Arctic river-related heat sinks/sources (IMAGE)

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Arctic river-related heat sinks/sources

Caption

This diagram shows the relative amount of warming caused by Arctic rivers, with the sources of heat in orange and the heat sinks in turquoise. In spring, rivers flow into the Arctic Ocean, warming the water and melting sea ice, which in turn warms the atmosphere. A feedback occurs as the reflective ice disappears, allowing the dark ocean water to absorb more heat and melt more sea ice.

Credit

Graphic adapted from Science Advances paper

Usage Restrictions

With credit to Science Advances paper.

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