How Is Global Warming
Affecting the Arctic?
The Arctic is being watched closely by global
warming specialists. It’s a particularly sensitive
region and it is being profoundly affected by the
changing climate – many scientists view what is
happening now as a sign of things to come for the
rest of the world, it has been said to be an early
warning system for the entire planet.
More Greenhouse Gases Released From Permafrost
The permanently frozen ground underneath the Arctic Tundra, called permafrost,
supports pipelines, buildings and roads. The temperature increase is causing this
permafrost to thaw. ‘Drunken forests’ where trees fall over as the ground underneath
them thaws have become more common.
However, there is also more impact than just these visible ones as the permafrost
thaws. Carbon and methane have been locked in the permafrost and beneath the
cold Arctic waters (in subsea permafrost) for millions of years. These greenhouse
gases are increasingly being released into the atmosphere, causing more warming.
This in turn releases more greenhouse gases and in a vicious cycle.
Accelerated Warming From Changing Albedo
Albedo is the extent to which a surface can reflect sunlight. Lost sea ice exposes dark,
open water, dramatically shifting the ocean surface from highly reflective white snow
that reflects about 90% of the sun’s energy to open water which absorbs around
94%. As the open water of the ocean absorbs more heat, it causes more sea ice to
disappear, and a feedback process begins.
Over the last two centuries, the world’s
global mean temperature has increased
by 0.6°C and this trend goes beyond the
natural climate variability. In the Arctic,
average temperatures have risen almost
twice as fast as in the rest of the world.
Melting Land Ice
Melting sea ice does not affect sea levels, but melting of land ice does. The water
from shrinking glaciers and ice sheets is the major contributor to the rise in global
sea-level. Freshwater is being added to the world’s oceans, affecting salinity, an
abiotic factor in ecosystems.
Arctic ice is getting thinner, melting
and rupturing. The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf
was around for 3000 years and in 2000
it began to crack. By 2002 it had split all
the way through and it is now breaking
into pieces. When this happened, the