“This is one of the scariest reports I have ever seen,” said one climate scientist in response to new study.

By Jon Queally  Published 6-15-2022 by Common Dreams

The Barents Sea is an area of the Arctic Ocean, located in the north of Norway and Russia. Named after the Dutch navigator Willem Barents. Photo: Richard Mortel/flickr/CC

New scientific research published Wednesday shows the waters in the North Barents Sea are warming at a rate that is much more rapid than most climate models have predicted, with worrying implications about feedback loops for the larger Arctic region and far beyond.

Extending between the north coast of Norway and Russia in the eastern Arctic Ocean, the North Barents Sea has been warming at a rate nearly seven times that of the global average, the study shows. The researchers used temperature data over four decades to determine that the trends in the region—the “fastest warming place known on Earth“—should be seen as an “early warning” of what could happen elsewhere. Continue reading →