New report finds the Arctic continues to warm faster than the planet as a whole

"Hundreds of Arctic rivers and streams are turning bright red-orange, not from chemical pollution, but from naturally occurring iron spilling from long-frozen ground as temperatures warm. The "rusting rivers" phenomenon, which has been documented across the Brooks Range in northern Alaska, offers a vivid example of the effects of climate change in a region that is warming faster than the global average. The finding was reported in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's annual Arctic Report Card, released Tuesday. NOAA has released the report for 20 years as a way to track rapid changes in the northernmost part of the planet."

"Matthew Druckenmiller, a senior scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, in Boulder, Colorado, and lead editor of this year's report card. He said Arctic warming influences global sea-level rise, weather patterns, and commercial fisheries. The Arctic "is really the refrigerator for the planet," said Druckenmiller. "When the Arctic thaws and warms, it's having an impact on the global climate." This year's report comes amid sweeping changes to federal science and climate research. President Trump refers to climate change as a "hoax," and his administration has curtailed climate science by cutting research budgets at universities and federal agencies, firing federal scientists, and stopping work on the National Climate Assessment."

Hundreds of Arctic rivers and streams are turning bright red-orange because thawing permafrost releases naturally occurring iron into waterways. The phenomenon has been documented across the Brooks Range in northern Alaska and exemplifies warming-driven changes in the Arctic. The region is warming faster than the global average, and the most recent year was the warmest and wettest in Arctic recorded history. Arctic warming contributes to global sea-level rise, alters weather patterns, and affects commercial fisheries. Federal climate science efforts have been curtailed through research budget cuts, firings of federal scientists, and halted assessments. An independent network of global scientists continues to compile Arctic observations despite political changes.

Read at www.npr.org