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Parts of the Arctic have experienced an unprecedented heatwave, with one research station in the Canadian High Arctic recording temperatures above 20C, about 15C higher than the long-term average.
The high temperatures were accompanied by a dramatic melting of Arctic sea ice last month to the lowest levels ever recorded, a further indication of how sensitive this region of the world is to global warming.
Scientists from Queen's University in Ontario watched with amazement as their thermometers touched 22C during their July field expedition at the High Arctic camp on Melville Island, usually one of the coldest places in North America.
The temperatures caused catastrophic mudslides as the permafrost on hillsides melted.
- Independent
