A new study published in the journal Nature says the Arctic Ocean may see its first iceless summer much sooner than expected because of the impact of manmade climate change, according to the Washington Post, marking a sad benchmark in the fight to curb climate change.
Original estimates said the Arctic would have minimal ice coverage by the 2050 decade, but new studies show that the ice will disappear in summer during that decade, not simply recede, even if humankind limits temperature increases to under two degrees Celsius. The loss of ice makes reforming the icepack more difficult as the temperature rises, and scientists fear that with increasing global temperatures, the potential for a permanently iceless Arctic is higher in the next three decades.