Observed trends in surface air temperature from 1960-1990

Computer models have long predicted that the climate change will affect Arctic and subarctic regions earlier and more dramatically than other parts of the world.  Recent studies show marked increases in temperature and many other climate variables across much of the far north. Observed trends in surface air temperature from 1960-1990 (shown above in degrees centigrade) demonstrate "polar amplification,” with largest temperature increases (shown in red and magenta) occurring near the North Pole.