Washington ? Temperatures in the Arctic last fall hit an all-time high – more than 9 degrees Fahrenheit above normal – and remain almost as high this year, an international team of scientists reported Thursday.

“The year 2007 was the warmest year on record in the Arctic,” said Jackie Richter-Menge, a climate expert at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H, and editor of the latest annual Arctic Report Card.

“These are dynamic and dramatic times in the Arctic,” she said. “The outlook isn’t good.”

Arctic temperatures naturally peak in October and November, after sea ice shrinks during the summer. The shrinkage lets more of the sun’s rays heat the ocean rather than be reflected back into space.

As a result, the ocean is warming and causing global sea levels to rise even faster than predicted, according to the Arctic Report Card, the product of 46 scientists from 10 countries.

Summer 2007 set a record low for sea ice in the Arctic. This summer’s ice melt was only slightly smaller.