- Arctics – The Weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Diminishes Recent Arctic Sea Ice Loss
The Arctic sea ice has been rapidly dwindling over the past four decades, significantly impacting the Arctic region and beyond. During the same period, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) was also found in a declining trend. Here we investigate the role of the AMOC in the recent Arctic sea ice changes by comparing simulations from the Community Climate System Model version 4 with decelerated and stationary AMOCs under anthropogenic climate change. We find that the weakened AMOC can slow down the decline rates of Arctic sea ice area and volume by 36% and 22% between 1980 and 2020, respectively. The decelerated ocean circulation causes a reduction of northward Atlantic heat transport and hence a general interior ocean cooling in the Arctic Mediterranean, which helps alleviate the Arctic sea ice loss primarily through thermodynamic processes occurring at the base of the sea ice.
Figure 1 (from the paper)
(a) Annual mean Arctic sea ice area (relative to the 1980–1989 average) from the NSIDC observation (black) and the ensemble mean of the free- (blue) and fixed-AMOC (red) simulations for 1980–2020. (b) Annual mean Arctic sea ice volume (relative to the 1980–1989 average) from the PIOMAS data (black) and the ensemble mean of the free- (blue) and fixed-AMOC (red) simulations for 1980–2020. (c) Annual mean AMOC strength at 26.5°N (see definition in Materials and Methods, relative to the 1980–1989 average and with the left y-axis) from the ensemble mean of four reanalysis products during 1980–2017 (orange) and the ensemble mean of the free- (blue) and fixed-AMOC (red) simulations for 1980–2020, and annual mean AMOC strength at 26.5°N (with the right y-axis) from the RAPID observation (black) over 2005–2020.
2. Antarctica – New Study: The Antarctic Ice Sheet Gained Mass From 2020-2024 Due To Staggering Snow And Ice Accumulation
According to a new study published in a Nature journal, from 2020 to 2024 the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) gained mass at a rate of +67.5 Gt/yr, reversing the modest 2003 to 2019 mass loss (-100.6 Gt/yr) trend.
This recent 5-year mass gain trend was driven by a massive increase in snow and ice accumulation (SMB). Combining the mass loss (2003-2019) and mass gain (2020-2024) trends, Antarctica as a whole contributed a grand total of just 0.35 cm to sea levels over this 21-year period.
Image Source: Kolbe et al., 2026
A Google search of NOAA’s Arctic Report Card record since 2020 indicates that over this same 5-year period (2020-2024) the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) mass loss rate slowed to -147 Gt/yr. This is a substantial deceleration when compared to the –267 Gt/yr mass loss trend from 2002-2019.
3. Iberia – Summer Cold Sweeps Iberia –
A sharp late-summer chill is sweeping Spain and Portugal, with temperatures running as much as 15C below normal.
The cold is peaking today, Thursday, Aug 27, with 2-meter anomaly maps showing the majority of the Peninsula below average.
Much of Portugal and Spain is forecast 5C to 10C colder than normal, with localized pockets approaching 15C below.
The chill extends from Galicia and northern Portugal through Madrid and deep into southern Spain, with a pronounced Atlantic flow driving the cool air inland.
This is a substantial late-August departure, though one unlikely to receive any mainstream attention.
4. Temperature on Globe in July 2026 – The data from the Goddard Institute for Space Science reveal that July 2026 was coldest in most places in Globe than averaged for the past 10 years.
5. The Globe temperature in August 2026 – the coldest August in the past 10 years was discovered from the GISS data
6. Antarctica – Coldest temperature on Earth -84.1 C is recorded on 18 July 2026 in Antarctica as this post shows
7. South America is shivering in July-August 2026
8. South Africa – August 2025 – heavy snow and cold in South Africa. Animals come to people for help in this cold
9. Arctics – experienced a coldest summer 2026 on record
