News Climate

Cyclones in the Arctic are becoming more intense and frequent

The storms not only threaten people, but also sea ice, which influences the global climate

A satellite view of an arctic cyclone taken in August 2012.

Arctic cyclones, like this one from August 2012, can destroy sea ice and threaten people living and traveling throughout the region.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS data

By Nikk Ogasa

CHICAGO – In January 2022, a cyclone blitzed a large expanse of ice-covered ocean between Greenland and Russia. Frenzied gusts galvanized 8-meter-tall waves that pounded the region’s hapless flotillas of sea ice, while a bombardment of warm rain and a surge of southerly heat laid siege from the air.