What Exactly Is Happening?

It is quite easy to say that "the Arctic is melting", but what does that exactly mean? What is melting and by how much? The major issue of the melting Arctic is the reduction of ice cover. (The enormous repercussions of these reduction will be explored in a later blog). The ice is not only losing surface area, but also thickness. Thus, many ice blocks are cracking and splitting. An example of this is The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf. The shelf, which is over 3000 years old began to split at the beginning of the century, and is now completely split and breaking off into many pieces. This endangers animals and people that habitated this shelf. (NRDC)

Also, Arctic summers have become consistently warmer throughout the past twenty years, with "summer sea ice reaching record lows". (NASA) Additionally, the number of "melt days" has increased each year as the number of warm days also increases.

As previously stated, the amount of ice cover has decreased so rapidly that it is estimated by 2070, there may be no ice covering the region at all. However, some sources estimate this could come as soon as 2040. (The Guardian, National Geographic)

Additionally, glaciers all over the world are being affected in similar ways to the Arctic. The world has lost about 123 glaciers in the past 100 years. (National Geographic)

The decrease in size, thickness and area of the Arctic ice is a major cause for concern.