Global heating 'off the scale' in north Arctic waters, latest data reveals

Extraordinary rates of global heating in the Arctic, up to seven times faster than the global average, have been revealed by new data.

- Damian Carrington

The heating is in the north Barents Sea, where fast-rising temperatures are suspected to trigger increases in extreme weather in North America, Europe and Asia. Researchers said heating in this region was an "early warning" of what could happen across the rest of the Arctic.

The figures show annual average temperatures in the area are rising by up to 2.7C (4.9F) a decade, with rises in autumn of up to 4C a decade. This makes the north Barents Sea and its islands the fastest-warming place known on Earth.

In recent years temperatures far above average have been recorded in the Arctic, with observers describing the situation as "crazy", "weird" and "simply shocking". Some scientists have warned the unprecedented events could signal faster, more abrupt climate breakdown.

It was known that the climate crisis was driving heating across the Arctic three times faster than the global average, but the research shows the situation is more extreme in places.