Is it time to freak out about the Arctic?

Snow and ice are disappearing from the Arctic region at unprecedented rates, leaving behind open water that’s much less reflective to incoming sunlight than ice. That, among other factors, is causing the northern polar region of our planet to warm at a faster rate than the rest of the northern hemisphere—a phenomenon called Arctic Amplification. And over the past several months, it’s become increasingly obvious that big changes are happening now. Right now, not 5 or 10 or 20 years from now, Now. In this week’s episode, we’ll talk about all those changes -– and what they say about what we do and don’t know about the melting Arctic. Oh, and we’ll also talk about how Game of Thrones relates to climate change. Check out the recommended reading list below. Eric’s links: Arctic melting: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/arctic-sea-ice-breaks-may-record-20415 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/02/18/scientists-are-floored-by-whats-happening-in-the-arctic-right-now/ Arctic greening: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/06/27/its-official-humans-are-making-the-earth-much-greener/ Jacquelyn’s links: Twinkies: https://www.boston.com/culture/lifestyle/2016/06/27/heres-twinkie-maine-school-kept-40-years-counting Cloning mammoths:  http://reviverestore.org/projects/woolly-mammoth/ Science group’s letter to Congress: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/06/28/top-science-groups-tell-climate-change-doubters-in-congress-to-knock-it-off/ Andy’s links: Pop-up forests: http://j.mp/popupforests North pole sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GqjvjiXp4E