The Situation at the Poles

 

The Situation at the Earth’s Poles

[Time Magazine recently sent one of their correspondents, Aryn Baker, to both the Artic and Antarctic to report on recent climate changes at the two poles. Her findings were reported in the May 22/May30, 2022 issue of Time and are summarized here]

“After visiting both ends of the earth, I realized how much trouble we’re in.” Aryn Baker

The indigenous people who live in the Artic depend upon the ocean for their sustenance. In the words of a 96-year-old resident, “The ocean is our grocery store.” Their grocery is increasingly being depleted by the inexorable changes wrought on both poles by increasing temperatures. The food chain for many of the world’s critters begins in the coldest areas of our oceans where tiny animals known as krill cling to the bottoms of sea ice flows. Many other sea creatures depend on sea ice for their food including seals, walrus and polar bears. The tiny krill become food for other animals. Those who feed exclusively on krill are beginning to show the effects of fewer krill as ice cover disappears because of increasing ambient temperatures at the poles.

The loveable Chinstrap Penguins in the Artic are one of those who depend upon krill. These natives to the coldest areas are disappearing rapidly as the krill population declines. Recent studies of several colonies show some have declined as much as 50% of their former numbers while others have lost 77% of their former size. The cause - less ice is formed later in the fall and it melts sooner in the spring. Another of the native animals that is disappearing is the bearded seal that natives know as ugruk. This critter has been used for food and a variety of other purposes for as long as anyone can remember by Inkupiak people who live on and about the village of Unalakleet. The seals are now so rare that hunters can no longer count on them as a food source.

Overall, the Artic is increasing in temperature four times faster than the rest of the globe. Both poles are similarly affected by increasing temperatures. At Argentina’s weather station on Esperanza Island in Antarctica a new, high temperature record was noted in the middle of winter – on Feb 6, 2020 the mercury climbed to a nearly unbelievable 65 F near the middle of winter. At the other end of the world, the temperature reached 100 F on June 20, 2020. The sea ice didn’t last long at either pole at these winter temperatures.

The concern over increasing temperatures is not just about the poles and the food supply at those regions. Science has proven that the poles have an overarching effect on weather around the globe. In fact, the poles regulate our climate, our weather patterns and our maritime food supply. These effects occur since sea ice reflects sunlight, minimizing temperature changes from the incident sunlight. When the ice melts, the sunshine is absorbed by the dark ocean raising its temperature, thus altering ocean currents, weakening the jet stream and changing wind patterns. These changes are the birthplace for greater droughts, storms and flooding in areas around the globe, the very things we are experiencing in our western states and other areas around the world. The extraordinary costs of these changes and the uprooting of people’s lives has grown to nearly incalculable heights.

Despite the continuing insults to the polar regions that have occurred to date, the worst may be yet to come. Much of the polar regions are girded by a subsurface soil layer known as permafrost. This soil contains thick layers of nature’s detritus accumulated over thousands of years. As it melts, the frozen material has the potential to release the accumulated carbonaceous material in the form of carbon dioxide. This further insult to the atmosphere can become another major new source for air pollution that will add to the problem of climate change.

The science is clear; to prevent further disruption to our way of life from climate change, we must cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. As the 2020’s wear on, it appears increasingly unlikely that we will be able to meet this goal given our current lackluster progress.

“Our polar regions protect life as we know it only as much as we protect them.” Aryn Baker

 

So, what is next for us? The Artic is nearing a tipping point. Overall, 2020 marked the hottest year on record at the two poles heralding the smallest amount of sea ice cover ever seen in the two regions. The ice melt raises the level of ocean waters thus threatening low-lying regions around the world. Possibly even worse is the effect on permafrost. The permafrost layer at the poles is a carbon bomb waiting to go off. As increasing temperatures melt the subsurface layer beneath the ice, the carbon rich soil becomes ready to give up a mix of gases that are rich in carbon dioxide, further exacerbating the climate problem.

Life as we know it will change unless significant improvements in preventing greenhouse gas emissions into our fragile atmosphere are made soon. 2030 is date that many regard as the tipping point for the globe. Unless we can make major changes in greenhouse gas emissions before then, increasing frequency of storm, fire and flooding disasters are expected at extraordinary costs and further loss of life.

I thought you should know.