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Fram Strait cruise report, FS2023 (cruise ID 2023007015): 30 August - 13 September 2023
Full text linkSEATRACK annual report 2023
No full textThis short report sums up the field season and briefly highlights some of our research activities in 2023. It also marks the beginning of SEATRACK phase III (2023-2026).publishedVersio
Future sea ice weakening amplifies winddriven trends in surface stress and Arctic Ocean spin-up
Full text linkArctic sea ice mediates atmosphere-ocean momentum transfer, which drives upper ocean circulation. How Arctic Ocean surface stress and velocity respond to sea ice decline and changing winds under global warming is unclear. Here we show that state-of-the-art climate models consistently predict an increase in future (2015–2100) ocean surface stress in response to increased surface wind speed, declining sea ice area, and a weaker ice pack. While wind speeds increase most during fall (+2.2% per decade), surface stress rises most in winter (+5.1% per decade) being amplified by reduced internal ice stress. This is because, as sea ice concentration decreases in a warming climate, less energy is dissipated by the weaker ice pack, resulting in more momentum transfer to the ocean. The increased momentum transfer accelerates Arctic Ocean surface velocity (+31–47% by 2100), leading to elevated ocean kinetic energy and enhanced vertical mixing. The enhanced surface stress also increases the Beaufort Gyre Ekman convergence and freshwater content, impacting Arctic marine ecosystems and the downstream ocean circulation. The impacts of projected changes are profound, but different and simplified model formulations of atmosphere-ice-ocean momentum transfer introduce considerable uncertainty, highlighting the need for improved coupling in climate models.publishedVersio
The Southern Ocean sea-ice ecosystem is important to humans
Full text linkDid you know that ecosystems support the wellbeing of humans by simply existing? An ecosystem describes the living things in an area, their interactions, and their environment. The ways that ecosystems benefit the wellbeing of humans are called ecosystem services. There are several types of ecosystem services: supporting (they support animals and their homes), provisioning (they provide food and other materials), cultural (they support our hobbies and cultural activities, such as tourism and arts), or regulating (they regulate our climate, for example by taking up carbon dioxide). Understanding the importance of an ecosystem through its ecosystem services helps guide decisions regarding the environment, such as how much fishing or ship traffic should be allowed in an area, or if an area or species should be protected. In this article, we describe the specific ecosystem services of the sea ice and Southern Ocean around Antarctica.publishedVersio
Norwegian Historic Sites and Remains in Antarctica: priorities and management options
Full text linkRelatively few people have visited the Antarctic continent since it was discovered in 1820, and there are very few visible signs of the earliest human activity. Norwegians were among the earliest people carrying out activities in Antarctica, and among the few historical sites and remains here, we therefore find several with obvious connections to Norway and Norwegian activities.
Stortingsmelding 16 (2004–2005) Leve med kulturminner (“White Paper”) emphasizes that Norwegian historic heritage policies for the Antarctic shall make sure that important historic sites and remains related to Norwegian activities in Antarctica shall be preserved. Furthermore, it is stressed that an active Norwegian participation in the international cooperation to maintain such remains will strengthen Norway’s position in the international Antarctic cooperation. To follow up these objectives, the White Paper gives instructions to prepare a list of Norwegian historic sites and remains that may be of interest for an international preservation cooperation, and a professionally justified shortlist of prioritized remains and sites shall be prepared, that shows where it is applicable to implement measures of conservation.
In 2015 the Norwegian Government, through the White Paper Stortingsmelding 32 (2014–2015) Norske interesser og politikk i Antarktis, repeated the intention that “Norwegian safety and conservation measures are to be carried out according to a prioritized list, in line with the political intentions given in St.meld. nr. 16 (2004–2005) Leve med kulturminner”.
Based on these guidelines the Ministry of Climate and Environment asked the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage jointly – in dialogue with the Ministry – to start the process of preparing a list of Norwegian historic sites and remains in Antarctica, and to give an assessment of possible measures attached to these. This document presents the result of the process.
The treaty cooperation defines the International Geophysical Year (IGY), which took place in 1957/58, as an end point for assessing an object or a locality’s conservation value (Resolution 5 (2001)). This list over prioritized Norwegian historic sites and remains is based on the same definition, hence it limits the assessment to pre-1958 sites and remains