The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of August 12, 2019
Arctic Fires Continue for Third Month in a Row
This week fires continue to rage in the Arctic areas of Russia, Alaska, Greenland, and Canada, releasing more than 25 megatonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. These regions are registering higher than normal temperatures and low levels of soil moisture, setting the conditions necessary for the fires to ignite. The fires have been so bad in Russia that a state of emergency was declared with President Putin mobilizing the Army to fight the blazes in Siberia. Fires in Siberia have already destroyed 4.3m hectares of taiga forests (Bloomberg, The Guardian).
Take 1: CO2 emissions from these wildfires increase the effects of global warming. As wildfires burn they release black soot that settles on Arctic ice, lessening the ice’s ability to reflect the sun’s heat. At the same time they release large quantities of carbon from the soil and permafrost. Every year the fires get more intense and the periods of burning last longer. This will continue to have short-term and long-term effects to the planet. As fires continue to increase in intensity, countries will also not just have to deal with the impacts of climate change but also invest more resources to deal with the fires themselves, mobilizing resources like the military to take a greater role in combating them.
The Trail of Plastic Heads North
A new study published on August 14 in the journal Science Advances shows a shocking number of up to 14,400 microplastics per liter of snow in the Arctic, in addition to rubber particles and fibres. The research conducted by a team of German-Swiss researchers collected snow samples from the Svalbard islands using a low-tech method that involved using a dessertspoon and a flask. These samples were brought to the laboratory at Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven along with snow samples from sites in Germany and Switzerland (BBC, Science Advances).
Take 2: While more research is needed, atmospheric transportation might have carried the particles to the Arctic. With increasing levels of transportation occurring in the Arctic region, new research can help to prove if this is true or not. Microplastics present a unique threat to the fragile northern ecosystem as they can be consumed at all levels of the food chain causing severe damage to already threatened species. They can also find their way into humans who can inadvertently consume them.
Decreasing Arctic Ice May Not Be the Cause of Harsher Winters
On August 12, the journal Nature Climate Change published the findings of a new study conducted by experts from the University of Exter, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, and the Energy and Sustainability Research Institute in Groningen. By combining observations over the past 40 years with results from climate modeling experiments, the scientists were able to shed new light on the link between sea ice loss and cold winters. The results showed that reduced Arctic sea ice only has minimal influence on severe cold winter weather across Asia and North America. Instead the scientists found that reduced regional sea ice and cold winters often coincide with each other. This is because the reduced ice and extreme winters are driven by the same, large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns (Cosmos, Nature Climate Change, ScienceDaily).
Take 3: The new study is of great importance. It finally puts to rest the notion that Arctic sea ice loss causes cold mid-latitude winters. Past studies have suggested a connection between the two. While there is no direct correlation between the two, atmospheric changes can be a result of climate change in general. As the Earth warms up scientists continue to observe a changing weather pattern above the Arctic region. This study is good to know as it was just reported that the Greenland ice sheet has experienced its largest single-day volume loss on record. Scientists can then in the future focus their research on the atmospheric changes that affect climate.
Lightning Strikes in the Far North
On August 10, the National Weather Service reported that rare lightning strikes had been detected within 300 miles of the North Pole, at 85 degrees north latitude between 4 and 6 pm. The strikes were detected by Vaisala’s Global Lightning Detection network, and are considered to be some of the most northerly lightning strikes in Alaska forecaster memory (The Washington Post, The Weather Channel, Wired).
Take 4: The lightning strikes are a reminder that things are changing in the Arctic. Usually thunderstorms haven’t been detected that far north because the key ingredients to generate lightning have been lacking. The lower atmosphere has to be warm and moist enough while the layer above is cold and dry. This type of environment helps spur convection, which in turn can lead to lightning. Now with record high temperatures reported in the Arctic earlier this summer, it has become clear that lightning in the north can become more the norm as the unstable conditions needed to stir up lightning seem to become more common. With this comes the increased risk of lightning-sparked wildfires that will release more carbon into the atmosphere.
Arctic Ice Expected to Disappear During Summer Months
A new study published this week by the University of Cincinnati concluded that if average global temperatures increase by 2 degrees Celsius, sea ice could disappear completely in the Arctic every September. The study published in Nature Communications went further to state that even if the average temperature increase is less than 2 degrees Celsius, it might not be enough to reduce the chances of an ice-free summer in the Arctic. In order to determine the outcome of the study, the researchers used a new statistical method to observe 21st century climate model projections. The models showed a 6% probability that summer sea ice will disappear, and 28% probability that sea ice will disappear if temperatures reach a 2-degree increase (Nature Communications, Phys.org).
Take 5: The loss of summer sea ice means that it takes longer for the Arctic Ocean to ice over during the winter. This has negative consequences for the wildlife that depends on the ice for food and for the whole ecosystem. Businesses and industries will continue to take advantage of melting sea ice, further increasing damage to the area. The compounding negative effect of both climate change and increased human activity will continue to damage the area for years to come.