What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic
When we think of the Arctic we always come up with pictures of ice, dog sled races and native Eskimos hunting seals and fishing for a living and a way of life.
Today the afternoon temperature is 76 degrees in Fairbanks and 72 in Anchorage and the forecast for both is for temperatures all week in the 70s and nights in the 50s. Not much different than our own weather in early June.
Last year the Arctic recorded its warmest temperature ever when a small city in Siberia reported a temperature of 100.4 degrees. Almost unbelievable and coupled with that was the Feb. 6, 2020, temperature of 64.9 degrees at the other pole in Antarctica which set the new record for warmth on that continent. Antarctica is the coldest place on the planet and has the world’s record for cold at 127 degrees below zero. Again, almost unbelievable. The year 2020 was the warmest year on record for both poles.
An article in Time Magazine this past week indicates that both of these regions are losing vast amounts of ice and causing our seas to rise. Scientist see lots of problems down the road. When there isn’t enough ice to reflect the sun’s rays back into space, that heat is absorbed by the now darker ocean that causes ice melt and warmer sea temperatures and we all know that warmer waters provide the atmosphere with more fuel in the form of energy to strengthen storms, change ocean currents and wind patterns.
The article goes on to say these effects ripple through the global ecosystems producing increased storms, droughts floods and fires. What happens at the top of the planet does not just stay there and affects everyone on our planet.
In Alaska itself, indigenous peoples and villages that have lived in harmony with the ice for centuries must now relocate inland. Hunting for seal, walrus and polar bear is not possible without winters thick slabs of ice.
A warming Arctic is not just a warning as it has the potential to destroy the Permafrost, a layer of permanently frozen ground that sits under both the Arctic and Antarctic. The article goes on to say “this is a carbon bomb waiting to go off, and our polar regions protect life as we know it.”
On the other side of the issue is that fact that at least as far as the Arctic goes increased warmth and melting seas could have a benefit as this could produce new shipping lanes for transportation. The city of Nome Alaska is in the process of building a deep port to accommodate increased shipping and even the docking of passenger cruise ships. The port of Nome is poised to be the center of America’s marine presence in the Arctic.
Russia also has already made a large investment in new ice breakers and building up its existing 40-strong icebreaking fleet. In 2010 international cargo shippers made only one full Northern Sea Route transit. In 2021 there were 71. This new route could shave two weeks off a journey saving time, fuel and giving Russia an alternative route to ship its gas and oil to countries like China and India.
Our most advanced icebreaker is 23 years old. We have only one backup, according to Time, and it is 50 years old.
Something to think about as the world grows more dangerous.