Go Back
LIVE: Air quality in NYC is worse than any other city on Earth. See the latest on the smoke. Chevron right

Ashburn, VA

56°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

56°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

Top Stories AccuWeather Early AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Climate Travel Health Recreation Business Sports
2
Air Quality Alert

Weather Blogs / Global climate change

Another sobering year for the Arctic

By Brett Anderson, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Jan 3, 2022 5:15 PM EDT | Updated Jan 3, 2022 5:15 PM EDT

Copied

NOAA recently released their annual report card for the Arctic region, and to no surprise, the news is not good.

The Arctic region experienced their seventh-warmest year on record, averaging slightly more than 1 degrees Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1981-2020 average.

Image courtesy NOAA.

In terms of the annual sea ice extent minimum, 2021 was once again well below the 1981-2010 average, but not quite as low as the past few years. But as you can see by the chart below, the annual minimum trend, especially since the start of this century, has been in a clear decline, while the annual maximum has only slightly declined.

As I have stated many times in the past, sea ice thickness is a better indicator of the overall health of sea ice. Arctic sea ice thickness has been shrinking steadily since the 1980s. What we are seeing is a much higher ratio of younger, thinner sea ice compared to older, thicker sea ice. This younger sea ice is much more susceptible to completely melting out during the summer months compared to the older ice.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Hurricane

Why people are flocking to one state often struck by hurricanes

Jun. 5, 2023
Weather News

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts, USGS reports

Jun. 7, 2023
Weather Forecasts

'June gloom' to persist in Southern California

Jun. 8, 2023
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

Top Stories

AccuWeather Early

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Climate

Travel

Health

Recreation

Business

Sports

ABOUT THIS BLOG
Global climate change
Brett Anderson
Brett Anderson discusses and analyzes the latest research and commentary by experts with various points of view.
  • Astronomy
    with Dave Samuhel
  • Canadian weather
    with Brett Anderson
  • Global climate change
    with Brett Anderson
  • Global weather
    with Jason Nicholls
  • Northeast US weather
    with Elliot Abrams
  • Plume Labs on Air Quality
    with Tyler Knowlton
  • RealImpact of weather
    with Dr. Joel N. Myers
  • WeatherMatrix
    with Jesse Ferrell
  • Western US weather
    with Brian Thompson

Featured Stories

Live Blog

AccuWeather’s Hurricane Week: An inside look at these destructive forc...

LATEST ENTRY

How wind shear influences tropical cyclones

13 hours ago

Weather News

How inhaling wildfire smoke can wreak havoc on your health

8 hours ago

Climate

Arctic sea may have ice-free summers by the 2030s, new study warns

20 hours ago

AccuWeather Weather Blogs Another sobering year for the Arctic
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2023 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK