The Arctic is an ecosystem in transition, and adaptation to a warmer Arctic is essential to the survival and resilience of its plants and wildlife, and the well-being of the communities that depend on them.

Transformation is especially clear on the Arctic tundra. The tundra has absorbed and stored carbon in
frozen soil for millennia, but wildfires across warming permafrost regions are increasing and tipping the scales, resulting in the release of carbon back into the atmosphere, accelerating human-caused climate change.

Another of the region's most defining characteristics, sea ice, has served as a bellwether of the Arctic’s shift to a new environmental state, particularly over the last two decades.

And, Arctic surface air temperatures continue to rise, with 2024 being the second warmest year on record.

In August, record-breaking heat waves baked Northern Alaskan and Canadian communities. 

But these changes aren't uniform.

In the Eurasian Arctic, sea surface temperatures were unusually high, while temperatures in the
Pacific Arctic were much lower.

In parts of the Canadian Arctic and Siberia, an extremely dry summer stood in stark contrast to heavy precipitation over much of Alaska and Scandinavia.

And across the Arctic, winter snow accumulation was above average, but the length of the snow season contrasted sharply by region.

For parts of the Canadian Arctic, a late onset of snow and early spring melt resulted in the shortest snow season in 26 years.

Despite challenges, the threatened ringed seal populations in the Pacific Arctic region are persevering, even though their primary food source, Arctic cod, is becoming less available as ocean waters warm. But as the sea ice, where females nurse their pups, becomes less stable in spring and recedes earlier, the seal's future remains uncertain.

Unlike ice seals, many North American migratory caribou are facing severe population declines, plummeting by 65% overall in recent decades. Though small coastal caribou populations have recently grown or remain stable, rapid declines in large inland populations are a serious concern for local communities.

The increase in freezing rain and rain-on-snow events makes it difficult for foraging caribou to access food, and warmer temperatures allow taller shrubs to crowd the lichen the caribou depend on.

As the Arctic warms, Indigenous Peoples work to preserve and evolve their cultural practices, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in the face of extreme environmental transformations.

But Arctic changes have worldwide impacts, and global attention is critical to reduce risks into the future and support successful adaptation in the Arctic and beyond.