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Seasonal variation of atmospheric elemental carbon aerosols at Zhongshan Station, East Antarctica
Full text linkElemental carbon (or black carbon) (EC or BC) aerosols emitted by biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion could cause notable climate forcing. Southern Hemisphere biomass burning emissions have contributed substantially to EC deposition in Antarctica. Here, we present the seasonal variation of EC determined from aerosol samples acquired at Zhongshan Station (ZSS), East Antarctica. The concentration of EC in the atmosphere varied between 0.02 and 257.81 ng·m−3 with a mean value of 44.87±48.92 ng·m−3. The concentration of EC aerosols reached its peak in winter (59.04 ng·m−3) and was lowest (27.26 ng·m−3) in summer. Back trajectory analysis showed that biomass burning in southern South America was the major source of the EC found at ZSS, although some of it was derived from southern Australia, especially during winter. The 2019–2020 Australian bush fires had some influence on EC deposition at ZSS, especially during 2019, but the contribution diminished in 2020, leaving southern South America as the dominant source of EC
Environmental change in the Kitikmeot Region of western Nunavut and Ulukhaktok region of eastern Northwest Territories. Polar Knowledge: Aqhaliat Report - Volume 4
Full text linkThere are many impacts observed across the Canadian North because of changing environmental conditions. Increasing heat in the atmosphere caused by human pollution is causing the Arctic to warm up faster then anywhere else on Earth, and more frequent and intense weather has been occurring across the North. More unpredictable weather, tundra fires, forceful winds and storminess is expected to occur, with important impacts on northern communities. Air temperature controls all aspects of Arctic life, including which animals and plants can survive, when rivers and oceans freeze and break up, and the thickness of sea ice and permafrost. Canadian Arctic communities are warming the most in winter. Rainfall changes affect caribou and muskoxen, as they must break ice to get to their food. The snow season is shorter. Permafrost is warming and thawing. Arctic plants are changing in complex ways, in some areas climate change is causing them to grow more, shrubs becoming denser, and more grasses are present. Eventually, the tree line will move Northward. Ocean water is changing with increasing freshwater and sediments from melt, and this affects ocean life from microscopic species to fish and marine mammals. Global sea level rise will be less significant in the Canadian Arctic compered to low-laying islands elsewhere in the world. Arctic Sea Ice is melting, and this affects the safety of ice travel
Research on submesoscale eddy and front near the South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula) using seismic oceanography data
Full text linkThe submesoscale processes, including submesoscale eddies and fronts, have a strong vertical velocity, can thus make important supplements to the nutrients in the upper ocean. Using legacy multichannel seismic data AP25 of cruise EW9101 acquired northeast of the South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula) in February 1991, we identified an oceanic submesoscale eddy with the horizontal scale of ~4 km and a steep shelf break front that has variable dip angles from 5o to 10o. The submesoscale eddy is an anticyclonic eddy, which carries warm core water, can accelerate ice shelves melting. The upwelling induced by shelf break front may play an important role in transporting nutrients to the sea surface. The seismic images with very high lateral resolution may provide a new insight to understand the submesoscale and even small-scale oceanic phenomena in the interior
Comparison of ship-based CTD measurement of Circumpolar Deep Water in the Amundsen Sea based on World Ocean Database
Full text linkWe compare the characteristics of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) in the Amundsen Sea based on
Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) records in the World Ocean Database. There are considerable numbers of ship-based CTD casts in the year 1994, 2000, 2007 and 2009. After confining temporal- and spatial- windows, several stations are emerged as having at-least two casts in different years. The comparisons show that the CDWs turn warmer and salter on shelf and near ice shelf. The results therefore describe the geographic differences of CDW changes, and exhibit rareness of ship-based CTD survey in the Amundsen Sea
Development of the Arctic reindeer industry from the perspective of Sino-Russian green biomanufacturing cooperation
Full text linkRussia’s reindeer population accounts for two thirds of the world’s total. There is a strong and resilient population of reindeer on the tundra, and reindeer herders inherit and transmit the unique culture of the north. Reindeer products have become the subject of innovative developments in the biopharmaceutical and healthcare products industry owing to their unique raw material properties. Because deer antlers and blood are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, significant quantities of Arctic reindeer products are likely to be sold in China. Strengthening understanding of the Russian Arctic reindeer industry will help Chinese companies invest in the Russian Arctic, promote Sino-Russian Arctic cooperation on green biomanufacturing, and lead to the development of new products that promote human health
Innovations in marine technology and potential needs for Arctic governance
Full text linkThe Arctic is a region of major significance in the Earth system, particularly important for global climate and international maritime governance. As human activity, relying on manufactured equipment, steadily increases in the Arctic, technological innovations for marine equipment must support the gradually more stringent requirements for future Arctic governance. In this review, four categories of innovations are analyzed, namely: innovations driven by traditional thinking, innovations for environmental protection, innovations for practical application, and innovations for observing information systems. Two examples of international regulations, the Polar Code (adopted in 2014) and the International Standard for Arctic offshore structures of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 19906, first published in 2010), are selected to illustrate successful international cooperation efforts for Arctic marine innovation. This work provides a basis for discussion on technology development, governance efficiency, and international cooperation in the Arctic
India's Arctic Policy - Building a Partnership for Sustainable Development
Full text linkThe Arctic is commonly understood to refer to region above the Arctic Circle, north of latitude 66° 34' N, which includes the Arctic Ocean with the North Pole at its centre. Eight Arctic States - Canada, Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and USA form the Arctic Council. The Arctic is home to almost four million inhabitants, of which approximately one-tenth are considered as indigenous people
Polar Perspectives No. 11 | The New Arctic as a Zone of Peaceful Competition
Full text linkThe North Pacific Arctic Conference (NPAC) was established in 2011 by the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) and the East-West Center (EWC) in response to the dramatic impacts of climate change in the Arctic on a broad range of issues, including resource development, shipping, governance, and geopolitical dynamics. NPAC has convened Arctic and Asia-focused experts, policymakers, industry leaders, and the general public to provide a North Pacific lens to these important concerns. In doing so, NPAC provides a supplemental and complementary set of perspectives to those focused solely on or connected to the North American, Nordic, and Russian regions of the Arctic
