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Cody Nelson
St. Paul

'Extreme' warm temps hit North Pole during what's usually a cold time

Sea ice decline is causing warmer Arctic temps.
Sea ice decline is causing warmer Arctic temps.
David Goldman | AP

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The North Pole is dark for another few weeks. It's supposed to be one of the coldest stretches of the year.

But a recent heat wave had the Arctic reaching temperatures as high as 35 degrees — 50 degrees above normal, the Washington Post reports.

Scientists around the world are shocked by the extent of the warmth this winter.

"It's never been this extreme," Danish climate scientist Ruth Mottram told Reuters.

https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/967838618252320768

What's to blame for the high temps? Declining sea ice, attributed to climate change.

When sea ice melts or retreats, it exposes warmer water to the air, and the atmosphere takes on the water's warmth.

In this case, the warm temps are staying at the North Pole, and the usual Arctic chill is being pushed away.

As a result, parts of Europe are experiencing abnormal winter weather this week.

But to climate experts, it appears that this isn't exactly abnormal — it's the new way of life under climate change.

The Arctic had record warmth this time last year, too.

"What we once considered to be anomalies are becoming the new normal," Erik Solheim, head of the UN Environment, told Reuters. "Our climate is changing right in front of our eyes, and we've only got a short amount of time to stop this from getting significantly worse."