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Climate change hitting entire Arctic ecosystem

Extensive climate change is now affecting every form of life in the Arctic, according to a major new assessment by international polar scientists. In the past four years, air temperatures have increased, sea ice has declined sharply, surface waters in the Arctic ocean have warmed and permafrost is in some areas rapidly thawing. In addition, says the report released today at a Norwegian government seminar, plants and trees are growing more vigorously, snow cover is decreasing 1-2% a year and glaciers are shrinking. Scientists from Norway, Canada, Russia and the US contributed to the Arctic monitoring and assessment programme (Amap) study, which says new factors such as "black carbon" – soot – ozone and methane may now be contributing to global and arctic warming as much as carbon dioxide.(...)

The news:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/28/climate-change-poles

The Report:

http://amap.no/documents/index.cfm?action=getfile&dirsub=&filename=Climate%5FUpdate%5F2009.pdf&sort=default

The Amap website:

http://www.amap.no/

Videos on Artic Research settlements:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8021778.stm