Global Climate Change

Arctic Impacts

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The Arctic Impact Climate Assessment report (http://amap.no/acia/) list both changes seen in the Arctic and the effects on wildlife and people.

Changes Seen in the Arctic

Rising Temperatures: Winter increases in Alaska and western Canada have been 3-4^OC over the past century

Increasing Precipitation: Arctic precipitation has increased by about 8% on average over the past century, with most increases seen in autumn and winter.

Rising River Flow: River discharge to the ocean has increased over much of the Arctic during the past few decades and spring peak river flows are occurring earlier.

Thawing Permafrost: Permafrost has warmed by up to 2^OC in recent decades and the depth of the layer that thaws each year is increasing in many areas.

Declining Snow Cover: Snow cover extent has declined about 10% over the past 20 years.

Diminishing Lake and River Ice: Later freeze-up and earlier break-up of river and lake ice have combined to reduce the ice season by one to three weeks in some areas.

Melting Glaciers: Glaciers throughout the Arctic are melting. The especially rapid retreat of Alaskan glaciers represents about half of the estimated loss of mass by glaciers worldwide, and the largest contribution by glacial melt to rising sea level yet measured.

Retreating Summer Sea Ice: The average extent of sea-ice cover in summer has declined by 15-20% over the past 30 years.

Melting Greenland Ice Sheet: The area of the Greenland Ice Sheet that experiences some melting has increased about 16% from 1979 to 2002.

Rising Sea Level: Global and Arctic sea level has risen 10-20 centimeters in the past 100 years.

Ocean Salinity Change: Reduced salinity and density have been observed in the North Atlantic Ocean as melting ice and increasing river runoff have added more freshwater to the ocean.

Impacts on Arctic Societies

Loss of Hunting Culture: For Inuit, warming is likely to disrupt or even destroy their hunting and food-sharing culture as reduced sea ice causes the animals on which they depend to decline, become less accessible, and possibly become extinct.

Declining Food Security: Access to traditional foods including seal, polar bear, caribou, and some fish and bird species is likely to be seriously impaired by climate warming. Reduced quality of food sources, such as diseased fish and dried up berries, are already being observed in some locations.

Human Health Concerns: Human health concerns also include increased accident rates due to environmental changes such as sea ice thinning, and health problems caused by adverse impacts on sanitation infrastructure due to thawing permafrost.

Wildlife Herd Impacts: Caribou and reindeer herds will face a variety of climate-related changes in their migration routes, calving grounds, and forage availability as snow and river ice conditions change, thus affecting the people who depend on hunting and herding them.

Expanding Marine Shipping: Shipping through key marine routes, including the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage , is likely to increase. The summer navigation season is projected to lengthen considerably as the century progresses due to the decline of sea ice.

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