Arctic Could See More Rain Than Snow in 30 Years, Study Suggests

There could be more rainfall than snow in the Arctic in as little as 30 years because of the world's changing climate, according to a new study that predicts the transition will happen decades earlier than previously anticipated, CBC Canada reports.

The change is expected to happen sometime between 2050 and 2080. Previously, the transition to a rain-dominated Arctic was expected to happen somewhere between 2070 and 2090. 

The study's projections stem from an aggregation of data from around the world. 

An increase in Arctic rainfall will contribute to rising sea levels, particularly because it will cause more glaciers along the coast of Greenland to fall into the water. 

Rain fell on the summit of Greenland — a location where precipitation has previously always fallen as snow or ice — for the first time on record this year.