The Arctic is being pummeled by a continuous rise in temperature because of a recent slowdown in the global pace of warming.

A discussion of these changes was released at the American Geophysical Union's Fall Meeting Wednesday.

Long-term trends in rising temperatures and spiraling sea ice loss occur a lot in the Arctic. The Arctic is in transition because climate change is advancing at a much faster rate here compared to the rest of the world.

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The most notable impact of these changes is the loss of sea ice, which hit its sixth lowest recorded volume in 2014.

In five years, the autumn and early winter became warmer all over the Arctic region compared to the same period from the last 20 years of the 20th century.

Arctic-wide conditions "are an indication that the early 21st century temperature increase in the Arctic is due to global warming rather than natural variability," according to a leading international team of researchers.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Office of Naval Research provides an annual summary of conditions affecting weather patterns at lower latitudes. The hotter Arctic is also opening to commercial development an ocean that long has been isolated year round by a thick sheath of ice.

The new report came from 63 authors in 13 countries. The Arctic report card will be updated every year and a host of secondary indicators will rotate in and out of the report every few years.

The report can help scientists assign a grade to the region, which is ironically missing from the current iteration of the report card.

Tagsglobal warming, Arctic region, ice melting, sheath of ice, NOAA, Arctic Report Card, polar region