(VOVworld) – A group of American scientists recently released a study indicating that humans are 60% responsible for ice melting in the Arctic. Natural changes have caused 40% of the loss of sea ice.

The study, based on simulations of different climate conditions, identified human responsibility versus natural causes for the huge loss of sea ice. Identifying the cause of ice melting in the Arctic will help predict future ice loss and suggest ways to slow the melting.   

A paper published in the Nature Journal shows that humans may be responsible for 50-70% of the changes in climate which have led to melting of Arctic ice. Although the study largely absolves humans for air flow changes, 70% of which appear due to natural variability, it points out that 60% of sea ice decline since 1979 was caused by summer-time changes in atmospheric circulation.

Doctor Twila Moon of Bristol University said carbon dioxide and other exhaust gases produced from human activities have a direct impact on the Arctic sea.

The US National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that the average extent of Arctic sea ice in January, 2017, was 1.26 million square km, 8.6 percent below the 1981-2010 average. This was the smallest January Arctic sea ice extent on record. Sea ice extent expands slowly in the winter and thaws in the summer. In recent years, the average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere has increased at twice the global average warming rate.