scholarly journals Effects of sea ice on Arctic biota: an emerging crisis discipline

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 20170702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Macias-Fauria ◽  
Eric Post
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Arctic Biota ◽  
Area And Volume

The rapid decline in Arctic sea ice (ASI) extent, area and volume during recent decades is occurring before we can understand many of the mechanisms through which ASI interacts with biological processes both at sea and on land. As a consequence, our ability to predict and manage the effects of this enormous environmental change is limited, making this a crisis discipline . Here, we propose a framework to study these effects, defining direct effects as those acting on life-history events of Arctic biota, and indirect effects , where ASI acts upon biological systems through chains of events, normally involving other components of the physical system and/or biotic interactions. Given the breadth and complexity of ASI's effects on Arctic biota, Arctic research requires a truly multidisciplinary approach to address this issue. In the absence of effective global efforts to tackle anthropogenic global warming, ASI will likely continue to decrease, compromising the conservation of many ASI-related taxonomic groups and ecosystems. Mitigation actions will rely heavily on the knowledge acquired on the mechanisms and components involved with the biological effects of ASI.

scholarly journals Observation-based selection of climate models projects Arctic ice-free summers around 2035

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Docquier ◽  
Torben Koenigk
Keyword(s):  
Model Selection ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Area And Volume

AbstractArctic sea ice has been retreating at an accelerating pace over the past decades. Model projections show that the Arctic Ocean could be almost ice free in summer by the middle of this century. However, the uncertainties related to these projections are relatively large. Here we use 33 global climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) and select models that best capture the observed Arctic sea-ice area and volume and northward ocean heat transport to refine model projections of Arctic sea ice. This model selection leads to lower Arctic sea-ice area and volume relative to the multi-model mean without model selection and summer ice-free conditions could occur as early as around 2035. These results highlight a potential underestimation of future Arctic sea-ice loss when including all CMIP6 models.

scholarly journals Refinement of future Arctic sea-ice projections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Docquier ◽  
Torben Koenigk
Keyword(s):  
Model Selection ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Area And Volume

Abstract Arctic sea ice has been retreating at unprecedented pace over the past decades. Model projections show that the Arctic Ocean could be almost ice free in summer by the middle of this century. However, the uncertainties related to these projections are relatively large. Here we use 33 global climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) in order to reduce these uncertainties. We select the models that best capture the observed Arctic sea-ice area and volume and northward ocean heat transport to refine model projections of Arctic sea ice. This model selection leads to smaller Arctic sea-ice area and volume relative to the multi-model mean without model selection and summer ice-free conditions could occur as early as around 2035. These results highlight a potential underestimation of the future Arctic sea-ice loss when including all models.

Biological effects of water soluble fraction of crude oil on the Arctic sea ice amphipodGammarus wilkitzkii

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Hatlen ◽  
L. Camus ◽  
J. Berge ◽  
G. H. Olsen ◽  
T. Baussant
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Soluble Fraction ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Water Soluble Fraction ◽  
Arctic Sea

Interactions between ocean heat transport and Arctic sea ice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Docquier ◽  
Ramon Fuentes-Franco ◽  
Klaus Wyser ◽  
Torben Koenigk
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Heat Transport ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Ocean Heat Transport ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Area And Volume

<p>Arctic sea ice has been retreating at fast pace in the last decades, with potential impacts on the weather and climate at mid and high latitudes, as well as the biosphere and society. Sea-ice loss is driven by anthropogenic global warming, atmospheric circulation changes, climate feedbacks, and ocean heat transport. To date, no clear consensus regarding the detailed impact of ocean heat transport on Arctic sea ice exists. Previous observational and modeling studies show that the poleward Atlantic Ocean heat transport and Arctic sea-ice area and volume are generally anti-correlated, suggesting a decrease in sea-ice area and volume with larger ocean heat transport. In turn, the changing sea ice may also affect ocean heat transport, but this effect has been much less studied. Our study explores the two-way interactions between ocean heat transport and Arctic sea ice. We use the EC-Earth global climate model, coupling the atmosphere and ocean, and perform different sensitivity experiments to gain insights into these interactions. The mechanisms by which ocean heat transport and Arctic sea ice interact are analyzed, and compared to observations. This study provides a way to better constrain model projections of Arctic sea ice, based on the relationships between ocean heat transport and Arctic sea ice.</p>

Controls on Arctic Sea Ice from First-Year and Multiyear Ice Survivability

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 2378-2390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle C. Armour ◽  
Cecilia M. Bitz ◽  
LuAnne Thompson ◽  
Elizabeth C. Hunke
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Climate Forcing ◽  
Reduced Model ◽  
First Year ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Multiyear Ice ◽  
Area And Volume

Abstract Recent observations of Arctic sea ice show that the decrease in summer ice cover over the last few decades has occurred in conjunction with a significant loss of multiyear ice. The transition to an Arctic that is populated by thinner, first-year sea ice has important implications for future trends in area and volume. Here, a reduced model for Arctic sea ice is developed. This model is used to investigate how the survivability of first-year and multiyear ice controls the mean state, variability, and trends in ice area and volume. A hindcast with a global dynamic–thermodynamic sea ice model that traces first-year and multiyear ice is used to estimate the survivability of each ice type. These estimates of survivability, in concert with the reduced model, yield persistence time scales of September area and volume anomalies and the characteristics of the sensitivity of sea ice to climate forcing that compare well with a fully coupled climate model. The September area is found to be nearly in equilibrium with climate forcing at all times, and therefore the observed decline in summer sea ice cover is a clear indication of a changing climate. Keeping an account of first-year and multiyear ice area within global climate models offers a powerful way to evaluate those models with observations, and could help to constrain projections of sea ice decline in a warming climate.

scholarly journals Anomalous collapses of Nares Strait ice arches leads to enhanced export of Arctic sea ice

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. W. K. Moore ◽  
S. E. L. Howell ◽  
M. Brady ◽  
X. Xu ◽  
K. McNeil
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Past ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
Ice Pack ◽  
Area And Volume

AbstractThe ice arches that usually develop at the northern and southern ends of Nares Strait play an important role in modulating the export of Arctic Ocean multi-year sea ice. The Arctic Ocean is evolving towards an ice pack that is younger, thinner, and more mobile and the fate of its multi-year ice is becoming of increasing interest. Here, we use sea ice motion retrievals from Sentinel-1 imagery to report on the recent behavior of these ice arches and the associated ice fluxes. We show that the duration of arch formation has decreased over the past 20 years, while the ice area and volume fluxes along Nares Strait have both increased. These results suggest that a transition is underway towards a state where the formation of these arches will become atypical with a concomitant increase in the export of multi-year ice accelerating the transition towards a younger and thinner Arctic ice pack.

scholarly journals Polar bear and walrus response to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice

Fact Sheet ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Oakley ◽  
Mary E. Whalen ◽  
David C. Douglas ◽  
Mark S. Udevitz ◽  
Todd C. Atwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Arctic Sea

scholarly journals Using Arctic ice mass balance buoys for evaluation of modelled ice energy fluxes

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 4845-4868
Author(s):  
Alex West ◽  
Mat Collins ◽  
Ed Blockley
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Energy Fluxes ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Imperfect Knowledge ◽  
Ice Mass Balance ◽  
Arctic Ice

Abstract. A new method of sea ice model evaluation is demonstrated. Data from the network of Arctic ice mass balance buoys (IMBs) are used to estimate distributions of vertical energy fluxes over sea ice in two densely sampled regions – the North Pole and Beaufort Sea. The resulting dataset captures seasonal variability in sea ice energy fluxes well, and it captures spatial variability to a lesser extent. The dataset is used to evaluate a coupled climate model, HadGEM2-ES (Hadley Centre Global Environment Model, version 2, Earth System), in the two regions. The evaluation shows HadGEM2-ES to simulate too much top melting in summer and too much basal conduction in winter. These results are consistent with a previous study of sea ice state and surface radiation in this model, increasing confidence in the IMB-based evaluation. In addition, the IMB-based evaluation suggests an additional important cause for excessive winter ice growth in HadGEM2-ES, a lack of sea ice heat capacity, which was not detectable in the earlier study. Uncertainty in the IMB fluxes caused by imperfect knowledge of ice salinity, snow density and other physical constants is quantified (as is inaccuracy due to imperfect sampling of ice thickness) and in most cases is found to be small relative to the model biases discussed. Hence the IMB-based evaluation is shown to be a valuable tool with which to analyse sea ice models and, by extension, better understand the large spread in coupled model simulations of the present-day ice state. Reducing this spread is a key task both in understanding the current rapid decline in Arctic sea ice and in constraining projections of future Arctic sea ice change.

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