Arctic ice ‘recovering slightly’ after last year’s dramatic melt

Summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean "recovered slightly" after the dramatic and unprecedented melt in 2012, but still registered one of the lowest levels on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

In a provisional report on the state of the world’s climate in 2013, it said the Arctic reached its lowest sea ice extent in its annual cycle on September 13th, at 5.1 million square km - significantly higher than last year’s record low of 3.4 million square km.

According to the WMO, this year’s coverage was the sixth smallest on record - 18 per cent, or nearly 1.1 million square km, below the 1981–2010 average minimum. It also noted that seven of the lowest levels of Arctic sea ice have occurred since 2007.

Based on data to the end of September, the report said 2013 is currently on course to be among the top warmest years since modern records began in 1850, with a global average surface temperature of about 0.48 degrees Celsius above the 1961–1990 average.

The report, released today to inform negotiators at the UN climate change conference in Warsaw, said January-September 2013 was warmer than the same period in both 2011 and 2012 — and most extreme in Australia, which has been hit by forest fires.

"Temperatures so far this year are about the same as the average during 2001-2010, which was the warmest decade on record," WMO secretary-general Michel Jarraud said, adding that atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide reached a new high.

“We expect them to reach unprecedented levels yet again in 2013. This means that we are committed to a warmer future,” he added. “The impact on our water cycle is already becoming apparent – as manifested by droughts, floods and extreme precipitation.”

Noting that typhoon Haiyan, which devastated parts of the Philippines, was "the most powerful tropical cyclone ever to hit the country and one of the most intense ever recorded anywhere", he warned that such extreme weather events would become more intense.

“Although individual tropical cyclones cannot be directly attributed to climate change, higher sea levels are already making coastal populations more vulnerable to storm surges. We saw this with tragic consequences in the Philippines,” Mr Jarraud said.