The crucial role that sea-ice loss plays in rapid Arctic warming is regulated by variable climate patterns taking place in the Pacific Ocean, a pioneering new study has found…Prof Jennifer Francis, a Research Professor at Rutgers University and study co-author added: “One of the most interesting areas of research now is unravelling the ways in which human-caused changes in the climate system are interacting with natural climate fluctuations, such as the PDO and El Niño.”