The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of April 27, 2020

First Arctic Ocean Assessment Shows Unprecedented Flux

The first overall assessment of Canada’s Arctic Ocean has been completed by federal scientists and Inuit observers. Today, the Arctic Ocean is 33% less salty than it was in 2003 and 30% more acidic. Changing water composition inevitably impacts ocean circulation that determines the distribution of essential nutrients in the region. This further exacerbates the problem for local organisms, particularly plankton that form the base of the Arctic food web (Global News).

Take 1: The repercussions of the skewed relationship between humans and the environment are surfacing in these studies. However, due to the increasing rate of warming and lack of long-term data, it is difficult for scientists to observe and simultaneously understand the underlying mechanisms causing the changes. More rigorous data collection and analysis in the coming years will allow scientists and the general public a more holistic understanding of the Arctic ecosystem.

Coronavirus Spreads Across Russian Arctic 

While critical to the operation of oil companies in the Russian North, remote oil and gas fields are being shut down due to a growing number of coronavirus infections. In the Yamal Peninsula, home to the Yamal LNG project, the airport is being closed down. This disrupts the lofty goals of the Russian leadership to ship more than 80 million tons of LNG on the Northern Sea Route by 2024. The increasing number of coronavirus cases being reported is leading to discontent and fear among workers in these remote areas (Barents Observer, Barents Observer).

Take 2: The COVID-19 outbreaks in several major Russian oil fields is triggering a serious health situation among thousands of workers. Given the remote nature of these fields, medical resources are not abundant and certainly not comprehensive enough to treat a deadly infection. Workers are demanding better working conditions which may alter the energy landscape for the Arctic region.

Largest-Ever Arctic Ozone Hole Has Closed

Scientists at the Copernicus’ Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) have observed that the ozone over the Arctic hole they have been tracking since April has closed. The ozone hole in question formed in the spring and grew into the largest ever recorded. The hole was not caused by human activity but a particularly strong Arctic polar vortex (CTV News).

Take 3: Positive climate news is often hard to come by nowadays, making this news that much more special. While scientists do not attribute the closing of the ozone hole to a reduction in anthropogenic carbon emissions, the stabilizing mechanisms our climate naturally enacts to keep Earth habitable is an equally interesting phenomenon. The ozone layer protects Earth from harmful UV radiation, so it is particularly essential in the Arctic, a region warming considerably faster than the rest of the planet.

Greenland Ice Sheet Shrinks By Record Amount

A study by researchers at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory found that Greenland’s ice sheet lost around 600 billion tonnes of water beginning last year, thereby contributing to 1.4 millimeters of sea level rise globally. Since ice sheets cover 80% of the island, a complete melt of Greenland’s ice sheet could raise global sea levels by up to 7 meters. Historically, these ice sheets have been responsible for 20-25% of global sea level rise. Most models used by scientists to predict Greenland’s future ice conditions do not take into account changing atmospheric circulation patterns, which may significantly underestimate future melting.

Take 4: The destruction of the world’s second largest ice sheet understandably has huge implications for everywhere else in the world. While resilient, the Arctic ecosystem is sensitive and the melting ice sheets threaten the hundreds of millions of people who live below current high tide lines or annual flood levels. 

Russian Paratroopers Perform First-Ever High Altitude Jump

The Russian military continues its exploration into furthering their military methods for operating in the rough Arctic terrain. For the first time in human history, paratroopers deployed from an altitude higher than Mount Everest and completed a series of combat training tasks. While the US Army has attempted Arctic jumps at lower altitudes, an operation of this magnitude has never been done before. Russian military bases are also being installed in the tundra. While Russian officials maintain that these installations are for securing the developing Arctic trade of the Northern Sea Route, experts are skeptical (High North News, Barents Observer).

Take 5: With the world being in such uncertain times, increasingly skilled Russian military forces are set to further raise tensions. The Arctic is a nuanced region that makes it difficult for militaries to control unlike other more accessible areas. Russia’s aggressive tactics to optimize its military to be Arctic-ready may incite other nations to do the same.