The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of September 14, 2020

Greenland Glacier Breaks Up 

On September 14 news outlets reported that a 110 square km (42 sq mi) piece of the Arctic’s largest remaining ice shelf broke off near the coast of Greenland. The area that split off, known as the Spalte Glacier, had already been disintegrating for a few years. Polar researchers are not surprised with the break as the atmosphere in the region has warmed by about 3°C since 1980 with record temperatures in 2019 and 2020 accelerating the break off. Researchers expect that the Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden, the ice shelf that the Spalte Glacier was connected to, will melt and break off in the next 10 to 20 years. (Barents Observer, BBC, CBS News)

Take 1: While it might not have been surprising to polar researchers that the Spalte Glacier broke off, it still might come as a surprise to many others who don’t pay much attention to these issues. Melting glaciers in both the Arctic and Antarctica are accelerating the rise of sea levels and there is no expectation that this trend will stop anytime soon. In July of this year for example, the Milne Ice Shelf off northern Canada, lost 80 square km (30 sq mi). It is no longer really a matter of stopping the glaciers from melting, although reducing carbon emissions might slow down the increasing temperatures. Really, the goal of most states should be in preparing coastal communities for the negative impacts of increasing waters.

The Arctic’s New Climate

On September 14 scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado published findings from a new Arctic study in the Nature Climate Change journal. By using years of observational data from the region and five different computer models the researchers were able to examine changes in Arctic sea ice extent, air temperatures and precipitation patterns. The findings showed that the effects of global warming in the Arctic are so severe that the region is shifting to a different climate with less ice and snow and more open water and rain instead. Sea ice extent has already declined by 31% since satellites started recording sea ice extent in 1979, and air temperatures and precipitation patterns are starting to be profoundly different from the past as well. (Nature, NY Times, Scientific America)

Take 2: The study confirms that a new Arctic is already emerging, with an expectation that a complete transformation to an unrecognizable climate system may occur before the end of the century. The changing reality is of concern for the current Arctic ecosystem and the communities that rely on it. Not only does it threaten animals that depend on the ice for food, and the indigenous communities that rely on the ice to hunt, but it can also bring on an array of other issues like eroding coastlines, flooding, expansion of toxic algal blooms, and increased level of shipping in the Arctic Ocean. 

Royal Navy led Arctic Exercises First in 20 Years

On September 14 it was reported that the Royal Navy led a task group consisting of warships and aircrafts conducting military exercises in Arctic waters. This is the first time that the Royal Navy has conducted such an operation in Arctic waters in 20 years. The task group consists of ships from the U.S., Norway, and military personnel from Denmark. The ships conducted training in anti-submarine warfare, underway replenishment, and surface warfare off the coast of the Kola Peninsula. Approximately 1200 military personnel took part in the exercises. (The Barents Observer, The Maritime Executive)

Take 3: The Kola Peninsula is within Russia’s exclusive economic zone and the home of Russia’s Northern Fleet. These exercises thus demonstrate to Russia the fact that Western navies are now actively interested in operating militarily in Arctic waters. Russia must view the increasing interoperability between NATO forces in the area as a threat to what it considers its sphere of influence. As such one can imagine that Russian forces will continue to increase in the area and conduct more of their own exercises. As the ice melts and the scramble for influence in the region grows, the risk continues to rise the potential for increased tensions between the powers.

Killer Whales Attack

On September 15 a study reported that killer whales in U.S. Arctic waters are increasingly preying on bowhead whales. The finding was published in Springer Nature by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and University of Washington. The researchers used aerial surveys from 2009 to 2018 to study bowhead whale carcasses in the eastern Chukchi and western Beaufort seas. Out of 33 carcasses that were documented in the area, 18 had injuries that indicated killer whale attacks. (Anchorage Daily News, NOAA) 

Take 4: In the past it was thought that bowhead whales in the U.S. Pacific Arctic experience minimal predation from killer whales. This seems to no longer be the case as the recent study shows that scientists now for the first time ever have direct evidence that killer whales are preying on bowhead whales in the area. In fact, during the study period 2009-2018 killer whale predation was the primary cause of death observed for bowhead whales in the region. The attacks have occurred as the sea ice has dramatically declined and left the bowhead whales without the ability to escape into thick ice for safety. The information provided in the study is essential to effectively manage and conserve the species in the future as the bowhead whales are considered endangered and a critical subsistence food for Alaska Natives.

An Appeal to Tesla

On September 7 the Saami Council stated that they strongly support the appeal made by Indigenous leaders urging Elon Musk and Tesla not to buy nickel or other products from Nornickel. The appeal came in the form of a letter written to Elon Musk from representatives of the Russian Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic. In the letter Indigenous defenders that have established a network known as “Aborigen Forum” expressed their desire for Tesla to not conduct any business with Nornickel till they implement environmental measures, compensate Indigenous communities, and begin to implement policies that follow the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Nornickel conducts mining operations in the Taymyr Peninsula and Murmansk Oblast. (Aborigen Forum, Saami Council, The Barents Observer)

Take 5: The appeal by “Aborigen Forum” comes after Elon Musk offered long-term contracts for companies that can fully address the nickel needs of Tesla. Nornickel ranks as a global leader in pollution, and in May 2020 it was for instance estimated that 20,000 tons of diesel had spilled into local rivers around its plant in the Russian Arctic. At the same time though, Nornickel is the world’s largest palladium producer and one of the world’s largest nickel producers and thus has a good chance of securing Tesla’s long-term contracts for metal production. The appeal seeks to bring the company’s poor environmental history into the spotlight by pressuring a potential business partner. It also seeks to pressure Nornickel into including the local Arctic Indigenous people in the decisions that are being made on their land. Only time will tell if this public appeal will change business interests.