In March 2016, a polar bear sat on a thick piece of sea ice north Greenland. These older, thicker pieces of seaice don't fully protect the larger area from its summer ice loss.A new study suggests that the "Last Ice Area", an Arctic region well-known for its thick ice, could be more vulnerable than scientists thought.This frozen zone is located to the north Greenland and has been given its name because, despite shrinking seasonally, a large portion of the sea ice was believed to be thick enough for summer heat to last.The eastern portion of the Last Ice Area's Wandel Sea lost half of its overlying glaciers in the summer 2020. This was the lowest coverage since records began. Researchers found that the weather conditions that drove the decline were not responsible for the change, but that climate change had made it possible to gradually thin the long-standing ice in the region year after year. This suggests that global warming could be more dangerous than previously predicted by climate models.Similar: Images of melt Earth's disappearing iceClimate change could lead to melting of Arctic regions. This could be bad news for animals that depend on sea-ice for their breeding, hunting, and foraging. Kristin Laidre (principal researcher at Polar Science Center, and assistant professor in UW's School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences) was co-author of the study.Live Science's Laidre said in an email that "if, as the paper indicates, the area changes faster than expected", it might not be the refuge which we had been depending upon."The Last Ice Area covers more than 1,200 miles (2,900 km), and stretches from Greenland's northern coast up to the western portion of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The sea ice there is approximately 13 feet (4 metres) thick and has a minimum age of 5 years.The Wandel Sea, north of Greenland was examined in the study. It is located within what is known as the Arctic Ocean's last ice area. (Image credit to Schweiger et.al./Communications Earth & Environment).Ocean currents have helped to increase the Last Ice Area's ice cover with floating sea ice in recent decades. Researchers discovered that northward winds carried ice from Greenland in 2020 and created open water areas that were heated by the sun. Axel Schweiger (chair of UW's Polar Science Center) said that the heated water circulated under seaice to accelerate even more melting.In February 2018, a patch of open water surrounded by ice, called a polynya, was discovered in the Last Ice Area. This alerted Polar scientists to something that might have been wrong. Schweiger explained this to Live Science via email. Schweiger and his team noticed another anomaly in the Wandel Sea in 2020 while collecting data for an Arctic research expedition, The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate. This expedition ran from September 2019 through October 2020.The scientists were preparing a forecast of where the research vessel would drift when they noticed the ship taking a "strange-looking route" through areas normally covered by thick ice. Schweiger stated that they began to wonder what was going on and why it might be connected to the 2018 event.This image of sea ice in the Wandel Sea north Greenland was taken by the German icebreaker Polarstern on Aug 16, 2020. It was taken as part of the MOSAiC Expedition, which lasted a year. The area was covered with ice all year. Satellite images reveal that the sea ice concentration in this area was at 50% on Aug. 14, 2020. Image credit: Felix Linhardt/Kiel UniversityThin iceSatellite observations and climate models showed that unusually northward-moving winds pushed sea ice away from the Wandel Sea in 2020. Schweiger stated that 2020's record-breaking sea-ice coverage would have been even lower if not for thicker ice that had accumulated in the region during the winter months.These losses would not have been possible if climate changes hadn't already been reducing the Last Ice Area. Researchers wrote that 20% of 2020's ice loss could directly be attributed to climate change and 80% to wind-current anomalies.All of the lowest Arctic ice covers have occurred within the last 15 years. Climate projections indicate that all summer sea ice in the Arctic, except for the Last Ice Area, could disappear completely by 2040. Live Science reported that the Arctic sea-ice minimum reached its lowest point in 2012, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The scientists stated that although the study focused on the Wandel Sea, it suggests that there may be a risk to summer sea ice throughout the Last Ice Area.Live Science reported that Arctic animals such as bearded seals and ringed seals are already being affected by the loss of ice.Schweiger stated that although the study does not say when or if the Last Ice Area will melt, it is likely to continue the trend of accelerated melting.He said that based on our findings, large areas of open water will likely be seen in this area more often. Laidre stated that it is also difficult to predict how this might impact marine wildlife.These findings were published in Communications Earth and Environment on July 1, 2009.Original publication on Live Science
