The American Meteorological Society released its annual State of the Climate report this week, providing a comprehensive overview of global conditions in 2024.
The American Meteorological Society released its annual State of the Climate report this week, providing a comprehensive overview of global conditions in 2024. University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists contributed data and analysis for the Arctic and Alaska regions, as they have for years.
Rick Thoman was the lead editor of the Arctic chapter this year, and several other UAF scientists authored sections of the report. Their contributions demonstrate that increasing air, ocean and ground temperatures; greater precipitation; and declining snow and sea ice cover are transforming Alaska and the Arctic.
"The Arctic environment in 2024 continued on a trajectory that has put it in a state far different from that of the 20th century,” said Thoman, a climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness. “Ongoing accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues to quickly warm the Arctic, resulting in rapid changes in the cryosphere that are driving cascading impacts to climate, ecological and societal systems."
Read more at: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Cloud shadows dapple the airstrip at Deadhorse, Alaska, where temperatures hit a record high of 89 degrees Fahrenheit in summer 2024. (Photo Credit: Deadhorse Aviation Center)
