Arctic could see first 'ice-free' day by 2030, study warns

The term "ice-free day" refers to a situation where there is less than 386,102 square miles of ice in the ocean—not a total absence of ice, according to scientists.

September witnesses the least amount of ice around the Arctic. Scientists predict that by the middle of this century, the region around the North Pole may face an entire month without floating ice. Toward the century's end, the ice-free season could extend over several months and might even occur in winter. "This would transform the Arctic into a completely different environment," researcher Alexandra Jahn stated. "From a white summer Arctic to a blue one," she elaborated. According to scientists, the extent of these changes hinges on the level of greenhouse gas emissions.

As the ice cover decreases, the surface that reflects the sun's rays also diminishes, reports the British "Daily Mail." This leads to more intense heating of the oceans, causing heatwaves—a process that is significantly underway.

The study also highlighted the Arctic's resilience. "Unlike the ice cover on Greenland, which took thousands of years to form, the Arctic sea ice could return within a decade if we manage to figure out how to remove CO2 from the atmosphere in the future and reverse the warming," a researcher was quoted by the "Daily Mail."