NASA's Terra satellite captured a striking scene in the sea ice above Canada's Northwest Territories recently — and while the phenomenon depicted is cyclical, it has big implications in terms of industry and the overall impact of rising temperatures.
What's happening?
Terra is part of NASA's EOS (Earth Observing System), with a mission of identifying "connections between Earth's atmosphere, land, snow and ice, ocean, and energy balance" and quantifying the impact of human activity on climate.
Terra monitors sea ice levels and gathers crucial information about "natural hazards" such as fires and volcanic activity. Space.com highlighted Terra's imagery of a seasonal, ongoing natural event in Canada's Amundsen Gulf: the breakup of sea ice.
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the Arctic is warming at a faster rate than the rest of the world. The age of sea ice provides unrivaled data about historic climate patterns, and scientists have been collecting it continuously for nearly five decades.
The Amundsen Gulf sea ice's seasonal breakup can take anywhere from two to 22 weeks, and the process typically begins in March. Based on the image captured by Terra, the sea ice in question could continue splintering and cracking through August.
That could sound like a good thing on the surface — slower melt cycles might appear to be indicative of a slowdown in rising temperatures.
However, Arctic sea ice melt cycles are part of a larger pattern, and volatility is further evidence of a warming planet.
Why are Arctic sea ice melting patterns so important?
By nature, Arctic sea ice is remote, which is why satellite tracking was such a game-changer for climate research.
Changes to sea ice melt patterns have a massive impact on Arctic ecosystems, which influence broader ecosystems. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these fluctuations have already adversely impacted local communities and wildlife.
According to the Daily Galaxy, a slower breakup of sea ice in the Amundsen Gulf this year is part of a "larger trend of irregularities in ice dynamics … making it even more challenging to forecast when the ice will break up and how it will behave" as it continues breaking.
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Definitely 💯 That volatility inflicts uncertainty on commercial endeavors such as shipping. Slower-than-average melt cycles create "choke points," disrupting the industry at scale.
A study published in Nature's Communications Earth & Environment in July 2024 examined the impact of volatility in the Arctic on the duration of the shipping season in the Northwest Passage.
This "shortening of the season will impact not only international shipping but also resupply and the cost of food in many Arctic communities, which require a prompt policy response," the study's authors warned.
What can we do about Arctic sea ice melt?
Arctic Reflections, a startup in the Netherlands, is working on ways to fortify and restore Arctic sea ice, and scientists have been using drones to gather data on melt rates.
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