Surface air temperature [Arctic essays]

•The average annual surface air temperature anomaly over land north of 60° N for October 2015-September 2016 (+2.0° C, relative to a 1981-2010 baseline) was by far highest in the observational record beginning in 1900; this represents a 3.5° C increase since the beginning of the 20th Century. •Arctic temperatures continue to increase at double the rate of the global temperature increase. •Extreme Arctic-wide air warm temperatures in winter 2016 (Jan-Mar) greatly exceeding the previous record; several locations showed January anomalies exceeding +8° C. These conditions were primarily due to southerly winds moving warm air into the Arctic from mid-latitudes and the presences of sea ice free areas to the northeast of Novaya Zemlya. •Neutral to cold temperature anomalies occurred across the central Arctic Ocean in summer 2016; a condition which did not support rapid summer sea ice loss

Surface air temperature

• The average annual surface air temperature anomaly over land north of 60° N for October 2017-September 2018 was the second highest (after 2015-2016) in the observational record beginning in 1900. Arctic temperatures for the past five years (2014-2018) all exceed previous records. • Arctic air temperature continues to increase at double the rate of the global mean air temperature increase. • Autumn, winter and spring months all contributed positive anomalies to the annual average temperature. These conditions were supported by advection of heat and moisture from the subarctic by north-south wavy jet stream patterns. • During summer, neutral temperature anomalies occurred across the central Arctic Ocean with a low pressure pattern. Like summer 2016 and 2017, 2018 weather conditions did not support rapid summer sea ice and ice sheet loss