A new report details how widespread changes in the Arctic — from global warming to loss of sea ice — have affected the animals, plants and people who live there.
The US Oceanic and Atmospheric Observation Agency (NOAA) released its latest annual Arctic bulletin on Tuesday, compiled by more than 100 experts from 11 countries. It provides an update on vital signs in the region and includes new chapters on rainfall, the impacts of rapid climate change on indigenous communities, and the need for further pollinator research.
The report reinforces long-term trends, but also notes regional differences. Among its key findings, Arctic surface air temperatures between October 2021 and September 2022 were the sixth warmest on record since 1900. Conditions were also wetter than normal, with precipitation increasing significantly from the 1950s. The report also noted below-average sea ice cover, an increase in ocean plankton blooms, and the 25th consecutive year of loss of the Greenland ice sheet.
“Few regions of the world exhibit such extreme seasonal changes in temperature, land and ocean cover, ecological processes, wildlife movement and behavior as the Arctic,” the report reads.
“These extreme shifts across the annual cycle are a source of the Arctic region’s increased sensitivity to climate change and climate-related disturbances. »
Scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, Lawrence Mudryk is the lead author of the chapter on land snow cover. Overall, the report shows that the seasons are changing in the Arctic and that there have been several disturbances due to or exacerbated by climate change, such as storms and extreme weather conditions, he summarizes.
“It sometimes gets a bit overwhelming to hear all these reports of bad news and how climate change is causing disruption and is going to have bad consequences across the world,” says Mudryk. “But I think it’s important to also recognize that these are things that can be controlled and can still be acted on,” he adds.
A domino effect
Mudryk argues in his chapter that Arctic snow cover in June was the second lowest from the record 56 years ago in North America and third in Eurasia due to early snowmelt. snows. The scientist argues that this was part of a trend observed since at least 2008.
“There are subsequent effects on soil moisture, the timing of vegetation growth and even the resulting fire hazard. It also affects when winter ends and summer begins,” he explained.
“Also, an important thing is that this snow reflects a lot of sunlight, so it controls the energy that comes in the spring in the Arctic. »
Syd Cannings, another scientist from Environment and Climate Change Canada, contributed to an essay on Arctic pollinators. It highlights a significant lack of knowledge about long-term trends in pollinators in the Arctic and how they are being affected by rapid climate change.
“I think pollinators are increasingly being recognized as being really important both in general ecosystems and in a kind of human food supply,” Canning said.
“In the Arctic, pollinators are really important for creating a good supply of berries, which is good for animals, birds, people and the whole Arctic ecosystem. »