Arctic Melts at Record Pace: "Rusting Rivers" Emerge, Global Impact Feared

• The Arctic experienced its warmest and wettest year on record (Oct 2024 - Sep 2025), warming at over twice the global average rate, as per US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Thawing permafrost in Arctic Alaska is releasing iron and metals, turning over 200 rivers orange, a phenomenon dubbed "rusting rivers" that threatens water quality and ecosystems.
• The Arctic's rapid changes, including shrinking reflective ice and "Atlantification," have global implications like rising sea levels and altered weather patterns worldwide.
• Winter sea ice reached its lowest maximum extent in 47 years, and multi-year ice declined by over 95% since the 1980s, with glaciers also showing record ice loss.
• US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration faces funding cuts and decommissioning of critical monitoring satellites, raising concerns about future climate assessment accuracy.

Why It Matters: Arctic warming is accelerating, causing "rusting rivers" and global climate disruptions, with monitoring capacity at risk.