Figure 1. AMAP product: AMAP Arctic Climate Change Update 2024: Key Trends and Impacts.
We are happy to inform you that the AMAP(2024) product has been published on AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme) website in June 2025 (see https://www.amap.no/documents/doc/amap-arctic-climate-change-update-2024-key-trends-and-impacts/3851). The AMAP(2024) is an official and unique product from the AMAP that was published in relation to the Arctic Council chairship transition meeting in May 2025. It is about AMAP Arctic Climate Change Update 2024: Key Trends and Impacts. The key findings are based on observational data up to September 2024.
In Figure 2 is shown the Arctic as defined by AMAP and used in the report.
Figure 2. Map of the Arctic used in the report (defined by AMAP).
The report is intended to provide current information on key climate topics of concern and 60 scientists, experts and members of Indigenous communities participated in the work. There are eight chapters:
- Introduction
- Overview of multiple Arctic climate change indicators
- Arctic climate extremes
- Arctic and high-latitude wildfires
- Cryosphere
- Terrestrial hydrology
- Arctic Ocean acidification
- Arctic/midlatitude weather connectivity
Each of the chapters includes key findings related to the theme. In addition, there are interesting figures; e.g. maps and timeseries that give additional information.
Below are listed some of the main key findings that help to understand the state of Arctic Climate:
State of Arctic Climate (AMAP, 2024):
- The Arctic has warmed by 3.0 °C since 1971, more than three times the global mean rate, pushing the region towards irreversible tipping points. The latest future Arctic climate projections suggest a more rapid Arctic warming this century than was the case in previous projections. See Figure 3. about selected Arctic climate observational indicators (AMAP, 2024).
- Permafrost is thawing at record rates, destabilizing landscapes, releasing vast amounts of greenhouse gases, and threatening infrastructure, Indigenous livelihoods, and ecosystems. Understanding changes in Arctic Permafrost is essential for estimations of source of carbon that must be considered in global climate models and efforts to balance the global carbon budget.
- The loss of sea ice and snow cover disrupts climate stability, potentially altering the polar vortex and driving more extreme weather events at lower latitudes. Reduction in sea ice thickness show large regional variability based on satellite data (2011-22). A sea ice-free Arctic summer is projected by mid-century based on coupled climate models under even low or moderate greenhouse gas emissions scenarios.
- The Arctic remains the largest regional source of global sea-level rise, with the rate of land-ice loss from Greenland exceeding that from Antarctica by nearly a factor of two.
- The Arctic Ocean is acidifying three to four times faster than other oceans, endangering the marine food web, food security, and cultural traditions of Indigenous Peoples. The Arctic Ocean plays an important role in CO2 uptake, and changes in this region impact future projections on saturation and turning from sink to source. All model projection evaluations demonstrate that emission reductions can drastically slow the pace at which critical thresholds of Arctic Ocean Acidification will be crossed
- A four-fold increase in wildfires in northeastern Arctic regions over the past two decades has intensified feedback loops of warming and air pollution by releasing CO2 into the atmosphere and accelerating permafrost thaw. See Figure 4. about wildfires in July 2020, in Russia (AMAP, 2024).
Figure 3. Selected Arctic climate observational indicators from as early as 1971. (AMAP, 2024).
Figure 4. Wildfires around the Arctic Circle in July 2020, in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data processed by Pierre Markuse. (AMAP, 2024)
Enjoy reading while finding more recent information on key aspects of climate change and their impacts in the Arctic.
