This should not come as a surprise: Researchers at University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Manitoba, University of Ottawa, Northern Arizona University and University of Hamburg warn that if global temperatures rise as predicted, the Arctic will undergo irreversible changes.

Key findings, published in Science, suggest that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free for months each summer, the Greenland Ice Sheet will melt at an accelerated rate, and permafrost will shrink by 50 percent, leading to major impacts on global sea levels, ecosystems and infrastructure.

The researchers emphasize that these changes are already underway and could worsen without urgent global action.