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The Arctic Ocean is the mass of water positioned approximately above latitude 65° N. Arctic Sea Ice refers to the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice. The Arctic sea ice minimum is the day in a given year when Arctic sea ice reaches its smallest extent, occurring at the end of the summer melting season, normally during September.
The increasingly concerning consequences of climate change in the Arctic, resulting in melting Arctic sea ice, have become ground for enhanced attention and cooperation in the region. Fear of economic exploitation and pollution in the Arctic Ocean was a key source of momentum in drafting and implementing the Ilulissat Declaration. [ 3 ]
The Arctic Ocean is expected to see its first ice-free events in the near future - most likely before 2050, and potentially in the late 2020s or early 2030s. [10] This would have no precedent in the last 700,000 years.
The Arctic Ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere appears to be waning due to melting permafrost and worsening coastal erosion.
The largest part of the Arctic Ocean has a strong division between ocean layers. At the top is a mixed layer of fresh water with a temperature near the freezing point and a salinity of around 30 psu (practical salinity unit). [4] This water is fed by rivers and melting of sea-ice.
Cold-weather warfare, also known as cold-region warfare, arctic warfare or winter warfare, encompasses military operations affected by snow, ice, thawing conditions, or cold, both on land and at sea, as well as the strategies and tactics used by military forces in these situations and environments.
Arctic sea ice has been monitored by satellites since 1979, [8] and has been recorded to be melting away every decade. [9] [10] The ice sheets are becoming thinner and younger, indicating increasing fragility. [11] The major threats are emissions from greenhouse gases and fossil fuels that are primary causes of global warming.
The Arctic is often considered the front line for climate change, with existing research pointing to a plethora of impacts melting at the North Pole will have on the rest of the planet.