Global warming is a recognized fact that carries essential implications for natural ecological systems and life-supporting environments. As an amplifier of global warming, Arctic is one of the most rapidly changing areas globally, with the increasing temperature and the widespread shrinking cryosphere. 

Over the last two decades, the Arctic surface air temperature has likely increased by more than double the global average, a phenomenon known as the Arctic amplification (AA). Although dramatic warming is occurring in the Arctic, it is incomplete to provide an estimate to the AA based only on the surface air temperature obtained at a few land stations. 

Recently, a research team led by Prof. KANG shichang from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of Chinese Academy of Sciences made a comprehensive evaluation with sea surface temperature (SST) and surface air temperature (SAT) from the Arctic land and ocean. 

Scientists analyzed the variations of sea surface parameters for a better understanding of the updated Arctic changes in recent years. They evaluated three widely used datasets to obtain the optimal SST, then conducted a comprehensive assessment for AA with the combination of optimal SST and SAT. 

Besides, they also investigated the temporal and spatial variations and anomalies of sea ice and snow, including sea ice extent, sea ice thickness, sea ice concentration, and snow depth in both melted and frozen windows. 

Additionally, scientists also indicated that the variations of sea surface parameters are significant for the evaluation of changes in the Arctic and feedbacks on climate systems globally, which are also fundamental for predicting the opening of the Arctic voyage passages. 

This study aims to provide an updated and comprehensive evaluation of changes in climate and cryospheric elements in the Arctic in recent years, and this study has been published in the Advances in Climate Change Research in an article entitled “Assessments of the Arctic amplification and the changes in the Arctic sea surface”. 

Contact: 

KANG Shichang 

E-mail: shichang.kang@lzb.ac.cn 

State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.