The record temperatures recorded in Alaska in recent days are making this just-begun spring one of the warmest ever in the region. In the city of Utqiaġvik (Barrow), where temperatures in March would normally average around -20 degrees Celsius, peaks close to zero were recorded on 30 and 31 March 2019. The news comes from the Alaska center for climate assessment and policy. This record follows what had already occurred in February, the warmest in the last 95 years according to the NGO Bethel search and rescue. According to climatologists, the sudden rise in temperatures is due to global warming which, particularly in Arctic regions, is occurring at a faster rate than in the rest of the planet.

In northern Alaska, moreover, precipitation levels have been well below the seasonal average, resulting in brief but intense weather events, as occurred in Kotlik on 22 February, where an exceptional storm caused flooding in the town centre.

The risks for local communities in Alaska caused by global warming

The thawing of permafrost, together with the thinning and reduction of ice layers, poses a twofold set of problems at the local level.

The commercial transport sector, which in these areas relies primarily on maritime and river routes, is being compromised: high temperatures make ice layers less able to bear heavy loads at this time of year, effectively making it impossible to rely on local river channels for the transport of goods.

Sea ice itself, which plays the important role of natural protection for coastal settlements, is disappearing, putting the survival of local communities at risk.

For seals too, global warming is a serious problem, especially at this time of year. Females typically give birth between February and March and need thick layers of ice to keep their pups safe during their first weeks of life. Newborn pups have not yet developed a coat robust enough to withstand the low temperatures of the Arctic seas: for this reason, during the pups' first weeks of life, it is the adults that dive into the icy waters in search of food while the young wait safely on floating ice sheets — for as long as any can still be found at this time of year.

The forecasts from climatologists are, unfortunately, far from reassuring: the "Arctic heat" wave is expected to continue throughout April, once again affecting the north-western region of North America. A season that now seems to retain only the name of spring.