Summer ice in the Arctic may be a memory in 30 years or less

Arctic sea ice may completely melt out during the summer before the year 2050, according to a new study from 21 research institutes, including McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.

The complete loss of sea ice in the Arctic during the summer months would likely have detrimental impacts on the Arctic ecosystem, according to the report.

The image below shows the trend in Arctic sea ice extent from 1979-2019 (satellite measured era). The annual Arctic sea ice minimum typically occurs during the month of September. Based on the graph, Arctic sea ice extent for September is decreasing at a rate of 12.85 percent per decade.

The study utilized a total of 40 climate models which had results based on several different carbon dioxide emission scenarios.

The study concluded that if CO2 emissions are reduced rapidly, then ice-free summers in the Arctic would only occur occasionally in the future.

However, if emissions are not significantly reduced, then the Arctic basin will likely be ice-free during most summers.