Will Climate Change Turn the Arctic Green?

Published at: Jun 26 2024 - 08:34 / Updated at: Jun 26 2024 - 08:36

The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. Ice and snow are melting and Arctic Sea ice is thinning and retreating.

This means more sunlight can reach algae living at the bottom of the sea-ice, causing yearly summer blooms once sufficient light becomes available.

According to The European Space Agency, CryoSat’s long-term satellite record of sea-ice thickness, scientists have been able to map the light reaching these algae.

Results suggest that since the 1980s large swathes of Arctic ice may bloom over a month earlier as ice and snow cover thin due to climate change.

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