Arctic sea ice over the Canadian Beaufort Sea

One of the reasons why the Arctic is warming faster than the Antarctic is the melting of the region’s sea ice, which reduces the icy, bright area that can reflect sunlight back out into space, resulting in more solar radiation being absorbed by the dark Arctic waters.

The picture was taken at the VERtical Distribution of Ice in Arctic Clouds (VERDI) campaign in 2012.

Credit: André Ehrlich, Universität Leipzig

• Flat Antarctica – Land height could help explain why Antarctica is warming slower than the Arctic (18 May 2017)

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