Arctic warming accelerates as 2025 tracking toward record heat

New findings from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service show that 2025 is on course to become one of the warmest years ever recorded, with the Arctic again experiencing some of the strongest temperature anomalies on the planet. November ranked as the third warmest November ever measured and Copernicus notes that “temperatures were mostly above average across the world and especially in northern Canada, over the Arctic Ocean and across Antarctica.”

In the Arctic, Copernicus reports that the average sea-ice extent in November was 12% below average, ranking as the second lowest for the month. Regionally, sea-ice concentrations were far below normal in the western Eurasian sector, including the waters around Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and the Kara Sea and in the northeastern Canadian sector. These deficits coincided with much-above-average surface air temperatures in both regions, reinforcing the ongoing linkage between Arctic heat anomalies and declining ice cover.

Scientists at Copernicus say the unusual warmth is disrupting seasonal patterns, contributing to reduced sea-ice cover and intensifying long-term warming. Persistent temperature increases risk accelerating permafrost thaw and may release stored greenhouse gases, amplifying global warming.

The service also warns that Arctic changes have far-reaching consequences. Shifts in sea-ice extent affect Earth’s reflectivity, while altered temperature gradients can influence atmospheric circulation.