Svalbard, At 80 North, May Record 1st Above Freezing Annual Temperature Avg. On Record
The Arctic archipelago of Svalbard has seen such extreme warmth this year that the average annual temperature could end up above freezing for the first time on record, scientists said. Ketil Isaksen of the Norwegian Meterological Institute said the average temperature in Longyearbyen, the main settlement in Svalbard, is expected to be around 0C (32F) with a little over a month left of the year.
"This is a little bit shocking," Mr Isaksen said. "If you had asked me five or 10 years ago, I could not have imagined such numbers in 2016." The normal yearly average in Svalbard, an island group midway between the North Pole and continental Norway, is minus 6.7C (20F) and the warmest year until now was 2006, when the average was minus 1.8C (29F), Mr Isaksen said.
"Svalbard is a very good spot to show what's happening in the Arctic at the moment," he said, noting that each of the past 73 months has been warmer than average.
The rising temperatures in the Arctic are affecting permafrost and snow cover as well as the amount of sea ice, which this year was the second-lowest on record. Mr Isaksen said the sea ice is building up much slower than normal as winter approaches. "There are still huge areas in the Barents Sea and Kara Sea to the east of Svalbard that are free of ice," he said. "They should normally be ice-covered."
EDIT
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/arctic-territory-of-svalbard-sees-shocking-temperatures-near-freezing-point-35244707.html
