ice roads threatened by global warming `

In northern Canada, polar winters cause lakes and rivers to freeze, creating ice roads. These kinds of giant highways are used for a few weeks by hundreds of trucks. Open only two to three months a year, they are the only way for mines to have their equipment delivered. Recently, they have been melting down and opening later and later, in February this year.

A “less homogeneous” layer

“I observed that the layer was less homogeneous than before“Northern Canada is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, experts say it is on the front lines of the climate crisis.”In the 200s, on this route, we had 70 to 80 opening days. When we look at 2020, we have fallen to 60, 65 opening days. […] I think at the end of the century there will be no more ice roads“, analyzes Fritz Griffith, climatologist.

No longer having icy roads would also condemn dozens of villages near the Arctic Circle. Most are connected to the rest of the world only during these few winter months.