walruses and reindeer, will have trouble surviving,” added Min. 
 
 
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There can be no sea ice left in the Arctic roughly a decade earlier than expected, warned scientists in another sign of the climate crisis accelerating faster than expected as pollution continues to heat the planet.

There can be no sea ice left in the Arctic roughly a decade earlier than expected, warned scientists in another sign of the climate crisis accelerating faster than expected as pollution continues to heat the planet. Journal Nature Communications published a new study on Tuesday which stated that Arctic sea ice is likely to completely disappear during the month of September in the 2030s. The scientists stated that even if planet-heating pollution is significantly reduced, the sea ice in the Arctic may still disappear in summer by the 2050s. The changes from 1979 to 2019 were analysed by the researchers, as they compared different satellite data and climate models to understand how Arctic sea ice was changing. It was understood that sea ice was declining largely because of human-caused, planet-heating pollution, and Arctic sea ice melting trends were underestimated by the previous models. ALSO READ | Soviet-era rocket launched in 1980 makes re-entry, falls in Arctic region of Russia “We were surprised to find that the ice-free Arctic will be there in summer irrespective of our effort at reducing emissions, which was not expected,” stated Seung-Ki Min, lead author of the study and professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, while speaking to CNN. During the winter, Arctic ice builds up and then melts in the summer months, generally hitting its lowest levels in September, before the cycle starts again. "Once Arctic summers become ice-free, the buildup of sea ice in the colder seasons will be much slower," Min stated. With a ‘higher emissions pathway’, in which fossil fuels continue to be burned and levels of planet-warming pollution continue to increase, the study emphasises on complete loss of sea ice in the Arctic from August until as late as October before the 2080s, said Min. Study in contrast with the UN’s report The findings of the study are in contrast with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2021 state-of-the-science report which stated that the Arctic would be “practically ice-free near mid-century under intermediate and high greenhouse gas emissions scenarios.” Min said that the new study shows that ice-free Arctic can occur 10 years earlier than expected, regardless of emission scenarios. WATCH | Arctic is warming quadruple times faster than the world, research tells Researcher with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the 2022 study's lead author Mika Rantanen said that the study benefited from “novel and state-of-the-art methodology” for predicting when the Arctic will go ice-free. “The methodology is very careful and brings a high degree of certainty in the attribution,” stated Rantanen, who was not a part of the study. “The most striking result is not that the sea ice loss is attributed to greenhouse gas increases, which was already largely known, but that they project the ice-free Arctic earlier than previously thought by about a decade," he added. The ice-free conditions will impact Arctic indigenous communities as their hunting and traveling will be affected. Animals that depend on sea ice will feel the impact. “As Arctic warming is enhanced, permafrost will also melt earlier and many species, including polar bears, walruses and reindeer, will have trouble surviving,” added Min. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Arctic could be ice-free in summer by 2030s. Previous models underestimated trends, say experts

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The melting of the Arctic sea ice could reduce the polar bear population by a third over the next few decades, scientists said on Monday, news agency Reuters reported.

Arctic sea ice is the animal&rsquo;s chief habitat.

The current global population of polar bears is estimated to be around 26,000.

However, scientists say&nbsp;their population is expected to diminish by some 8,600 over the next 35-40 years.&nbsp;

The new findings were presented as part of a panel discussion about climate impacts on wildlife during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.&nbsp;

&quot;There is the potential for a large reduction in the global population of polar bears over the next three generations if the sea ice loss continues at the rate we&#39;ve seen it,&quot; Reuters quoted Kristin Laidre, a marine mammal ecologist at the University of Washington&#39;s Polar Science Center, as saying.

The study was led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service&#39;s Eric Regehr.&nbsp;

The polar bear research is drawn from new satellite data documenting a loss of Arctic sea ice from 1979 to 2015.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The polar bear research is drawn from new satellite data documenting a loss of Arctic sea ice from 1979 to 2015

The melting of the Arctic sea ice could reduce the polar bear population by a third over the next few decades, scientists said on Monday, news agency Reuters reported. Arctic sea ice is the animal’s chief habitat. The current global population of polar bears is estimated to be around 26,000. However, scientists say their population is expected to diminish by some 8,600 over the next 35-40 years. The new findings were presented as part of a panel discussion about climate impacts on wildlife during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. "There is the potential for a large reduction in the global population of polar bears over the next three generations if the sea ice loss continues at the rate we've seen it," Reuters quoted Kristin Laidre, a marine mammal ecologist at the University of Washington's Polar Science Center, as saying. The study was led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Eric Regehr. The polar bear research is drawn from new satellite data documenting a loss of Arctic sea ice from 1979 to 2015. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Polar bear numbers to plunge a third as Arctic sea ice melts

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Arctic could be ice-free in summer by 2030s. Previous models underestimated trends, say experts

Polar bear numbers to plunge a third as Arctic sea ice melts