UC Professor: Two-Degree Increase Enough To End Arctic Sea Ice

A University of Cincinnati professor is predicting the Arctic Ocean could have no September sea ice if global temperatures continue to rise.

What may seem like not a lot - just two degrees - is enough to cause serious problems, according to Won Chang, assistant professor of mathematics.

"In fact, it actually implies a lot more temperature changes in important regions like the Arctic and Antarctic," he says.

September is when the Arctic begins to freeze back over for the polar winter. If there's no ice to begin that process, it will have detrimental effects for Arctic wildlife and ecology.

"If governments in different countries are not willing to take some decisive action, this two-degree increase will certainly happen," says Chang.

Researchers used a new statistical method that involves unifying existing climate models from around the globe into one overarching prediction.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.

Chang's fellow researchers say they're eager to apply this new approach to other areas like stock market predictions, accident investigations or medical research.

You can read more about Chang's research and the math behind it on UC's website.

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