“In the lower-48, the average temperature has increased 1 degree over the past 100 years. But in Alaska, the increase has been about three times that—nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit. And winter temperatures are even hotter, rising by as much as 5-7 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 50 years.
Alaska is caught in a reinforcing cycle. When the sunlight hits snow and ice, it mostly gets reflected back into space. But as the ice and snow melt from warmer temperatures, they’re replaced by brown earth and open water which absorb about 80% of the sun’s energy.
Alaska is feeling the heat.”
Transcribed by Jeff Fenske from:
Extreme Alaska: Building/Wild, National Geographic Channel, 2007