Arctic records hottest year in 125 years, sea ice hits 47-year low: Report

Annual Arctic report shows accelerated warming, melting ice, rising rainfall reshaping Arctic environment and threatening global climate stability

The Arctic experienced its hottest year in 125 years, with sea ice reaching a 47-year low at its March peak, as the region faces a rapid shift toward warmer and more rainy conditions, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Tuesday. NOAA’s annual Arctic report card showed that from October 2024 to September 2025, the Arctic recorded its highest temperatures in 125 years, with the past decade marking the 10 warmest years on record. The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the global average due to fossil fuel emissions, disrupting the region that serves as a crucial climate regulator for the planet. In 2025, Arctic sea ice reached its lowest maximum in 47 years of satellite records, with the oldest and thickest ice having declined over 95% since the 1980s amid rising heat and rainfall. In Arctic Alaska, thawing permafrost has turned over 200 rivers and streams orange, with rising acidity and toxic metals harming water quality, aquatic habitats, and biodiversity, while scientists study the effects on drinking water and subsistence fisheries. From October 2024 to September 2025, Arctic precipitation reached a record high, with winter, spring, and autumn totals each among the top five since 1950, much of it falling as rain rather than snow and leaving June snow cover at half its level from six decades ago. The report card highlighted the rapid and interconnected changes reshaping the region and warned that these trends will affect both Arctic communities and the global climate, underscoring the need for sustained research and monitoring.