"After a summer that saw record Siberian fires and polar temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit, along with near record low sea ice extent in September, the Arctic Ocean’s refreeze has slowed to a crawl.

The Laptev Sea and East Siberian Sea are, at this point, failing to re-freeze as rapidly as in the past. Scientists see all of these worrying events, along with many other indicators including fast melting permafrost, as harbingers of a northern polar region that may be entering a new climate regime.

Models predict the Arctic will be ice-free in summer by 2040 or 2050, with unforeseen negative impacts not only in the Far North, but on people, economies and ecosystems around the globe. One major concern: scientists worry how changes in the Arctic might alter temperate weather systems, impacting global food security."

Sharon Guynup reports for Mongabay October 26, 2020.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/10/danger-arctic-oil-sp... [2]

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"The Race Against Catastrophe" (Hakai) [3]

"Arctic Headache For Ship Insurers As Routes Open Up" (Reuters) [4]