No detectable decrease in extreme cold-related mortality in Canada from Arctic sea ice loss

Journal article

Arctic amplification (AA), the phenomenon by which Arctic surface temperatures are warming faster than the global average, may have significant unexplored impacts on temperature-related mortality in human populations across Canada. We explore the role of Arctic sea ice loss, a key driver of AA, in changing cold temperature extremes across Canada and their impact on human mortality. We use a multi-model ensemble of climate simulations from the Polar Amplification Model Intercomparison Project and a distributed lag nonlinear mortality model in 27 regions covering Canada to quantify the role of Arctic sea ice loss in changing human mortality in the cold season. We find that despite a robust increase in 5th percentile temperatures across eastern Canada, there is no detectable decrease in mortality associated with the most extreme cold, due to mortality in many regions having low sensitivity to warming of cold extremes. The study attributes the temperature-related mortality impact of a physical process, namely Arctic sea ice loss, and highlights Canada’s robust adaptation to extreme cold.

Authors: Ball, E; Eunice Lo, YT; AG Watson, P; Lavigne, E; Screen, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Journal: Environmental Research Letters
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 4
• Article number: 044042
• Publication date: 2025-03-28
• Acceptance date: 2025-03-18
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/adc1e6
• EISSN: 1748-9326
• Language: English
• Keywords: Arctic amplification; sea ice loss; Canada; cold-related mortality