
Scientists are warning in a new study that Earth has entered a “new era” of extreme weather, as conditions in the Arctic grow increasingly volatile. The research analyzed 70 years of data and found that the last 30 years recorded far more extreme weather events, including Arctic heatwaves, droughts, and reductions in snow cover. “The Arctic is entering a novel era of weather extremes with likely severe consequences for ecosystems there,” ecologist Gareth Phoenix told ScienceAlert. Incidents arising from extreme weather events are the main drivers of “arctic browning,” or the overall reduction in plant matter in regions that are warming faster than the rest of the planet. An example of this phenomenon is rain-on-snow, which occurs when rain freezes onto plant matter. It can have significant impacts on plants and, in turn, on food sources for Arctic animals, as well as on the balance of carbon capture. Miska Luoto, a geoscientist from the University of Helsinki, warned, “This may have significant long-term consequences for Arctic nature.”






















