Yes, we are all aware that our planet is going through global warming, a phenomenon that might as well bring an end to our planet’s existence. With the weather patterns and the landscapes changing all across the world, we are surely doomed to see the end sooner than expected. No doubt, environmentalists and scientists are putting all their efforts in creating newer technologies that cause less pollution and wastes. But, while we are trying to learn these newer ways to reduce pollution and revive the planet’s lost balance, some weird things happened back in the Arctic that has drawn the attention of all the scientists and environmentalists from across the world.

Based on the studies performed, the average temperature of Earth has increased by 1°C ever since 1880, caused due to greenhouse gases. As a result, earth kept on warming in the last 5 years, making newer records of the hottest temperatures in the world. And more than any other part feeling this change, it is the Arctic that has suffered the direct effect of the increased temperatures. Here are 4 things that changed in the Arctic due to the altered temperatures.

POLAR BEARS IN RUSSIAN CITIES

Polar bears residing in the dense snow covered Siberian Mountains have been sighted in the Russian city of Norilsk. The emaciated bear looked exhausted after having travelled almost 1500 km across the Arctic Ocean and crossing the Taymyr Peninsula only in search of food. Apparently, the bear was sedated and returned to a zoo or sent back home.

In March 2019, the Arctic sea ice covered about 14.78 million sq km of the total surface of the huge Arctic Ocean which was apparently the seventh lowest according to its past records. The ice allows a huge hunting ground for the polar bears allowing them to hunt and even eat the growing algae on them. But as the ice kept shrinking, the bears are forced to starve and venture into newer locations in search of food and survival.

60 WILD FIRES ALREADY SWEPT THROUGH ALASKA

The summer of 2019 was the warmest in the last 100 years, with the temperatures just above the freezing point. With the heat thawing the snow and drying up the snow forest of the tundra regions, wildfires became a common thing in Alaska.

According to the records, over 60 large wild fires have swept through Alaska and some other states of the USA. Satellite records showed the fire spreading across the Arctic region and burning with an intensity that rightly matched the predictions made by the climate change models.

ARCTIC’S PERMAFROST MELTING FASTER

The permafrost of the Arctic is melting much faster than it was originally predicted by the scientists. The constantly increasing summer temperatures is destabilizing the subterranean huge ice blocks which have otherwise stayed frozen for millenniums. This thawing of ice also caused the release of heat trapping gases which further increase the temperature. The climate in the arctic is warmer than it has ever been in the last 5000 years.

HEATWAVE IN THE NORTHERN PARTS OF EARTH

The summer temperatures in Canada’s northmost inhabited area reached 21°C, which is much higher than its usual high of 6°C, indicating an Arctic heatwave. In simpler words, the Arctic is believed to be heating up almost three times faster as compared to any other part of earth. And the only way to save the planet is by reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere.