Water flowing into Arctic warmest in 2,000 years
London: Water flowing from the North Atlantic Ocean into the Arctic Ocean is at its warmest level for more than 2,000 years. The sea in the Gulf Stream between Greenland and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard reached an average of 6 degrees Celsius in recent summers, warmer than at natural peaks during Roman or medieval times. Scientists fear the temperature spikes could lead to an ice-free Arctic in years to come and could endanger polar bears, who need the ice in order to survive. Such changes could also lead to rising sea levels around the world and 'drastic changes' to the environment, researchers have concluded, according to the Daily Mail. University of Colorado researcher Thomas Marchitto, study co-author, said cold sea water "is critical for the formation of sea ice, which helps to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight back to space". "Warmer waters could lead to major sea ice loss and drastic changes for the Arctic," he said. Marchitto said the ...