Warming Winters Increase Deadly Ice Drownings Across Northern Hemisphere

• Elmer Brown died of hypothermia after falling through ice while caribou hunting in Alaska, a tragedy mirroring thousands across the Northern Hemisphere.
• Warming winters make ice thinner and less predictable, leading to a fivefold surge in drowning rates when temperatures are just below freezing.
• March and April are particularly dangerous months due to internal ice melting from increased sunlight penetration.
• In Alaska, 450 people fell through ice between 1990-2010, resulting in 112 deaths, with most accidents occurring in transition months.
• Unpredictable ice conditions disrupt traditional hunting for Indigenous communities, impacting food security and eroding generations of ice safety knowledge.