Billy Adams would have expected to see sea ice along Utqiagvik’s Chukchi Sea shoreline this time of the year. It’s currently all open water.
Adams stated, “It was raining just before Thanksgiving, then it rained again and it’s December.”
Adams lives in Utqiagvik, and is an observer at the Alaska Arctic Observatory & Knowledge Hub. This coalition of northern communities shares data on sea ice, wildlife, and coastal waters.
Adams stated that in past winters, the weather would warm up for about a week before dropping to below zero. This year, however, is different.
Adams stated that the last few months were “very unusually warm, wet, and lots of snow.”
On Monday, Utqiagvik saw temperatures surpass 40 degrees. This was the highest temperature ever recorded in North Slope for December. According to Rick Thoman, a climate expert with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, this unusually warm spell was partly caused by climate change.
Thoman stated that “the open water at this point in the Chukchi Sea the first week of December, that is a very strong climate change signal.”
Warm air and rain are moving north from Bering Sea. This is causing the latest temperature jump.
He explained that the water exposed acts as a heating pad and emits heat into the polar environment.
Thoman stated that 40 degrees was the highest temperature in Utqiagvik in over a century of monitoring.
In recent years, the North Slope has experienced warmer winters. Thoman reported yesterday that the Chukchi Sea ice coverage was at its ninth lowest level ever recorded for this date.
Monday’s temperatures were in the upper 30s to the low 40s on the North Slope.
Adams expressed concern about the impact of the spike on caribou, an important subsistence livestock. He said that warm weather can bring snow lots, making it more difficult for caribous to find food on the tundra.
He said, “We need to be vigilant in the coming weeks and months.” “And we hope that animals are still available.”
According to a NOAA weather forecast, temperatures in Utqiagvik will drop to the teens or single digits by week’s end.
