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Our arctic challenge: Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA), and three of her colleagues have chosen to be part of an extraordinary journey in East Greenland. They travel from their offices in Copenhagen to participate in a multi sport race, where they challenge themselves through 250 kilometers of the Arctic wilderness. On their way they encounter the effects of climate change and its impact on the Arctic environment. The Inuit are among the first people to experience the effects of climate change. They are in the middle of an environmental challenge that will change many parts of their culture. What is happening to the Inuit today will happen to the rest of the world tomorrow. We will all need to adapt to climate change.
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The 2007 minimum sea-ice extent: Note: The extent of the summer sea ice in September 2007 reached a historical minimum, 39 % below the climatic average for the first two decades of satellite observations (red line)
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Average extent of arctic sea ice in March and September 1979-2007: Arctic sea ice grows to its greatest yearly size in March and melts to its lowest size in September
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Observed and projected Arctic September sea-ice extent 1900-2100: Note: The retreat of the sea ice has been faster than predicted: Arctic September sea-ice extent from observations (thick orange line) together with the mean value (solid grey line) from 13 IPCC AR4 climate models and the variance (dotted black line) of models runs.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Area of multi-year Arctic sea ice in March 1957-2007: Note: The area of thick, multi-year sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is decreasing
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Arctic sea ice (CLIM 010) - Assessment published Sep 2008: The extent of the sea ice in the Arctic has declined at an accelerating rate, especially in summer. The record low ice cover in September 2007 was roughly half the size of the normal minimum extent in the 1950s. The summer ice is projected to continue to shrink and may even disappear at the height of the summer melt season in the coming decades. There will still be substantial ice in winter. Reduced polar ice will speed up global warming and is expected to affect ocean circulation and weather patterns. Species specialised for life in the ice are threatened. Less ice will ease access to the Arctic's resources. Oil and gas exploration, shipping, tourism and fisheries will offer new economic opportunities, but also increase pressures and risks to the Arctic environment.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Arctic sea ice
Observed concentrations of mercury in precipitation in the Arctic regions of Finland and Sweden: Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Comparative transport routes for nitrogen arriving in the Arctic waters of the North East Atlantic: Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Blood PCB levels in humans, observed across the Arctic: PCB levels in the blood of women of reproductive age
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Arctic ice cover in September 2007: The extent of the summer sea ice in September 2007 reached a historical minimum, 39 % below the climatic average for the first two decades of satellite observations (red line)
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs