The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of December 9, 2019

Greenland’s Kangerlussuaq Airport to Close For Major Commercial Traffic in 2024 Due to Climate Change

Greenland’s main airport, Kangerlussuaq Airport, will be closed to commercial airlines by mid-2024 due to shorter runways from rapidly melting permafrost. Currently, the runways are being maintained through continuous repairs; however, this has been a costly endeavor. Greenland intends to divert commercial traffic to Nuuk in the south and the tourist destination Ilulissat in the north. Both runways have yet to be built. While Kangerlussuaq’s stable arid continental climate limits the airport’s closings, Nuuk further south is known for its bad weather conditions, which may require frequent diversions for incoming and outgoing flights (High North News).

Take 1: Greenland’s airports are one of the many cases where rapid thawing permafrost will alter the lives of those in the Arctic. Recent studies on permafrost decline confirm that 70 percent of the Arctic’s roads, buildings, and airports have a high potential to be affected by thawing ground over the next 30 years. The effects of permafrost melt are not limited to road and housing infrastructure but also affect prospective developments in Russia’s Yamal region and Alaska’s Trans Alaska Pipeline.

Russia’s Brand New Nuclear Icebreaker Arktika to Begin Sea Trials

Russia’s new flagship icebreaker, Arktika, boasts modernized nuclear ice breaking capabilities. Arktika is the first of five icebreakers to be commissioned over the next few years. This icebreaker fleet represents the largest and most powerful icebreakers ever constructed and will help bolster Russia’s shipping activity along the Northern Sea Route (High North News).

Take 2: Icebreakers are integral to Russia’s interests in the Arctic, as it gives them the capability to focus on commercial operations or patrol of territorial waters, depending on what is deemed necessary by political leaders. Russia’s continued investment in infrastructure will increase traffic in the Northern Sea Route.

Could Millions of Wind-Powered Pumps Slow Sea Ice Retreat in the Arctic?

A study from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research has found using millions of wind-power pumps throughout the Arctic to facilitate sea ice formation as a feasible option. The modelling in their publication shows that this form of geoengineering can delay the Arctic sea ice decline; however, it will not delay the global-scale devastation of climate change. In purely physical terms, the pumps can push back the loss of summer sea ice from mid-century to the end of the century, because sea ice better reflects sunlight relative to dark ocean water which absorbs the light (EOTA).

Take 3: Geoengineering is a polarizing topic, where those opposing it argue that it can cause more problems than it solves. While there can be consequences to such drastic measures, the affirmative maintains that it may be necessary given the situation. Geonengineering qualms aside, even the scientists at AWI admit wind-powered pumps are not a long-term solution but merely a stop-gap that would not have a meaningful effect on global warming outside the Arctic. Furthermore, the implementation of millions of pumps would require large-scale infrastructure, as well as international cooperation.

App Helps Inuit hunters Navigate Thinning Sea Ice in Canadian Arctic

Through close collaboration with the Arctic Eider Society, the Siku app was developed to help Inuit hunters in northern Canada to predict the increasingly unpredictable sea ice. There has been a spike in accidents in recent years, including some where hunters plunge through unexpectedly thin ice. The app combines traditional knowledge that have helped the Inuit thrive in the harsh Arctic climate with technological data such as satellite imagery. Ultimately, the Society hopes that the app will function as a go-to information hub for hunters to safely pursue their traditional hunting practices (The Guardian).

Take 4: With the Arctic warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world, the subsistence hunting culture of Indigenous people is at stake. Humans are ultimately at the mercy of nature, but technological innovation can improve our chances at anticipating what is to come. Siku also has a storytelling function that serves to preserve the storytelling traditions that is prevalent in Native communities. This app is a testament to how the intersection between technology and traditional practices is a symbiotic relationship that should be taken advantage of.

Finland’s New Parliament is Dominated by Women Under 35

Sanna Marine has been elected as the Prime Minister of Finland, making her both the world’s youngest prime minister at 34, and the head of a coalition government with parties all led by women, four of them under the age of 35. Marine was formerly Finland’s Transportation Minister, but is due to be sworn in as the head of the nation this week. Finland has routinely ranked near the top worldwide in measures of gender equality, but there is also an increasing trend wherein young people are holding more seats in the Finnish Parliament (Vox, rdnewsNOW).

Take 5: It is interesting to see the disparity in representation of women in government in countries like Finland as opposed to other countries. Proportional representation in government is imperative in creating a system that is more just to all. In many Nordic countries like Finland this has been made possible because of policies that help women maintain careers while raising families. Hopefully the Arctic country of Finland will serve as a case study for other countries as well.