State of the Arctic Report

This State of the Arctic Report presents a review of recent data by an international group of scientists who developed a consensus on the information content and reliability. It provides observations indicating continuing trends in the current state of physical components of the Arctic system, including the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice cover, and land. The report highlights data primarily from 2000 to 2005 with a first look at winter 2006, providing an update to some of the data records of physical processes discussed in the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA 2004, 2005). The temporal extent of the data provides a multi-decadal perspective and confirms the sensitivity of the Arctic to changes in the global climate system.