According to an American reference report, the summer of 2023 was the hottest ever recorded in the Arctic, painting an alarming picture of this region of the world particularly affected by the effects of global warming.
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This annual document, released Tuesday by the American Atmospheric and Oceanic Agency (NOAA), highlights in particular the extent of the record fires that hit Canada over the summer and the ongoing melting of the Greenland ice cap.
Last year (October 2022 to September 2023) was the sixth warmest in the Arctic since 1900. But the summer (July to September) broke a record there with an average temperature of 6.4°C.
“The overarching message of this year’s report is that it is time for action,” NOAA chief Rick Spinrad said in a statement.
“As a nation and global community, we must significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving these changes,” he added.
At the same time, the negotiations in Dubai for COP28, the annual climate conference of the United Nations, encountered the blockage of certain oil-producing countries from including the goal of phasing out fossil fuels in a final treaty text.
Overall, 2023 will be the hottest year in history, the European Copernicus service predicted earlier this month.
Devastating fires
The Arctic is experiencing a phenomenon called “Arctic amplification,” meaning this region is warming faster than the mid-latitudes.
More than 80 experts from 13 countries contributed to this report, which will be published annually for 18 years.
They focused on observed changes in precipitation, which were higher than normal on average but showed significant regional variation.
The summer in the north of the American continent was unusually dry, which led to the devastating fires in Canada. This led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and severe air pollution.
In Greenland, despite above-average snow accumulation in the winter, the mass of the ice cover continued to decrease – although less than in other years.
The report notes that a station at the highest point of the ice sheet reached a temperature of 0.4°C on June 26, 2023, marking only the fifth time it has experienced melting since its observations began 34 years ago.
The melting of Greenland contributes to sea level rise and therefore has impacts far beyond the Arctic.