The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 5 February, 2024
NATO High North Exercise Announced for March
High North News reported on February 2 that NATO has announced its joint training exercise, Nordic Response, will take place in the first half of March. In the exercise, more than 20,000 personnel from 13 nations will train in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The training scenario is a fictional invasion of Finnmark in Northern Norway, and it takes place in cooperation with two other large NATO exercises: Steadfast Defender and Joint Warrior. Nordic Response is a biennial military exercise focused on enhancing interoperability and readiness in cold weather conditions. (High North News)
Take 1: The announcement of NATO’s Nordic Response exercise shows the importance that NATO places on defense preparedness in the area, and the need for Arctic specific plans. Nordic Response is the updated name of the NATO exercises hosted by Norway every two years that were previously collectively known as Cold Response. It comes in the context of the ongoing NATO exercise Steadfast Defender, which is the largest NATO exercise since the end of the Cold War, consisting of more than 90,000 personnel from all 31 member states (along with Sweden). It is clear that NATO perceives an increased need for vigilance and readiness in the High North. All types of defense operations will be practised in Nordic Response, but maritime security is especially significant for the ‘Cap of the North’— a term referring to the northernmost regions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland that are surrounded by the Norwegian and Barents Seas. The exercise also serves as a deterrent, signaling to adversaries that any military advance in the region will be met with fierce resistance. While Russia has been informed about the exercise, it has not been invited to observe. Nordic Response is a testament to the importance of strong cross-border cooperation between Norway, Sweden, and Finland in the Arctic, as well as NATO’s increasing focus on the High North. With Norway no longer the only NATO member state in the region, this winter’s NATO exercise schedule emphasizes the significance of the Arctic and the North Atlantic to joint defense preparedness. (High North News, Norwegian Armed Forces, The Barents Observer)
Southernmost Mobile Coverage Now Available in Antarctica—Operated from Svalbard
As was reported by High North News on February 5, the world’s southernmost telecommunications station has just opened in Antarctica, at the Norwegian research station Troll. Telenor Svalbard will operate this telecommunications station from the world’s northernmost station, in Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard, which they also operate. The mobile coverage now available around Troll will be used especially for collecting and relaying fieldwork data. (High North News)
Take 2: The ground-breaking news of the world’s northernmost and southernmost telecommunications stations now being connected to provide mobile coverage in Antarctica creates new possibilities in carrying out research. The main motivation for mobile coverage around the Troll research station is to enable teams from the Norwegian Polar Institute (Norsk Polarinstitutt) to more easily collect fieldwork data. The mobile connection also improves researchers’ safety and might allow for research stays to be much more connected with the outside world in the near future. The Troll research station lies in Queen Maud Land , a region of Antarctica claimed by Norway, and Telenor has presented this project as a “mobile connection between the Norwegian polar areas.” The historic project will have to overcome the challenges of operating in extreme weather conditions, including wind speeds of over 300 km/h and extremely low temperatures. However, if successfully maintained, it would make Svalbard even more important to the global research community—not only as a strategically important Arctic centre, but also as a communication gateway to Antarctica. (High North News, Telenor)
Canadian Architecture Firm Receives Prestigious Award for Work in the Arctic
Pembina Valley Online reported on February 5 that the Canadian architecture firm Verne Reimer Architecture (VRA), based in Winnipeg, received the Canadian Architecture Award of Merit for their work on the Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. The building utilizes modular building methods well-suited to the North and unites various wellness, research, community, and education services under one roof. Only a small group of projects (about 4-6) are awarded the honour each year. (Pembina Valley Online)
Take 3: As the premier architectural magazine in Canada, Canadian Architect’s selection of an Arctic project for its prestigious annual award shows that architecture professionals are paying increasing attention to building in the North and that Arctic architecture can be creative, unique, and modern. This is especially relevant in light of the housing crisis in Canada’s North and the longstanding complaints of overpriced, unsafe, and poor-quality buildings being constructed in the North, structures that would be completely unacceptable in southern Canada. The jury emphasized especially the ways in which the project was successfully adapted to Iqaluit’s Arctic conditions, both environmentally and socially. The architects based their project on long-term collaboration with a local client group, and they addressed environmental factors specific to the Arctic: the design mitigates strong winds and makes the surroundings more pleasant for pedestrians, its entrance doors and ramps are bright yellow because of frequent low visibility, the building is raised on pilings to avoid melting the permafrost, and lightweight materials were prioritized due to extremely high shipping costs. This is the firm’s third public building in Iqaluit. The building houses a broad variety of locally-relevant spaces and services, including counselling, education, daycare, and food preparation. Additionally, it was built by a local Inuit-owned contracting company and its design was inspired by Inuit cultural principles. The Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub shows the possibilities for award-winning architecture in the Arctic and the importance of adaptation to local requirements and conditions in Arctic design. (Canadian Architect, Pembina Valley Online, University of Waterloo)
United States Gains Access to 4 New Military Areas in Northern Norway
High North News reported on February 7 that Norway and the United States have signed an agreement giving the US access to eight new Norwegian military facilities, including four in Northern Norway. These include the Andøya Air Station, the Bardufoss Air Station, the Setermoen garrison, and the Osmarka mountain facility near Evenes Air Station. In December, the US signed similar bilateral agreements with Sweden and Finland, giving them access to 15 military bases across the ‘Cap of the North,’ the region encompassing the northernmost areas of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. (High North News)
Take 4: The news of Norway and the US amending their 2021 bilateral agreement regarding access and training at military bases to include additional sites—specifically, sites in Northern Norway—is a testament to the increased focus on joint defense and the significance of Europe’s northernmost borders to its security. If these new defense agreements are approved by the Norwegian parliament, the US will be able to train at 15 military bases across the Cap of the North area and 44 in Norway, Sweden, and Finland in total. According to the agreements, the US military will be able to train at these bases, deploy their forces, and store supplies there. As Finland is now a NATO member and Sweden is close to finalizing their membership, this will enable NATO-wide defense cooperation focusing on deterrence and surveillance in the region using land, maritime, and air capabilities. The increasing US presence at Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish military bases has also been met with criticism, however, especially regarding issues of criminal jurisdiction. Per the negotiated bilateral agreement, the US has primary jurisdiction over any criminal proceedings against American service members, but also over local civilians if the supposed offence took place either within or in the immediate vicinity of the base. Careful consideration of matters of jurisdiction and the impact on local communities is necessary, but bilateral agreements are currently the only way local actors and NATO member states can cooperate regarding the defense of NATO’s northern and Arctic borderlands. (High North News, High North News, Norwegian Government, The Barents Observer)
Research Suggests that Permafrost Plays Major Role in Shape of Arctic Rivers, Carbon Storage
Phys.org reported on February 1 that new research from Dartmouth College suggests that permafrost is the main force shaping the topography and depth of Arctic rivers. According to the researchers, permafrost limits the size of Arctic rivers and watersheds by about 20%, compared to those in moderate climates, which have larger river areas. Permafrost also enables the storage of large amounts of carbon in the frozen soil which will be released as permafrost gradually thaws due to climate warming. (Phys.org)
Take 5: The authors’ study of more than 69,000 watersheds across the Northern hemisphere advances our understanding of the immense significance of permafrost. Permafrost is likely the reason why Arctic rivers tend to have narrower and shallower channels when compared to their moderate counterparts. The study also points out the particular vulnerability of Arctic rivers to climate warming. Although the researchers note the difficulty of predicting outcomes involving freeze-thaw cycles, they warn that melting permafrost will likely release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. As permafrost thaws and loosens the soil, rivers could expand, leading to soil erosion that releases more carbon. This could, in turn, trigger a feedback loop that would result in more greenhouse gases being released. The Arctic has likely already warmed by more than 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, significantly impacting the permafrost.This gradually-thawing permafrost is expected to release between 22 and 550 billion tons of carbon dioxide by the year 2100. Permafrost thaw has been observed in various Arctic locations and in addition to releasing methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it poses challenges to infrastructure, potentially leading to community relocations. The study demonstrates the significance of the consequences of melting permafrost far beyond the Arctic, as well as the particular vulnerabilities of Arctic ecosystems. (Earth.com, Nature, Phys.org, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, US Environmental Protection Agency)