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The impact of lower sea-ice extent on Arctic greenhouse-gas exchange

Frans-Jan W. Parmentier·Torben R. Christensen·Lise Lotte Sorensen·Soren Rysgaard·A. David McGuire·Paul A. Miller·Donald A. Walker
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Abstract

In September 2012, Arctic sea-ice extent plummeted to a new record low: two times lower than the 1979–2000 average. Often, record lows in sea-ice cover are hailed as an example of climate change impacts in the Arctic. Less apparent, however, are the implications of reduced sea-ice cover in the Arctic Ocean for marine–atmosphere CO 2 exchange. Sea-ice decline has been connected to increasing air temperatures at high latitudes. Temperature is a key controlling factor in the terrestrial exchange of CO 2 and methane, and therefore the greenhouse-gas balance of the Arctic. Despite the large potential for feedbacks, many studies do not connect the diminishing sea-ice extent with changes in the interaction of the marine and terrestrial Arctic with the atmosphere. In this Review, we assess how current understanding of the Arctic Ocean and high-latitude ecosystems can be used to predict the impact of a lower sea-ice cover on Arctic greenhouse-gas exchange.

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Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Torben R. Christensen, Lise Lotte Sorensen, Soren Rysgaard, A. David McGuire, Paul A. Miller, Donald A. Walker. 2013-02-17. The impact of lower sea-ice extent on Arctic greenhouse-gas exchange. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1784

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