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Need to know ~ Places
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The Arctic
Two Ivory Gulls in the Drift Ice of the Arctic, July 31, 2015
Photo: Andreas Weith CC BY-SA 4.0
Why current?
2020-09-15
When we imagine the Arctic, we see expanses of snow and ice. But a new study by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, has found that the warming planet is having dramatic effects on the climate and the landscape of the Arctic.
Our whole world is being affected by climate change. Some areas, however, are changing more rapidly than others, and among these are the polar regions. Every decade since the late 1970s has seen an astounding 12 percent decrease in Arctic sea ice. And each consecutive year since 2007, has set a new record for the least amount of sea ice.
Scientists have determined that these changes are having fundamental and far-reaching effects, which are basically altering the whole climate of the region. Researchers fear that we are dealing with an unforeseeable situation. Normally, weather patterns and temperatures can be predicted. But the Arctic climate is shifting so radically, that forecasts are getting harder to make.
Scientists do believe that if humans take decisive and immediate action to reduce emissions, there is still a chance to slow the melting of the Arctic.
Source: Fountain, Henry, “The Arctic is Shifting to a New Climate Because of Global Warming,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/climate/arctic-changing-climate.html, September 14, 2020.
More about the Arctic
- Covers sections of eight different countries – including Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Canada, Greenland, the United States, and Russia – and is home to about 4 million people, representing many different cultures and ethnic groups.
- People started living in this region some 30,000 years ago. The current changes in the climate create an uncertain future for these inhabitants.
- The Arctic is rich in valuable natural resources like gas and oil. Governments are rushing to claim these resources, further threatening the fragile ecosystems of this region.
- Not just snow and ice, but also mountains, tundra, and wetlands shape the Arctic landscape.
- The region provides habitats for a remarkable diversity of wildlife, including large mammals like polar bears, brown bears, and arctic wolves, as well as creatures tied to the water, like walruses, gray whales, narwhal, and salmon.
- The Arctic is the only place on Earth where polar bears live.
- The Arctic Ocean is 1.5 times the size of the United States. It’s the smallest ocean on Earth.
- The spectacular Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, can be seen coloring the Arctic skies in curtains of greens, yellows and violets.
- You won’t find trees in the Arctic. The tallest plants are shrubs, which grow in the warmest parts of the region and can reach a height of about 2 meters (about 6.5 feet).
- With even just a slight rise in temperatures, Arctic ice could vanish entirely within a few short decades. This would spell disaster, not only for the region, but for the whole planet.
Sources: The World Wildlife Fund, “How Big is the Arctic Ocean,” https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-big-is-the-arctic-ocean-and-eight-other-arctic-facts.; The Northern Forum, “Amazing Facts About the Arctic,” https://www.northernforum.org/en/news/309-amazing-facts-about-the-arctic.