There were some standout findings in the report, such as how average surface air temperatures for the Arctic as a whole in the past year ranked as the sixth warmest since 1900, and summer (July through September) was the warmest on record. This year’s sea ice extent was the sixth lowest in the satellite record, which began in 1979. The Greenland Ice Sheet continued to lose mass despite above-average winter snow accumulation. A new chapter in the report also emphasized how the unprecedented abundance of sockeye salmon in western Alaska’s Bristol Bay contrasted with record-low Chinook and chum salmon that led to fishery closures on the Yukon River and other Bering Sea tributaries.
“The overriding message from this year’s report card is that the time for action is now,” said Rick Spinrad, a NOAA administrator. “NOAA and our federal partners have ramped up our support and collaboration with state, tribal and local communities to help build climate resilience. At the same time, we as a nation and global community must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are driving these changes.”
