North Pole: multiple lightning strikes follow record-low sea
ice levels
‘Furthest north lightning strikes in Alaska forecaster
memory’ hit as high temperatures and widespread fires plague region
Edward Helmore
Tue 13 Aug 2019 16.27 BST Last modified on Tue 13 Aug 2019
18.27 BST
Multiple lightning strikes have been observed 300 miles from
the North Pole, according to the US National Weather Service, in the latest
sign of extreme changes to the Arctic environment.
The strikes, detected by the NWS station in Fairbanks,
Alaska, were produced by towering storm clouds. They were detected on Saturday,
and while not unique, come as the region is experiencing record-low sea ice
levels, high temperatures and widespread fires on areas of tundra.
An extreme ice-melt in Greenland is estimated to have
produced a run off of 197bn tons of ice-sheet water into the Atlantic, enough
to raise sea levels by 0.5mm, or 0.02in, in a one-month time frame. On a single
day, 1 August, Greenland lost 12.5bn tons of surface ice to the sea.
At the same time, a wildfire has been burning in western
Greenland while Siberian wildfires have produced smoke haze circling the upper
regions of the globe.
According to a NWS tweet and statement, the lightning
strikes hit an area of sea ice or open ocean waters mixed with ice, near 85
degrees north, 120 degrees east.
“This is one of the furthest north lightning strikes in
Alaska forecaster memory,” the NWS stated.
Fairbanks meteorologist Ryan Metzger told the Washington
Post that he could not say if the strikes were unique, partly because
meteorologists say they don’t always focus on that area.
“I wouldn’t say it’s never happened before, but it’s
certainly unusual, and it piqued our attention,” Metzger said.
The strikes are the latest sign that Arctic warming is
accelerating beyond predictions due to human-caused global climate change. In
July, Alaska had its hottest month on record with temperatures breaching 90F in
Anchorage, exceeding those in Miami.
There is no longer any sea ice present in Alaskan waters,
with Bering Sea ice beginning its annual melt in February while the extent of
Arctic sea ice is at its lowest in at least 1,500 years, according to research.
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