Arctic report card: Permafrost thawing faster than before

NEW ORLEANS — A new report finds permafrost in the Arctic is thawing faster than ever before.

The annual report card released Tuesday also finds water is warming and sea ice is melting at the fastest pace in 1,500 years at the top of the world.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Earth’s northern region has entered a “new normal” for levels of warming.

And while Arctic temperatures this year weren’t record-breaking hot, scientists are still concerned.

Jeremy Mathis, head of NOAA’s Arctic research program, says the region is a different place than just a decade ago. He says a warming Arctic can cause problems like extreme weather that affects the rest of the world.