State of the Climate in 2022 - The Arctic

Rapid warming due to human-caused climate change is reshaping the Arctic, enhanced by physical processes that cause the Arctic to warm more quickly than the global average, collectively called Arctic amplification. Observations over the past 40+ years show a transition to a wetter Arctic, with seasonal shifts and widespread disturbances influencing the flora, fauna, physical systems, and peoples of the Arctic. For the Arctic (poleward of 60°N), 2022 surface air temperatures were the fifth highest since records began in 1900, reaching 0.76°C above the 1991–2020 mean. Evidence of Arctic amplification is becoming more consistent, with 2022 being the ninth consecutive year with Arctic temperature anomalies exceeding global mean anomalies. Higher up in the atmosphere, 2022 saw a greater loss of stratospheric ozone compared to the 2004–21 mean, but not approaching the record losses of 2011 and 2020. Aligning with climate change projections (IPCC 2021), near-surface air over land had higher temperature anomalies in 2022 than air over the ocean, yet oceanic impacts of global warming are also evident. August mean sea-surface temperatures reveal that most ice-free regions of the Arctic Ocean show warming trends since 1982. Regional exceptions fail to counter a narrative of recent, rapid warming; the 1982–2022 cooling trend for the Barents Sea is notably influenced by anomalously high sea-surface temperatures in the 1980s and 1990s. One ecosystem impact of increasing sea-surface temperatures is an increase in ocean primary productivity, which has been observed since 2003 and was especially strong in the Eurasian Arctic and Barents Sea (Frey et al. 2022). Continued low sea-ice extent is a contributor to warming ocean surface waters. Arctic sea-ice extent in 2022 was similar to 2021 and remains well below the long-term average. Moving beyond sea-ice extent to sea-ice age, which is related to sea-ice thickness (older sea ice is thicker), reveals more sobering observations. The Arctic has transitioned from a region dominated by multiyear ice to one dominated by first-year (seasonal) sea ice. While sea ice greater than four years old covered over 1 million km2 in September 2006, it covered only 127,000 km2 in September 2022. One impact likely connected to increased high-latitude ocean temperatures and reduced sea ice is the repeated recent instances of observed seabird die-offs along coastal Alaska (see Sidebar 5.2). This and other ecosystem impacts, including climate-related changes in fish, marine mammals, and land-based food sources, are a grave concern to Arctic Indigenous Peoples and residents as a matter of food security and ecosystem health (e.g., SEARCH et al. 2022; Crozier et al. 2021; Mallory and Boyce 2018). Arctic warming has been accompanied by an increase in precipitation. This State of the Climate report represents the first time that the Arctic chapter includes a full section on precipitation (section 5c), supported by reanalysis data that allow a pan-Arctic assessment despite sparse in situ gauge measurements. Since 1950, every season has shown an average increase in Arctic precipitation, in line with climate model projections (IPCC 2021). In some regions, the increase in precipitation is experienced through heavier precipitation events (e.g., Arctic Atlantic sector), while for others there has been an increase in the number of consecutive wet days (e.g., Svalbard eastward to the Chukchi Sea). Brought to you by University of Colorado Libraries | Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/23/25 10:50 PM UTC September 2023 | State of the Climate in 2022 5. The Arctic S278 Increases in precipitation, combined with warming, are linked to altered seasonal patterns. Although April 2022 snow accumulation was higher than the 1991–2020 average for both the Eurasian and North American Arctic, snow-cover extent by June 2022 dipped to the second lowest for the North American Arctic and third lowest for the Eurasian Arctic in the 56-year record. Seasonal shifts also complicate the story of Arctic river discharge. Overall, Arctic river discharge is increasing, consistent with the observations of increasing precipitation and intensification of the Arctic hydrologic cycle. When examining eight major Arctic river basins, 2021 discharge and 2022 discharge exceeded the 1991–2020 mean by 7% and 5%, respectively. Yet, 2021 and 2022 discharges in June (the month of peak discharge) were remarkably low for the Arctic’s Eurasian river basins. In another example, despite 2022 glacial ice loss (totaling 165±18 Gt) that was slightly below the 2002–22 average, the Greenland Ice Sheet experienced unprecedented September melt events, bringing melt conditions to 36% of the ice sheet surface during a month that is usually marked by a return to cold conditions and snow accumulation. Warming air and longer snow-free periods both contribute to continued overall increases in Arctic permafrost temperatures. Continuous and discontinuous permafrost (frozen ground) underlies almost all of the Arctic, and effects of thawing permafrost include infrastructure damage, river discharge changes, ecosystem composition alterations, and releases of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Permafrost temperatures in 2022 were the highest on record at 11 of 25 long-term measurement sites. Thirteen sites, however, showed cooling for 2022 compared to 2021 due to short-term reductions in regional air temperatures, demonstrating the importance of long-term monitoring. As the Arctic subsurface changes, so too does the surface landscape itself. Arctic tundra greenness declined in 2022 from record-high 2020 and 2021 values, yet was still fourth highest across a 23-year record. But, as with other measurements of environmental change, regional variation remains an important part of the story. In this case, low productivity in northeastern Siberia was observed alongside high productivity in most of the North American Arctic. One of the elements contributing to regional variability and the differing local experiences of Arctic residents is an increase in extreme events, which can include record-setting rainfall or snowfall, heatwaves, wildfire, and cyclones (see Sidebar 5.1). In 2022, 56 separate extreme events were recorded by Arctic-connected meteorological services, with impacts felt by communities throughout the Arctic. Of course, the Arctic is also undergoing changes beyond those discussed in this chapter. For example, coastal erosion (Brady and Leichenko 2020; Irrgang et al. 2022; Nielsen et al. 2022) and biological changes across fauna (Davidson et al. 2020) are impacting Arctic residents (SEARCH et al. 2022) and the connected physical-biological-human systems. There is no doubt that the Arctic is a region of rapid change with serious consequences across systems.