The Arctic Circle has recorded temperatures reaching over 38 degrees Celsius in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk, likely an all-time high. The temperatures seem to have been 18 degree Celsius higher than normal in June a/c to the BBC.

Try this question from CS Mains 2017:

Q.How does the Cryosphere affect global climate?

What is happening in the Arctic?

• Since the past month, the most above-average temperatures were recorded in Siberia, where they were about 10 degrees Celsius above normal.
• Siberia has been recording higher-than-average surface air temperatures since January.

Are Arctic heatwaves common?

• This is not the first time that rising temperatures in the Arctic have created alarm.
• The rising temperatures are attributed to large-scale wind patterns that blasted the Arctic with heat, the absence of sea ice, and human-induced climate change, among other reasons.
• There has been an increase of heatwave occurrences over the terrestrial Arctic. These frequent occurrences have already started to threaten local vegetation, ecology, human health and economy.

A cause of worry for all

• Warming in the Arctic is leading to the thawing of once permanently frozen permafrost below ground.
• This is alarming scientists because as permafrost thaws, carbon dioxide and methane previously locked up below ground is released.
• These greenhouse gases can cause further warming, and further thawing of the permafrost, in a vicious cycle known as positive feedback.
• The higher temperatures also cause land ice in the Arctic to melt at a faster rate, leading to greater run-off into the ocean where it contributes to sea-level rise.

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