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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Ajit Niranjan

Temperatures at north pole 20C above average and beyond ice melting point

Aerial view of frozen land in the north pole
Scientists say they expect the Arctic Ocean to lose sea-ice cover in summer for the first time over the next two decades. Photograph: Jose Luis Stephens/Alamy

Temperatures at the north pole soared more than 20C above average on Sunday, crossing the threshold for ice to melt.

Temperatures north of Svalbard in Norway had already risen to 18C hotter than the 1991–2020 average on Saturday, according to models from weather agencies in Europe and the US, with actual temperatures close to ice’s melting point of 0C. By Sunday, the temperature anomaly had risen to more than 20C.

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