Arctic Report Card 2020: 15 Years of Arctic Observation: A Retrospective 15 Years of Arctic Observation: A Retrospective

First issued in 2006 to address the need for timelier communication of Arctic change to a broad audience, Arctic Report Card (ARC) 2020 marks the 15th anniversary of this annual, peer-reviewed publication. In recognition of this milestone, the ARC2020 editorial team has taken a step back to consider how observing, understanding, and communicating Arctic change have evolved over the course of the 15-year ARC series. To be clear, warming temperatures in the Arctic, and around the globe, were recorded decades before ARC2006 was published. A look back at ARC2006, however, reveals a community of observers who were just beginning to grasp the scope and persistence of the Arctic change we would witness and document over the next 15 years. Lost on most was the rapid rate of the changes to come.