Waters Role in the Arctic

Arctic Ocean

Twenty percent of the Earth's water is tied up in arctic ice and glaciers.  As you can see from the map, the Arctic region (outlined in red) is made up of mostly water. Water, frozen or liquid, plays a vital role in the environment of the Arctic. The Arctic Ocean covers 15,558,000 square kilometers (6,006,977 square miles) (http://www.arcticworld.net/). "Arctic ice cools warm ocean currents and generates cold deep ocean water. Deep, cold currents flowing south from the Arctic Ocean distribute nutrients and control temperatures in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans." (http://what-when-how.com/water-science/arctic-and-subarctic-regions-water-science/). In the winter, the entire Arctic Ocean is covered in sea ice. In the spring, ice melts back towards the North Pole resulting in large icebergs in the open ocean waters. The Arctic Ice Cap is a large area where there are permanent layers of ice covering. This helps to regulate the Earth's temperature by reflecting the sun.  The temperature of the Arctic region in the winter is around -40 degrees Celcius and in the summer is about 10 degrees Celsius. The highest recorded temperature in the Arctic was in 1915 in Ft. Yukon, Alaska with about 38 degrees Celcius.  

               Freshwater 

Surprisingly, the Arctic region has a diverse range of freshwater ecosystems like wetlands, deltas, lakes, ponds, rivers, etc. Some of the largest and deepest lakes on the planet thrive in this region. For example, Great Bear Lake in Canada, Great Slave Lake also in Canada and Lake Taymyr in Russia. These bodies receive their waters from permanent and intermittent rivers/streams that drain mountains, highlands, and glaciated areas. Even though these freshwater systems are so abundant, they do not contain a large amount of biodiversity. 

Effects of Global Warming

As temperatures increase from global warming, fish habitats will change with the population of cold-water species diminishing. Even though it is almost impossible to predict the future, some scientists believe that most freshwater species will be forced to migrate northwards. This causes the issue that these native species of the Arctic will be forced to compete for food and light affecting their ability for survival. Without the fish, the nutrient levels are likely to increase resulting in mass amounts of zooplankton, resulting in a decrease of lake oxygen levels.

As Arctic sea ice melts, water passages become more open. This provides clear shipping routes for traveling and trading. The Northwest Passage is the most profitable shipping lane in the Arctic. Also, tourism can fan out through the Arctic with less sea ice. In 2016, a luxury cruise ship traveled through the Northwest Passage for the first time. Good thing there was not a second Titanic occurrence. Icebreakers are still required through travel in the Arctic. Of course, Russia owns the largest and most powerful icebreakers. 

Boarders

In the Arctic region, borders do not really exist, the countries that make up the region consist of Russia, the United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Each country has exclusive economic zones (EEZ's) which extend 200 nautical miles off of the coasts of each country. Within their EEZ, the country can explore and exploit the resources in the area. The main thing is respecting each other's boundaries. Since the Arctic is rich in natural resources such as oil, it is bound to strike conflict. Right now Russia is building up its military and industrial presence in the region.

This is a link to a video about the Race for the Arctic resources and Russia is the main attraction. 

https://abcnews.go.com/International/race-arctic-frontier-opens-russia-leaves-us-wake/story?id=47304875

ArcGIS Map: Icebreaker Zone within the Arctic

https://arcg.is/0XC54D

Sources

“Arctic Water Resources.” Norwegian Polar Institute, 2004, www.npolar.no/en/projects/details?pid=d4261364-d2a8-53c1-a890-be85731d40a1.

“Arctic and Subarctic Regions (Water Science).” Whatwhenhow RSS, what-when-how.com/water-science/arctic-and-subarctic-regions-water-science/.

“Welcome to ArcticWorld.” Arctic World, www.arcticworld.net/.

Brears, Robert. “Freshwater Ecosystems in the Arctic.” Oceanwide Expeditions, oceanwide-expeditions.com/blog/freshwater-ecosystems-in-the-arctic.

National Geographic Society. “Arctic.” National Geographic Society, National Geographic, 9 Oct. 2012, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/arctic/.

Natural Resources of the Arctic

A natural resource is defined as materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain. The Arctic region is rich in natural resources. The North American Arctic contains pockets of uranium, copper, nickel, iron, natural gas, and oil. The Russian Arctic holds abundant deposits of nickel, copper, coal, gold, uranium, tungsten, and diamonds. As most of us probably already know, oil is the largest natural resource of the Arctic region.

Oil

 The Russian Arctic is also, "the source for about 80 percent of this oil and virtually all of the natural gas; Arctic Canada, Alaska, and Norway are the other leading producers." (https://arctic.ru/resources/).  The Arctic region produces about one-tenth of the world's oil and about one-fourth of the worlds natural gas. There are more than four hundred onshore gas and oil in the Northern Arctic Circle. More than two-thirds of the producing areas are located in Russia, mainly Siberia. The largest gas fields are located in the coastal area of Alaska and Serbia.  In the US Arctic, the oil reserves are at about fifteen million barrels, and gas reserves are over two trillion cubic meters. In the Canadian Arctic, the Mackenzie River Delta has forty-nine gas and oil fields and fifteen fields on the Canadian Arctic archipelago. 

Oil Drilling

Oil drilling in the Arctic region is an extremely dangerous task especially with the geographical location and the severe weather conditions in the region. Large oil spills are bound to happen with the rapid change in weather and melting of ice chunks. "In January, the Trump administration called for the removal of crucial Arctic protections in a new draft proposal of where oil and gas companies can purchase leases for offshore drilling." (WWF, How would offshore oil and gas drilling in the Arctic impact wildlife). An oil spill would completely contaminate the marine life in the Arctic waters, which is a major food source for most of the mammals of the region. Most of the animal life of the region lives on land, travels on the ice, and goes swimming in the Arctic waters. The entire ecosystem would be altered so much that many species could become endangered.

Russia in the Arctic

The Arctic region is one of the least regulated places on earth, no one owns it. Russia dominates most of this region geographically. They have more icebreakers than any other country in the region. Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan states,  “The highways of the Arctic are icebreakers. Russia has superhighways, and we have dirt roads with potholes.”(Slav, The Arctic Resource Race Is On And It Will Be Peaceful). Unlike the United States, Russia uses the Arctic as an economic development priority. 

Stop Drilling

There are many different environmental groups and activists who are against oil drilling in the Arctic Region. A group called Greenpeace is nonprofit and allows you to get involved and become aware of the real issues of the environment, and they hold peaceful protests. "We believe in the public’s right to know about what’s happening to our planet. Our investigations expose environmental crimes and the people, companies and governments that need to be held responsible." (Greenpeace).  The other well-known group interesting in preserving the environment is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). They are a huge organization that specifies in helping animals and species of all kind of all regions of the world. They have various ways for people to connect through being an activist or even fundraising. 

Greenpeace Activist dressed as a polar bear in Norway

Activists in kayaks protesting Shell oil drilling at the Port of Seattle

Citations

1. “Natural Resources.” Arctic, 12 Dec. 2018, arctic.ru/resources/.

2. “How Would Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling in the Arctic Impact Wildlife?” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-would-offshore-oil-and-gas-drilling-in-the-arctic-impact-wildlife.

3. “Arctic Oil Drilling.” Greenpeace International, www.greenpeace.org/usa/arctic/issues/oil-drilling/.

4. “Arctic Extractives Search.” National Ocean Economics Program, www.oceaneconomics.org/arctic/extractive/extractSearch.aspx?xtype=petro.

5. Slav, Irina. “The Arctic Resource Race Is On And It Will Be Peaceful.” OilPrice.com, 29 Jan. 2017, oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Arctic-Resource-Race-Is-On-And-It-Will-Be-Peaceful.html.

Climate Change Efforts

Arctic Climate Change

I consider Climate Change to be a natural disaster. It has many harmful effects on communities and in the environment. It causes mass damage and can result in loss of life, for animals and humans. In the Arctic region, animals and creatures lose their habitats while humans can lose their homes as a result of rising sea level. So the question is, how are those in the Arctic adapting to this climate change?

Adaptation Readiness

The term "readiness" basically means being in a state willing to do things or fully prepared. "Adaptation readiness focuses on identifying and characterizing what is actually being done to prepare for adaptation, focusing on the strength and existence of governance structures that determine the preparedness to build support for adaptation action and effectively develop, implement, and monitor adaptation intervention"(Ford, J.D., Labbé, J., Flynn, M., 2017). 
The framework for this team focuses on the Governments of Nunavut and Canada, part of the Arctic. They claim that the critical elements for adaptation include decision making, political leadership, institutional organization, adaptation funding, stakeholder engagement, usable science, and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ). IQ refers to the traditions and cultural values of the Inuit people in adapting efforts. Stakeholder agreement is when stakeholders of the communities are kept informed and provide input for the efforts. 

Government of Canada

"The federal government, as outlined in the 2011 Adaptation Policy Framework (APF), is responsible for building adaptive capacity through increasing awareness of climate impacts, encouraging economic growth, establishing legislative frameworks conducive to national adaptation, and communicating climate change information (Government of Canada 2011)." (Ford, J.D., Labbé, J., Flynn, M., 2017). It appears that the Government of Canada stands as the main government involved with the issue of climate change. 

Funding... if any

In Nunavut, the majority of funding came from the Clean Air Agenda under the federal government. In 2007-2011, $85.9 million was investing, in 2011- 2016, around $148.8 million. $40-49 million was invested in Northern Canada alone. The federal budget in 2016 announced was $129.5 million for adaptation for the next 5 years. 

Here is a map of the populations in each country of this region. The map would not take my data and would only plot one point, which is incorrect. This was extremely difficult and uncooperative.  https://arcg.is/19jeKz

Ford, James D, et al. “Readiness for Climate Change Adaptation in the Arctic: a Case Study from Nunavut, Canada.” SpringerLink, Springer, 13 Sept. 2017, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-017-2071-4#citeas.

“Population Distribution in the Circumpolar Arctic, by Country (Including Indigenous Population).” GRID-Arendal, www.grida.no/resources/7009.

“Cities on Ice: Population Change in the Arctic.” Nordregio, 16 Oct. 2018, www.nordregio.org/nordregio-magazine/issues/arctic-changes-and-challenges/cities-on-ice-population-change-in-the-arctic/.

Disaster in the Arctic

Natural disasters happen everywhere at any time, they are inevitable. They can destroy lives and communities. The best we can do is prepare ourselves and always be aware of what is going on around us.  In this case, the Arctic is vulnerable to natural disasters such as frequent storms, hurricanes, rainfall, floods, heat waves, droughts, forest fires, avalanches, mudslides/ landslides, melting glaciers, rising sea levels and ocean temperatures. Of course, different areas of the Arctic region are going to be more vulnerable to some of these disasters than others. "The most vulnerable people are those less prepared or less equipped and those with insufficient resources living in poor, overpopulated regions of the world." (Dasgupta, Natural Disasters & Environmental Change). Right now, a huge concern in the Arctic is the effects of climate change. 

Heating Up

As the weather becomes warmer, everything slowly, but surely, begins to melt. For example, the Northwest passage was not accessible until 2009, opened up, causing more oil drilling, mining, fishing and loss of habitat. According to Dr. Asim K. Dasgupta, former Occupational Health Consultant, National Health Services, United Kingdom, Arctic roads and houses are subsiding. Those who live in low-lying islands, deltas or coastal areas, are much more vulnerable this. A new term I learned was "cold wave", which refers to a rapid fall in temperature in a 24 hour period. They form from large, cool air masses that cloud over certain areas, caused by movements of air stream.  The effects of this can be deadly, they kill animals, people, crops, etc. According to Dr. Asim K Dasgupta, "More frequent cold waves may occur due to global warming. The logical explanation is the Arctic is becoming warmer, which pushes Arctic air towards the Northern Hemisphere, thus acting to refrigerate the region in winter time.". The warming Arctic can cause many disasters. When glaciers melt, they cause the sea levels to rise, allowing mass flooding. We cannot forget that many animals in the Arctic are losing their habitats as well. 

People Making a Difference

There are many different groups trying to help the Arctic. There is a group called "Greenpeace", their goal is to stop oil drilling in the Arctic. They claim that " our dependence on oil is what's causing climate change in the first place."(Greenpeace, The Arctic and Global Warming). They target large corporations like Shell and Exxon Mobil for exploiting the Arctic oils. They accept volunteers and donations. Also, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is trying to make a difference. They do research in order to get an idea of what the future Arctic will look like, try to develop technology to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and many more actions. An organization called Ice911 has very interesting research ideas to help reduce warming. For example, they are working along with University of Washington scientists on a project, "The Marine Cloud Brightening Project. They are researching the idea of spraying salt water into the air to make Arctic clouds more reflective and increase regional cooling. 

As many of us have seen, our own president mocks global warming. I am not sure if I just did not look hard enough, but I could not find any government role in the tragic climate change of the Arctic. According to the Norweigan Ambassedor of Canada, Mona Elisabeth Brother claims "All countries in the Arctic Council, as well as the permanent observers are, committed to the principles of stewardship and good governance in the Arctic for a sustainable future for the region and its peoples." (Brother, What Can the Arctic Governments Do About Climate Change). She claims the Arctic Government is aware and understand the importance of the climate change, but we have not really seen any government initiative. 

I feel that the whole concept of climate change in global warming is easily misunderstood. Some people do not believe in or do not trust scientists. But something is definitely changing whether you believe it is global warming or not. We need to understand this and the changing environment, it effects everyone one way or another. Of course, those in the Arctic region are more vulnerable to rapid changes than anyone else. In the end, we will all be affected by it. 

Link to Gini Index Map!

https://arcg.is/1jjPi5

Dasgupta, Asim. “Natural Disasters & Environmental Change.” Livebetter Magazine, livebettermagazine.com/article/natural-disasters-environmental-change/.

“The Arctic & Global Warming.” Greenpeace International, www.greenpeace.org/usa/arctic/issues/global-warming/.

“Warming Arctic Urgently Needs First Aid.” Ice911, www.ice911.org/draft-blog/2018/6/15/nvo5vgdezngc01ayo29o4avbz5uyd7.

Brother, Mona Elisabeth. “What Can the Arctic Governments Do About Climate Change?” HuffPost Canada, HuffPost Canada, 13 Nov. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.ca/mona-elisabeth-brother/arctic-climate-change_b_5811612.html.