Early Spring
For some, the Spring season brings blossoming flowers, increased temperatures, and the absence of winter coats. For the Arctic sea, however, this season normally brings the most impressive time of its existence. Yes, this is the time of year where the frozen sea reaches its biggest size, and over the next few months, it normally thaws out into great open ocean ready to be frozen again when the time comes. This is especially true for the Bering Sea, but this Spring, scientists have noticed something rather alarming.
The NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration make it their mission to keep an eye on the world and its oceans, to ensure that everything is running smoothly. They have done this around the Bering Sea area for decades and take satellite pictures from above. They also take notes on the nearby Chukchi Sea for reference. While they know that increasing temperatures throughout the year will impact the snow and the ocean below, they have seen in recent years that this are is changing more than they would like. In fact, Spring 2014 has seen the lowest amount of sea ice ever.
Warming Too Fast
Over the course of scientific investigation, it’s been noted that the Arctic takes the record as the fastest warming region on this planet. That’s not a record worth celebrating, because it can have dire consequences for the Earth and the people who live on it. The NOAA has confirmed that there should be ice around the Arctic region until at least May, but it’s already almost disappeared completely. This is due to the increasingly warm sea temperatures that ultimately melt the ice above.
Global warming is affecting all of us, and these satellite photos are a stark reminder that things really need to change.