Siberia has experienced unusually high temperatures during the six-month period from May to October this year – more than 3C above average – to make 2020 one of the warmest years in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 141-year records. These warmer temperatures could lead to widescale effects including further wildfires and melting of permafrost.
Verkhoyansk, located on a river in the Arctic Circle, holds the record for both the hottest and the coldest temperatures above the Arctic Circle, ranging from as low as 67.SC below zero to as high as 38C. Scientists have been examining why the Arctic region has experienced the warming effects of global climate change faster than any other region on the planet.
It is thought that the amplification is caused by melting ice leading to a receding reflective surface for the sun’s energy, while recent research has also focused on further atmospheric and water temperature changes.