Ice and open water in the Arctic Region. Credit: NOAA

Despite the fact that summer 2009 had more sea ice than in 2007 or 2008, scientists are seeing drastic changes in the Arctic region from just five years ago and at rates faster than anticipated. These findings were presented in the annual update of the Arctic Report Card, a collaborative effort of 71 national and international scientists. Introduced by NOAA's Climate Program Office in 2006, the Report Card is an example of the suite of climate services to which NOAA contributes.

The Arctic Report Card established a baseline of conditions in the region at the beginning of the 21st century and the annual updates track and monitor the often quickly changing conditions in the Arctic. Among the changes highlighted in the 2009 update to the report card were:

• A change in large-scale wind patterns affected by the loss of summer sea ice,
• The replacement of multi-year sea ice by first-year sea ice,
• Warmer and fresher water in the upper ocean linked to new ice-free areas,
• A continued loss of the Greenland ice sheet,
• Less snow in North America and increased runoff in Siberia, and
• The effect of the loss of sea ice on Arctic plant, animal, and fish species.