Species in the Arctic

Native Arctic Species

The Arctic Circle is populated with a diverse variety of creatures. Some native land species include Arctic foxes and wolves, Musk Oxen, Reindeer, and of course polar bears. The native creatures of the sea are Narwhals, orcas. walruses. These creatures live off the Arctic land and sea. There are a variety of plants and freshwater sources to support these animals. Yet, climate change is drastically changing their way of life. The sea ice is melting at a fast rate which is affecting the animals since they cannot adapt fast enough.

Arctic Narwhals

Invasive Arctic Species

Since the Arctic sea ice is melting, more and more ships are able to pass through the Arctic. Ships' ballast tanks are full of organisms and most likely invasive species. Ballast tanks are filled with water to weigh down the ships to make them more stable. "When the ship arrives at its destination and it’s time to load more cargo, the ballast water—and any critters and microorganisms in it—is flushed out. Ballast water has transported bacteria like the cholera-causing Vibrio cholera, and bigger organisms such as the European zebra mussel, across oceans, causing billions of dollars worth of damage and potentially spreading disease in the process." (Goodchild van Hilten, 2015). There are invasive species everywhere, in the Arctic, it is most likely that the species would not survive the cold temperature and extreme weather. On the other hand, scientists believe the warming Arctic will increase survival of these introduced species. 


A research team traveled to Svalbard, a group of islands far north of the Norwegian mainlands, and took samples of ballast water from ships coming into ports. "They identified 23 non-native species, including crabs, barnacles and copepods, in the ballast water. Of those, the team focused their attention on eight, assessing whether they can survive in the conditions in Svalbard today, and in the conditions predicted for 2050 and 2100." (Giller, 2016). 

European Green Crab

A species known as the European Green Crab was found in the Arctic by researchers is considered among the 100 worst invasive species worldwide by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. This species eats native shellfish and plankton, starts competition with native crabs and even introduces new types of parasites. 

What Are They Doing About It ??

The Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) is working with the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) on the Arctic Invasive Alien Species Strategy and Action Plan (ARIAS). The goal is to prevent the introduction of invasive species in the Arctic ecosystems. The Arctic Council is expecting more invasive species to thrive in the Arctic with the ongoing climate change and increased shipping routes. "Rapid climate change is making the region more vulnerable to invasive species introductions, and at the same time a rapid increase in human activity and transit and energy development in the region is increasing the chance of introduction of new and invasive species." (Hjalti, Arctic Invasive Species).

There are many plans the Arctic states have agreed on that are taking place like the Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2013-2021; the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan (AMSP) 2015-2025; the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA 2009); and the Arctic Ocean Review (2013). 
One example:

Regarding the Marine ecosystem the AMSP identified the following actions:

7.1.3 Improve the understanding of cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems from multiple human activity-induced stressors such as climate change, ocean acidification, local and long range transported pollution (land and sea-based), marine litter, noise, eutrophication, biomass overharvesting, invasive alien species and other threats.
7.1.9 Strengthen, where feasible, the collection, observation, monitoring and dissemination of relevant data on the Arctic marine environment. This could include hydrographic and bathymetric data; oceanographic data (including tides and currents) and meteorological information for numerical modelling and forecasting; pollutants; climate change-related impacts (especially ocean acidification); and ecosystem and biodiversity status and trends (including invasive species and other metrics of environmental change).
7.2.5 Develop and encourage the Arctic states to implement common measures and support research into technology and techniques for early detection and reporting of marine invasive species in the Arctic marine environment.

(https://www.pame.is/index.php/projects/arctic-marine-shipping/arctic-invasive-species)


Here you can look at the Project plans!
Project Website:
https://caff.is/invasive-species

Sources

Contributor, Guest. “Arctic Wildlife Vs Antarctic Wildlife.” Zegrahm Expeditions, Feb. 2018, 1, www.zegrahm.com/blog/arctic-wildlife-vs-antarctic-wildlife.

“Wildlife.” Wildlife | WWF Arctic, arcticwwf.org/work/wildlife/. 

Goodchild van Hilten, Lucy. “Stopping the Stowaways.” Hakai Magazine, 2015, www.hakaimagazine.com/news/stopping-stowaways/. 

Giller, Geoffrey. “Arctic at Risk from Invasive Species.” Arctic, News Deeply, 8 Feb. 2016, www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2016/02/08/arctic-at-risk-from-invasive-species. 

Hjalti. “Arctic Invasive Species.” Arctic Invasive Species, www.pame.is/index.php/projects/arctic-marine-shipping/arctic-invasive-species. 

Price, Courtney. “Arctic Invasive Alien Species.” CAFF, caff.is/invasive-species.

Territoriality in the Arctic

In our world today, it is all about ownership; who has the most land and resources. It is a power move to assert dominance. Main questions I feel like countries would ask themselves is "If we engaged in war, could we win? Who would aid us if needed? Are we more powerful than them?". It is always about power and control.

Who Owns the Arctic

In the Arctic region, it is made up of Russia, the United States, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Canada, Sweden, Norway, 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. Water/seas not in any EEZ is considered international waters. For example, the high seas including the North Pole and the Arctic Ocean surrounding it are not owned by anyone. The sea bottom beyond the exclusive economic zones and confirmed extended continental shelf claims are considered to be the "heritage of all mankind" where exploration and exploitation of mineral resources are administered by the UN International Seabed Authority.

So I guess the answer would be that technically no one owns the Arctic Circle. The countries that are apart of this region are the ones who own pieces of it. 

Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic States, indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the region. The Members of the Arctic Council include  Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States.

The work of the Council is primarily carried out in six Working Groups.

• The Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) acts as a strengthening and supporting mechanism to encourage national actions to reduce emissions and other releases of pollutants.

• The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) monitors the Arctic environment, ecosystems and human populations, and provides scientific advice to support governments as they tackle pollution and adverse effects of climate change.

• The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group (CAFF) addresses the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, working to ensure the sustainability of the Arctic’s living resources.

• The Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group (EPPR) works to protect the Arctic environment from the threat or impact of an accidental release of pollutants or radionuclides.

• The Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group is the focal point of the Arctic Council’s activities related to the protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment.

• The Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) works to advance sustainable development in the Arctic and to improve the conditions of Arctic communities as a whole.

(https://arctic-council.org/index.php/en/about-us)

Fight for the Arctic?

The Arctic region is filled with natural resources like oil and gas. According to a 2008 US Geological Survey review, the Arctic is home to as much as 22 percent of the worlds undiscovered oil and natural gas (Millstein, 2016) And along with resources comes competition. As far as we know, there is not really any conflict in the Arctic. Now that global warming is a factor, Arctic ice is rapidly melting. This allows more boats/ships to navigate through the Arctic waters. Unlike in the past, icebreaker ships were required to travel through. The US only has one icebreaker while Russia has around 40 more. Russia is large and powerful, we know that. In 2007, they even placed a titanium Russian flag in the Arctic seabed in the North Pole. This appeared to be very symbolic in representing their claim of the ocean floor and the resources within it. Russia also has six military bases in the Arctic as well. What we do not know is whether or not this is an act of power or heading for a fight for the Arctic region. 

Russian Icebreaker

Only US Icebreaker

This is my interactive map of the Arctic Circle and the territories that lay within it. I really like this map because if you zoom in on a certain area it will have every landform labeled, even small islands. The water in this region is the blue color while the land is white. 

Sources

King, Hobart. “Who Owns the Arctic Ocean?” Geology, geology.com/articles/who-owns-the-arctic.shtml.

Copeland, Baden, and Derek Watkins. “Who Owns the Arctic.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Dec. 2013, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/07/sunday-review/who-owns-the-arctic.html.

Millstein, Seth. “Who Owns the Arctic? And Who Doesn't?” Timeline, Timeline, 28 Nov. 2016, timeline.com/who-owns-the-arctic-2b9513b3b2a3.

“CAFF Arctic Wetlands Workshop.” Arctic Council, 20 May 2015, arctic-council.org/index.php/en/about-us.

Waste in the Arctic

Waste is inevitable and it all has to go somewhere. Litter and pollution is human error. We are the ones who think that throwing a small plastic bag into the ocean is not a big deal. Every year, the United States generates approximately 230 million tons of "trash"--about 4.6 pounds per person per day. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled; the rest is incinerated or buried in landfills.




 This topic reminds me of the movie WALL-E, short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class. It is a Disney movie from 2008 about a lonely robot who picks up trash one piece at a time. He is the last robot on Earth who spends his days tidying up the planet. It takes place in the future when Earth has become an overgrown wasteland due to humans neglect and consumerism. As a child, I did not really understand the whole theme and lesson of this movie. Now that I am older, I understand the consequences of human error. It is scary to think that Earth becoming a wasteland could be a possible result of our carelessness in the future. 

Arctic Plastic

In the beautiful Arctic region, there are tons of disgusting waste and garbage just like everywhere else. Plastic waste is beginning to pile up in the Arctic. Researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) found fragments of packaging, paints, nylon, polyester and cellulose acetate which is commonly used in making cigarette filters in every sample they took in 2014 and 2015. Scientists have found a record amount of plastic trapped in the Arctic sea ice. Around 12,000 pieces of microplastic particles per liter of sea ice were found from 5 different regions in the Arctic. As the Arctic sea ice melts as a result of global warming, the plastics that were encased in the sea ice are able to move around the region. The melting sea ice allows more ships to pass through the Arctic region which can result in more pollution and trash. Especially with luxury cruise ships, known to produce a ton of solid waste per day. Also, researches have found trash and objects from all different parts of the world.

Norwegian Arctic

Apparently, plastic waste is accumulating even in the pristine wilderness of the Norwegian Arctic. There are huge amounts of microplastic fragments found in the sea ice. In 2013, scientists found over 200 different pieces of microplastics in many fishes stomaches. A large amount of this waste comes from discarded fishing gear. International fisheries are contributing to this issue. Animals get caught in fishing nets that were thrown overboard. Some creatures have been found tangled up on the beaches, for example, raindeers get their antlers stuck and cannot release them. Norway's environment Minister Ola Elvestuen told BBC News: "It's disturbing - there's nowhere on Earth that's so far away that its not affected by plastics." 

Here is a link to the article including a video on the Arctic:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42947155 

 

Ocean Currents

Above the dotted line represents the Arctic Circle. As you can see, not many warm ocean currents travel into the Arctic Circle. The currents are generally in the Greenland Sea, east of Greenland and in the Barents Sea near Norway and Russia. These areas accumulate plenty of trash. 

Sources

Stevens, Alison Pearce. “Plastic Trash Rides Ocean Currents to the Arctic.” Science News for Students, 17 July 2017, www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/plastic-trash-rides-ocean-currents-arctic.

Metcalfe, John, et al. “We're Trashing the Arctic. Literally.” Mother Jones, 23 June 2017, www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/02/trash-plastic-arctic-ocean-ships/.

Harrabin, Roger. “Plastic Waste 'Building up' in Arctic.” BBC News, BBC, 8 Feb. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42947155.

Taylor, Matthew. “Record Levels of Plastic Discovered in Arctic Sea Ice.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Apr. 2018, www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/24/record-levels-of-plastic-discovered-in-arctic-sea-ice.