Arctic Warming

The Arctic is a polar region at the northernmost part of the earth. It includes the North Pole, some of North America and Eurasia. 
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the arctic is now warmer than ever before. The average air temperature over the Arctic land reached 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit above average for the year ending in September, says the report the NOAA sent out. That's the warmest ever observed. Though climate change is affecting the entire world, the arctic is heating up twice as fast. 
These dramatic changes are really hurting the environment. The ice that forms when the Arctic Ocean freezes is now melting. The minimum ice coverage, that was reached in September, was the fourth lowest ever recorded. Animals that live north have greatly been effected by the lack of ice. Walruses normally climb onto an ice float to mate and give birth, but instead are crowding around on beaches. This will hurt the babies because crowds lead to stampedes, which will put the calves in danger. Also, ice melting means that all the plants that were frozen in the ground start to decay, releasing carbon dioxide and methane (two gases), which hurt our environment. 
 The recent NOAA report says that it is highly unlikely that the Arctic will ever go back to the way it was before. Luckily, the Arctic growing warmer is actually not all bad. In fact, most evidence suggests that the good effects outweigh the bad. One very important fact is that the warmer it becomes, the longer the growing season (summer) is. This is good because more crops will survive and grow, taking carbon dioxide from the air, which will help to reduce global warming.