The Arctic in the Anthropocene: Emerging Research Questions (2014)

A timely report from the Committee on Emerging Research Questions in the Arctic: Polar ResearchBoard; Division on Earth and Life Studies; National Research Council (published by the NAS.
Report by "Once ice-bound, difficult to access, and largely ignored by the rest of the world, the Arctic is now front and center in the midst of many important questions facing the world today. Our daily weather, what we eat, and coastal flooding are all interconnected with the future of the Arctic. The year 2012 was an astounding year for Arctic change. The summer sea ice volume smashed previous records, losing approximately 75 percent of its value since 1980 and half of its areal coverage. Multiple records were also broken when 97 percent of Greenland's surface experienced melt conditions in 2012, the largest melt extent in the satellite era. Receding ice caps in Arctic Canada are now exposing land surfaces that have been continuously ice covered for more than 40,000 years."
What happens in the Arctic has far-reaching implications around the world..."

http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Arctic-Anthropocene-Emerging/18726?bname=prb