Summer air temperatures in the Arctic were the highest ever recorded this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed in its annual report on the region.
It was the sixth-warmest year ever in the Arctic overall, as climate change raised temperatures globally. Sea ice levels also declined at record rates, with a domino effect impacting fisheries throughout Alaska and northern Canada.
“The overriding message from this year’s report card is that the time for action is now,” NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad said. “NOAA and our federal partners have ramped up our support and collaboration with state, tribal and local communities to help build climate resilience. At the same time, we as a nation and global community must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are driving these changes.”
The average summer temperature this year was 43 degrees, with parts of northeast Alaska and northwest Canada reaching as much as 7.2 degrees above the average temperature from 1991-2020, according to the report.
Those higher temperatures lead to more green vegetation, which was near an all-time record this year, and dry out tundra, which encourages wildfires. Canada saw the worst wildfire season in its history in 2023, with innumerable wildfires raging from the Arctic to the U.S. border in the east and west.
Sea surface temperatures were also significantly above average, with parts of the Arctic Ocean reaching 9-13 degrees above normal levels, the report said. The increasing temperatures can lead to phytoplankton blooms, which can threaten ocean ecosystems.
As temperatures rise, ice sheet levels continue to fall. The 17 lowest ice sheet events have occurred in the last 17 consecutive years, with the lowest point annually in September. 2023’s ice sheet was the sixth-smallest on record, since 1979.
A June study estimated that summer arctic sea ice is already on its way out and that nothing can be done to save what is being taken away by consistent warming. Researchers estimated that the Arctic will be “practically” ice-free by the middle of the century during summers.
This year’s report was the first to include information from Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub, a network of indigenous Alaskans working with the University of Alaskan to track climate data.