Added to the general atmospheric warming in the region, the researchers also describe an amplification process whereby reduced snow cover on the surrounding tundra and less sea-ice in the Arctic Ocean push up temperatures still further.

BBC: Canadian glaciers face 'big losses'

"The high latitude North Atlantic Ocean is a globally important ocean region, as it is a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide and an area where deep water formation takes place, " Prof Achterberg observed.

BBC: Iceland volcano ash cloud triggers plankton bloom

The region's seafood landings largely returned to normal in 2011, after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration closed most of the Gulf to fishing during the blowout, NOAA data show.

CNN: Empty nets in Louisiana three years after the spill