Picture this: It's a summer day. You鈥檙e on a ship on the Arctic Ocean. You scan the horizon and you don鈥檛 see any sea ice on the surface of the water.
For much of our history, this would be a surreal scenario. The Earth鈥檚 northernmost region is typically covered in sea ice and snow year-round.
But a University of Colorado researcher says that vision is going to become a reality. And the first may be closer than we think.
, associate professor in the department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at CU Boulder, is part of an international research team that used climate models to predict when the first ice-free day in the Arctic might occur.
They found that day could happen within the next 20 years 鈥� and possibly in as few as three years.
鈥淚t will be a stark contrast, seeing this transition from this very white Arctic to now a blue Arctic,鈥� Jahn said. 鈥淚 think that will have a really big and stunning impact on people.鈥�
The team鈥檚 findings were recently published in the journal .
Jahn鈥檚 prediction is getting plenty of attention from climate scientists who have been thinking about this scenario. She spoke with ITN鈥檚 Erin O鈥橳oole about the findings, and what the consequences for the planet would be.
