Graham explained that these warming events are related to the decline of winter sea ice in the Arctic, noting that January's ice extent was the lowest on record. "As the sea ice is melting and thinning, it is becoming more vulnerable to these winter storms," he explained. "The thinner ice drifts more quickly and can break up into smaller pieces. The strong winds from the south can push the ice further north into the Central Arctic, exposing the open water and releasing heat to the atmosphere from the ocean."
Scientists were shocked in recent days to discover open water north of Greenland, an area normally covered by old, very thick ice. "This has me more worried than the warm temps in the Arctic right now," tweeted Mike MacFerrin, an ice sheet specialist at the University of Colorado.
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