In many parts of North America, a fluctuating air-pressure pattern that enhances or blocks the storm-steering jet stream, called the Arctic Oscillation (AO), explains more variability in the ... ...

Spring and summer temperatures in the Arctic were cooler in 2017 than they have been in many years this decade, but the annual average surface temperature was still the second highest on record.

Very old ice—thick, strong, and more melt-resistant—has nearly vanished in the Arctic. In March 2017, it made up less than 1 percent of the ice pack. 

Since 1982, the rate of surface warming in some Arctic seas  at the height of summer is more than quadruple the rate of warming in the global ocean.  

Groundfish stocks in the Eastern Bering Sea are healthy at present, but a recent string of very warm summers, preceded by winters with sparse sea ice, led NOAA biologists to recommend lower catch limits for pollock—the nation's largest commercial fishery. 

Paleoclimate records show that while there have been several periods over the past 1,450 years when sea ice extents expanded and contracted, the decrease during the modern era is unrivaled.

NOAA scientists have released the 2017 Arctic Report Card: the complete guide to climate conditions in the planet's Far North. 

Summary: Use this handout to communicate with local officials about the benefits of green infrastructure to reduce climate and hazard impacts.

What "afternoon highs" are projected for future decades if global emissions of heat-trapping gases continue increasing through 2100? Colors show projected average daily high temperature for each month from the 2020s through the 2090s, based on a high-emissions future. In this case, the high-emissions future represents a specific Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) called RCP 8.5. Learn more about RCPs » « Go back to Data Snapshots

What average temperatures are projected for future decades if global emissions of heat-trapping gases continue increasing through 2100? Colors show projected average daily temperature for each month from the 2020s through the 2090s, based on a high-emissions future. In this case, the high-emissions future represents a specific Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) called RCP 8.5. Learn more about RCPs » « Go back to the Data Snapshots interface