Causes of Arctic Amplification

There are a few major causes or reasons why the Arctic Amplification occurs and let’s discuss them.

• Weather: One of the primary reasons is the rapid changes in the weather that causes the Arctic amplification. Due to the ocean currents, hot and cold breezes stream around the northern hemisphere in very high masses. This is the reason for the temperature difference between the Arctic and the Tropics. Thunderstorms are also much more powerful in the tropics than that in the higher altitudes.  
• Sea Ice loss: In the autumn and summer, sea ice in the Arctic region has decreased dramatically. Furthermore, the period that covers the ice in larger areas has decreased. In the modern era, the extent of sea ice is unpredictable, and the volume of ice is much smaller. The loss of ice accelerates arctic warming by replacing white, reflective ice with dark water. This condition is also sometimes referred to as a Positive feedback loop. The drastic reduction in ice will also lead to the tipping point, which is irreversible and causes very damaging climatic changes.
• Radiation: We already knew that ice in the Arctic region was rapidly melting, and scientists were unable to provide precise data due to the rapid extinction of ice. Few scientists have been observing the trend for many years and using linear equation analysis, they discovered that carbon dioxide plays a significant role in this process. Scientists have concluded that radiation from greenhouse gases also plays a significant role in the rapid disappearance of ice.
• Atmospheric water vapor: Water vapor has a significant influence on the atmosphere. Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas as well. For many years, the trend of water vapor in the Arctic region has been unpredictable, and it has played an important role in climatic changes. Many scientists have demonstrated that the trend of water vapor should be consistent; otherwise, it causes a slew of climatic disruptions, which eventually lead to global damage. Many studies on water vapor in the Arctic region have supported the preceding point. Because of these factors, we can confidently assert that water vapor is also contributing to arctic amplification.
• Atmospheric Patterns: We all know that the arctic climate has changed at a rapid pace since the beginning of the twenty-first century. We particularly experienced significant ice loss in the summer of 2007. We’ve discussed how radiation has played a significant role in the extinction of ice loss, but there’s another important point to consider: atmospheric patterns. Yes, atmospheric patterns do play a significant role in amplifications. Any trend must be consistent in order to produce fruitful results; if it is unstable, it will move in the opposite direction. As a result of the unpredictable atmospheric patterns in the arctic regions, arctic amplification occurs.
• Cloud Cover: Satellites have been used to examine changes in arctic clouds and their relationships with sea ice and the atmosphere, providing very useful information. All of the data sets obtained during this research period show that arctic clouds decreased rapidly until the 1990s and then began to increase. Cloud accumulation in recent years has been a prominent feature of the lower troposphere. All of these changes resulted in an increase in moisture temperature and the formation of clouds. Cloud cover is one of the reasons for arctic amplification because of these unusual changes in arctic clouds and temperature.

Arctic Amplification: Global warming, defined as a gradual increase in the earth’s overall temperature caused by natural forces or human activities, has raised the average temperature by 1.1 degrees Celsius. Climate is changing at a rapid pace all over the world, and any change in surface air temperature and net radiation balance tends to cause large changes at the north and south poles. This is known as Polar Amplification, and if the changes are much more predominant at northern altitudes, it is known as Arctic Amplification.

Amplification occurs when the net radiation balance of the atmosphere is altered or affected by an increase in greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases (GHG) are those that absorb and emit radiant energy in the thermal infrared range, resulting in the greenhouse effect. Water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases.