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NASA Studies an Unusual Arctic Warming Event Reading Answers

Bhaskar Das

Dec 5, 2025

The answers for "NASA Studies an Unusual Arctic Warming Event Reading Answers" include 16 questions and are part of the assessment framework for the IELTS General Reading test. Candidates are allotted 20 minutes to complete the reading responses concerning "NASA Studies an Unusual Arctic Warming Event Reading Answers." This portion of the IELTS reading exam consists of various question formats, including choosing the correct letter and choosing no more than three words.

The answers for "NASA Studies an Unusual Arctic Warming Event Reading Answers" offer a comprehensive overview of winter temperatures in the Arctic, which are rising sharply for the fourth consecutive year, with warm, moist air now entering from both the Atlantic and Pacific. This unusual heat is weakening normally resilient sea ice, causing record-low ice levels and increased vulnerability to melting. For additional practice with similar reading assessments, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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NASA Studies an Unusual Arctic Warming Event Reading Answers

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NASA Studies an Unusual Arctic Warming Event Reading Answers

Winter temperatures are soaring in the Arctic for the fourth winter in a row.

The heat, accompanied by moist air, is entering the Arctic not only through the sector of the North Atlantic Ocean that lies between Greenland and

Europe, as it has done in previous years, but is also coming from the North Pacific through the Bering Strait.

"We have seen winter warming events before, but they're becoming more frequent and more intense, said Alek Petty, a sea ice researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Scientists are waiting to see how much this heat wave will impact the wintertime sea ice extent, which has been shrinking in the past decades and has hit record lows each of the past 3 years. The sea ice levels are already at record lows or near-record lows in several areas of the Arctic. Another exceptional event this winter is the opening up of the sea ice cover north of Greenland, releasing heat from the ocean to the atmosphere and making the sea ice more vulnerable to further melting.

'This is a region where we have the thickest multi-year sea ice and expect it to not be mobile, to be resilient, Petty said. 'But now this ice is moving pretty quickly, pushed by strong southerly winds and probably affected by the warm temperatures, too!'

Questions 25-28

Look at the following statements (Questions 25-28) and the list of elements below (A-D) Write the correct letter, A-D.

You may use any letter more than once.

25. This has become less resilient over time.

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “This is a region where we have the thickest multi-year sea ice… but now this ice is moving pretty quickly… affected by warm temperatures.”

Keywords: thickest multi-year sea ice, not resilient

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, lines 5–7

Explanation: The passage explains that the multi-year sea ice, which is usually the strongest and least mobile, is now moving faster and becoming vulnerable due to warming. This shows it has become less resilient over time.

26. This pushes the ice to move faster.

Answer: D

Supporting statement: “Pushed by strong southerly winds…”

Keywords: pushed, southerly winds

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 6

Explanation: The text directly states that strong southerly winds are pushing the sea ice, which causes its increased movement. Hence, southerly winds are responsible.

27. Usually, heat enters the Arctic through this sector.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “Heat… is entering the Arctic… through the sector of the North Atlantic Ocean… as it has done in previous years.”

Keywords: heat entering Arctic, previous years

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, lines 2–4

Explanation: The passage clearly notes that, in previous winters, heat typically entered the Arctic through the North Atlantic sector.

28. Now, heat is coming from this place.

A. North Atlantic Ocean

B. North Pacific

C. sea ice

D. southerly winds

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “But is also coming from the North Pacific through the Bering Strait.”

Keywords: heat coming, North Pacific

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 4

Explanation: This year’s additional heat pathway is the North Pacific, as mentioned directly in the passage.

Questions 29-32

Choose the right answer from the alternatives given below:

29. Temperatures are rising in the winter in the Arctic

A. every winter

B. 4 winters in a row

C. on the fourth winter

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “Winter temperatures are soaring… for the fourth winter in a row.”

Keywords: fourth winter in a row

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 1

Explanation: This indicates that the warm winters have occurred consecutively for four years.

30. Winter warming events are becoming

A. lesser and more severe

B. occasional and very severe

C. more often and more severe

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “They’re becoming more frequent and more intense.”

Keywords: more frequent, more intense

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 6

Explanation: The text explicitly mentions both increased frequency and severity of warming events.

31. Impact of heat wave on winter time sea ice has hit record low

A. every 3 years

B. for the last 3 years

C. lasting for 3 years

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “Has hit record lows each of the past 3 years.”

Keywords: past 3 years

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 2–3

Explanation: Sea ice levels have reached record lows in each of the last three years, not once every three years.

32. Sea ice is melting further because

A. it is already at a record low

B. of heat from the ocean

C. of opening of the sea ice cover

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “The opening up of the sea ice cover north of Greenland… making the sea ice more vulnerable to further melting.”

Keywords: opening up, vulnerable to melting

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 4–6

Explanation: The opening of the sea ice cover exposes more ocean and increases melting risk.

Questions 33

Choose the right answer from the alternatives given below:

33. In the Arctic, sea ice is mobile and not resilient because

A. of strong winds and warm temperature

B. of the thickest multi-year sea ice

C. heat and moist air is entering the Arctic

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “Pushed by strong southerly winds and probably affected by the warm temperatures.”

Keywords: strong winds, warm temperatures

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, lines 6–7

Explanation: These two factors—winds and warm temperatures—are causing the movement and lack of resilience.

Questions 34-40

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

- Winter 34……………….. events occur from time to time in the Arctic, but they are now becoming frequent

Answer: warming

Supporting statement: “We have seen winter warming events before…”

Keywords: winter warming events

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 5

Explanation: The passage describes winter warming events occurring occasionally but now more frequently.

- Heat and 35………….. air usually enter through the North Atlantic Ocean.

Answer: moist

Supporting statement: “The heat, accompanied by moist air…”

Keywords: moist air

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 2

Explanation: Heat usually enters the Arctic with moist air.

- This year, however, heat is also entering from the North Pacific through 36………….

Answer: Bering Strait

Supporting statement: “Coming from the North Pacific through the Bering Strait.”

Keywords: Bering Strait

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 4

Explanation: Heat entering from the North Pacific travels through the Bering Strait.

- This heat leads to the shrinking of the sea ice 37………………. which has reached a record low in the -last 3 years.

Answer: sea ice extent

Supporting statement: “Wintertime sea ice extent… has hit record lows…”

Keywords: sea ice extent

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 1–3

Explanation: Heat leads to shrinking of the sea ice extent.

- Another worrying event is the opening up of the sea ice cover in the north of 38………..

Answer: Greenland

Supporting statement: “The opening up of the sea ice cover north of Greenland…”

Keywords: north of Greenland

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, line 4

Explanation: The opening in the sea ice occurs north of Greenland.

- This has made sea ice more 39……………. to melting and therefore to mobility.

Answer: vulnerable

Supporting statement: “Making the sea ice more vulnerable to further melting.”

Keywords: more vulnerable

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 5–6

Explanation: The opening of the ice cover increases its vulnerability.

- This has also lead to heat getting released from the ocean to the 40……………..

Answer: atmosphere

Supporting statement: “Releasing heat from the ocean to the atmosphere.”

Keywords: heat, atmosphere

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 4–5

Explanation: Heat escapes from the ocean into the atmosphere when ice opens up.

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*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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