Alaska crushes record for hottest December as Arctic sea ice hits record low

Alaska crushes record for hottest December as Arctic sea ice hits record low

"We are the U.S.'s canary in that coal mine."


?resize=1280%2C720px&ssl=1


https://thinkprogress.org/alaska-hottest-december-1e4effce0ad1/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5a59925c19694a000817f60c&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

In its hottest December ever recorded, Alaska was a stunning 15.7°F above the 20th century average. And the year ended with Arctic sea ice hitting an all-time record low.

While the East Coast had a cool December and New Year’s week, Alaska baked. Last Tuesday, Anchorage hit 48°F, warmer than southern cities from Atlanta and Jacksonville to Houston and New Orleans.

-snip-

The Arctic as a whole was so warm in December that Arctic sea ice set a new end-of-year record low, as both the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported.

-snip-

Unfortunately for the rest of the globe, what happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. Arctic amplification drives more extreme weather in North America, while accelerating the defrosting of the carbon-rich permafrost, releasing carbon dioxide and methane that each cause faster warming — a dangerous amplifying feedback.

More on the link

https://thinkprogress.org/alaska-hottest-december-1e4effce0ad1/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5a59925c19694a000817f60c&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter


.