Arctic land ice is melting, sea ice is decreasing, and permafrost is thawing. Changes in these Arctic elements are interconnected, and most interactions accelerate the rate of change. The changes affect infrastructure, economics, and cultures of people inside and outside of the Arctic, including in temperate and tropical regions, through sea level rise, worsening storm and hurricane impacts, and enhanced warming. Coastal communities worldwide are already experiencing more regular flooding, drinking water contamination, and coastal erosion. We describe and summarize the nature of change for Arctic permafrost, land ice, and sea ice, and its influences on lower latitudes, particularly the United States. We emphasize that impacts will worsen in the future unless individuals, businesses, communities, and policy makers proactively engage in mitigation and adaptation activities to reduce the effects of Arctic changes and safeguard people and society.
1.Univ Colorado, Natl Snow & Ice Data Ctr, Boulder, CO 80309 USA 2.Univ Colorado, Cooperat Inst Res Environm Sci, Boulder, CO 80309 USA 3.Univ Colorado, Inst Arctic & Alpine Res, Boulder, CO 80309 USA 4.Univ Colorado, Dept Geol Sci, Boulder, CO 80309 USA 5.Natl Ctr Atmospher Res, POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307 USA 6.Huntington Consulting, Eagle River, AK USA 7.Univ Michigan, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA 8.Univ Alaska Fairbanks, Ctr Arctic Policy Studies, Fairbanks, AK USA 9.Univ Colorado, Cooperat Inst Res Environm Sci, Earth Sci & Observat Ctr, Boulder, CO 80309 USA 10.No Arizona Univ, Ctr Ecosyst Sci & Soc, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 USA 11.Univ Alaska Fairbanks, Int Arctic Res Ctr, Fairbanks, AK USA 12.Stantec, Anchorage, AK USA 13.Steering Comm, Study Environm Arctic Change Program, Fairbanks, AK USA 14.Amer Meteorol Soc, Boston, MA USA
Recommended Citation:
Moon, Twila A.,Overeem, Irina,Druckenmiller, Matt,et al. The Expanding Footprint of Rapid Arctic Change[J]. EARTHS FUTURE,2019-01-01,7(3):212-218