Climate change is having a dramatic effect in the Arctic, scientists say, with water temperatures rising faster than it has in a millennium, sea ice melting at a rapid pace and permafrost is shrinking, perhaps for good.

That's the conclusion of a new report released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency that tracks the environment.

The 12th annual Arctic Report Card showed that although the earth's warming has slightly decelerated, 2017 still had the second-warmest temperatures on record since 1900, with above-average ocean temperatures.

Temperatures in the Arctic, however, continue to increase at double the rate of global temperature increases. The changes, according to the report, are already threatening the inhabitants in that region of the world.

"The unprecedented rate and global reach of Arctic change disproportionately affect[s] the people of northern communities, further pressing the need to prepare for and adapt to the new Arctic," the report states.

"The rapid and dramatic changes we continue to see in the Arctic present major challenges and opportunities," said Timothy Gallaudet, a retired Navy rear admiral and acting NOAA administrator. "This year's Arctic Report Card is a powerful argument for why we need long-term sustained Arctic observations to support the decisions that we will need to make to improve the economic well-being for Arctic communities, national security, environmental health and food security."

The maximum sea ice area in 2017 was the lowest ever measured, while the minimum area was eighth-lowest, according to the report. At the same time, sea ice coverage continues to get thinner every year, as well.

Older, thicker ice comprises only 21 percent of the ice coverage in 2017, compared to 45 percent in 1985.

Water temperatures at the top of the world were 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit above average in 2017.