Current:Home > BackWildfires are bigger. Arctic ice is melting. Now, scientists say they're linked-LoTradeCoin
Wildfires are bigger. Arctic ice is melting. Now, scientists say they're linked
View Date:2024-12-23 18:17:08
In the Arctic Ocean, sea ice is shrinking as the climate heats up. In the Western U.S., wildfires are getting increasingly destructive. Those two impacts are thousands of miles apart, but scientists are beginning to find a surprising connection.
For Arctic communities like the coastal village of Kotzebue, Alaska, the effects of climate change are unmistakable. The blanket of ice that covers the ocean in the winter is breaking up earlier in the spring and freezing up later in the fall. For the Iñupiaq people who depend on the ice, it's disrupting their way of life.
But what happens in the Arctic goes far beyond its borders. The ice is connected to weather patterns that reach far across North America. And scientists are finding, as the climate keeps changing and sea ice shrinks, that Western states could be seeing more extreme weather, the kind that fuels extreme wildfires.
This is part of a series of stories by NPR's Climate Desk, Beyond the Poles: The far-reaching dangers of melting ice.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
We love hearing from you! Reach the show by emailing [email protected].
This episode was produced by Berly McCoy and edited and fact-checked by Rebecca Ramirez. The audio engineer was Patrick Murray.
veryGood! (24)
Related
- Who will be in the top 12? Our College Football Playoff ranking projection
- North Carolina Medicaid expansion enrollment reached 280,000 in first weeks of program
- Airman killed in Osprey crash remembered as a leader and friend to many
- Texas man's photo of 'black panther' creates buzz. Wildlife experts say it's not possible
- Kentucky governor says investigators will determine what caused deadly Louisville factory explosion
- Jets activate Aaron Rodgers from injured reserve but confirm he'll miss rest of 2023 season
- Oregon's drug decriminalization law faces test amid fentanyl crisis
- South Korean court orders 2 Japanese companies to compensate wartime Korean workers for forced labor
- Tesla Cybertruck modifications upgrade EV to a sci-fi police vehicle
- Dollarizing Argentina
Ranking
- Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
- Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon Make Rare Public Appearance While Celebrating Their Birthdays
- Jury dismisses lawsuit claiming LSU officials retaliated against a former athletics administrator
- When will Neymar play again? Brazil star at the 2024 Copa América in doubt
- 4 charged in Detroit street shooting that left 2 dead, 5 wounded
- I am just waiting to die: Social Security clawbacks drive some into homelessness
- Congo’s presidential vote is extended as delays and smudged ballots lead to fears about credibility
- Here's how SNAP eligibility and benefits are different in 2024
Recommendation
-
Investigators believe Wisconsin kayaker faked his own death before fleeing to eastern Europe
-
ICHCOIN Trading Center: Seizing Early Bull Market Opportunities
-
A Kansas City-area man has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges over aviation exports to Russia
-
The Constitution’s insurrection clause threatens Trump’s campaign. Here is how that is playing out
-
Mega Millions winning numbers for November 8 drawing: Jackpot rises to $361 million
-
A white couple who burned a cross in their yard facing Black neighbors’ home are investigated by FBI
-
Ohio prosecutor says he’s duty bound to bring miscarriage case to a grand jury
-
Man accused in assaults on trail now charged in 2003 rape, murder of Philadelphia medical student