scholarly journals Aurora borealis and the arctic climate change: is there any relation?

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
El. Kotrotsiou ◽  
St. Anastassopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Solar Activity ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Proton Density ◽  
Aurora Borealis ◽  
Solar Storms ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
Arctic Climate Change ◽  
Clear Relation

In our study we tested the hypothesis that one of the causes of climate change could also be the recently observed solar hyperactivity, since it differentiates the way clouds are formed. We analyzed, from specific databases, the speed (km/s) and the proton density (p/cm3) of the solar storms in the atmosphere along with the ambient temperature and the ice extent in the arctic over the last eleven (11) years. Our study indicates indeed an explicit increase of the speed and the density of the solar wind. A not so definite analogy between the temperature’s increase and the limitation of the arctic ice extent is also noticed. Yet, the period studied is short to establish a clear relation between the rise of temperature with the enhanced solar activity. A further investigation should be followed, documenting values of more solar activity and climate change parameters during longer periods of recent time to make safe conclusions.

scholarly journals Actors and justifications in media debates on Arctic climate change in Finland and Canada: A network approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 000169931989090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kukkonen ◽  
Mark CJ Stoddart ◽  
Tuomas Ylä-Anttila
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Media ◽  
Arctic Climate Change ◽  
Moral Justifications

In this paper, we examine the centrality of policy actors and moral justifications in media debates on Arctic climate change in Finland and Canada from 2011–2015. We take a network approach on the media debates by analysing relations between the actors and justifications, using discourse network analysis on a dataset of 745 statements from four newspapers. We find that in both countries, governments and universities are the most central actors, whereas business actors are the least central. Justifications that value environmental sustainability and scientific knowledge are most central and used across actor types. However, ecological justifications are sometimes in conflict with market justifications. Government actors emphasize new economic possibilities in the Arctic whereas environmental organizations demand greater protection of the vulnerable Arctic. Ecological justifications and justifications that value international cooperation are more central in the Finnish debate, whereas justifications valuing sustainability and science, as well as those valuing national sovereignty, are more central in the Canadian debate. We conclude that in addition to the centrality of specific policy actors in media debates, the use of different types of moral justifications also reflects political power in the media sphere.

scholarly journals The EU and its Arctic spirit: Solving Arctic climate change from home?

European View ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-162
Author(s):  
Romain Chuffart ◽  
Andreas Raspotnik
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Climate Change ◽  
Global Heating ◽  
The Eu

Dealing with climate change and developing the Arctic sustainably are often seen as both binary and contradictory sets of challenges. The EU is in a unique position in Arctic affairs: unlike non-Arctic states, it is part of and linked to the region. However, the EU is at risk of missing the opportunity to be a leader in setting standards for a coherent and sustainable approach for the region. The Arctic is often used as a symbol for global climate change and, conversely, climate change is also used as a reason for more Arctic engagement. Yet, the roots of global heating—greenhouse gas emissions—mostly originate from outside the region. This article asks whether the path towards more EU–Arctic involvement should start closer to home.

Rebalancing state and Indigenous sovereignties in international law: An Arctic lens on trajectories for global governance

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 675-693
Author(s):  
Sabaa Ahmad Khan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
International Law ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
International System ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Climate Change

AbstractThe environmental and economic realities of Arctic climate change present novel problems for international law. Arctic warming and pollution raise important questions about responsibilities and accountabilities across borders, as they result from anthropogenic activities both within and outside the Arctic region, from the Global North and the Global South. Environmental interdependencies and economic development prospects connect in a nexus of risk and opportunity that raises difficult normative questions pertaining to Arctic governance and sovereignty. This article looks at how the Arctic has been produced in international legal spaces. It addresses the implication of states and Indigenous peoples in processes of Arctic governance. Looking at specific international legal instruments relevant to Arctic climate change and development, the author attempts to tease out the relationship between the concepts of Indigenous rights and state sovereignty that underlie these international legal realms. What do these international legal regimes tell us with respect to the role of Arctic Indigenous peoples and the role of states in governing the ‘global’ Arctic? It is argued that while international law has come a long way in recognizing the special status of Indigenous peoples in the international system, it still hesitates to recognize Indigenous groups as international law makers. Comparing the status of Indigenous peoples under specific international regimes to their role within the Arctic Council, it becomes evident that more participatory forms of global governance are entirely possible and long overdue.

scholarly journals Stability of the arctic halocline: a new indicator of arctic climate change

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 125008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor V Polyakov ◽  
Andrey V Pnyushkov ◽  
Eddy C Carmack
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Climate Change

Linkage between Arctic Sea Ice Area and Atmospheric Blocking Probability over Europe using Logistic Regression Models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Richling ◽  
Uwe Ulbrich ◽  
Henning Rust ◽  
Johannes Riebold ◽  
Dörthe Handorf
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Blocking ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Arctic Climate Change

<p>Over the last decades the Arctic climate change has been observed with a much faster warming of the Arctic compared to the global average (Arctic amplification) and related sea-ice retreat. These changes in sea ice can affect the large-scale atmospheric circulation over the mid-latitudes, in particular atmospheric blocking, and thus the frequency and severity of extreme events. As a step towards a better understanding of changes in weather and climate extremes over Central Europe associated with Arctic climate change, we first analyze the linkage between recent Arctic sea ice loss and blocking variability using logistic regression models. ERA5 reanalysis data are used on a monthly and seasonal time scale, and specific regional sea ice variabilities are explored. First results indicate an increased occurrence-probability in terms of blocking frequency over Greenland in summer as well as over Scandinavia/Ural in winter during low sea ice conditions. </p>

Current GCMs’ Unrealistic Negative Feedback in the Arctic

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 4682-4695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Boé ◽  
Alex Hall ◽  
Xin Qu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Feedback Parameter ◽  
Anthropogenic Forcing ◽  
Feedback Analysis ◽  
Temperature Feedback ◽  
Large Spread ◽  
Arctic Climate Change

Abstract The large spread of the response to anthropogenic forcing simulated by state-of-the-art climate models in the Arctic is investigated. A feedback analysis framework specific to the Arctic is developed to address this issue. The feedback analysis shows that a large part of the spread of Arctic climate change is explained by the longwave feedback parameter. The large spread of the negative longwave feedback parameter is in turn mainly due to variations in temperature feedback. The vertical temperature structure of the atmosphere in the Arctic, characterized by a surface inversion during wintertime, exerts a strong control on the temperature feedback and consequently on simulated Arctic climate change. Most current climate models likely overestimate the climatological strength of the inversion, leading to excessive negative longwave feedback. The authors conclude that the models’ near-equilibrium response to anthropogenic forcing is generally too small.

scholarly journals Arctic Climate Interventions

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 596-617
Author(s):  
Daniel Bodansky ◽  
Hugh Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Climate System ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Climate Change Policies ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Arctic Ice

Abstract The melting of the Arctic poses enormous risks both to the Arctic itself and to the global climate system. Conventional climate change policies operate too slowly to save the Arctic, so unconventional approaches need to be considered, including technologies to refreeze Arctic ice and slow the melting of glaciers. Even if one believes that global climate interventions, such as injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to scatter sunlight, pose unacceptable risks and should be disqualified from consideration, Arctic interventions differ in important respects. They are closer in kind to conventional mitigation and adaptation and should be evaluated in similar terms. It is unclear whether they are feasible and would be effective in saving the Arctic. But given the importance of the Arctic, they should be investigated fully.

scholarly journals The relevance of mid-Holocene Arctic warming to the future

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masakazu Yoshimori ◽  
Marina Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Future Projections ◽  
Arctic Warming ◽  
The Future ◽  
Arctic Climate Change

Abstract. There remain substantial uncertainties in future projections of Arctic climate change. Schmidt et al. (2014) demonstrated the potential to constrain these uncertainties using a combination of paleoclimate simulations and proxy data. They found a weak correlation between sea ice changes in the mid-Holocene (MH) and in future projections, relative to the modern period. Such an “emergent constraint” provides a powerful tool to directly reduce the range of uncertainty, provided that the necessary paleoenvironmental information is available. In the current study, we examine the relevance of Arctic warming in the past to the future through process understanding, rather than seeking a statistical relation. We conducted a surface energy balance analysis on 10 atmosphere and ocean general circulation models under the MH and future RCP4.5-scenario forcing. We found that many of the dominant processes that amplify Arctic warming from late autumn to winter are common between the two periods, despite the difference in the source of the forcing (insolation vs. greenhouse gases). We also quantified the contribution of individual processes to the inter-model variance in the surface temperature changes. The controlling term varies with the season, but the results suggest that the models’ representations of the surface albedo feedback, cloud greenhouse effect, turbulent surface heat fluxes, and indirect atmospheric stratification are important contributors. Based on the results for the Arctic warming mechanism obtained from this study, we conclude that proxy records of Arctic warming during the MH contain useful information that is relevant for understanding future Arctic climate change.

scholarly journals Eurasian Arctic climate over the past millennium as recorded in the Akademii Nauk ice core (Severnaya Zemlya)

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 2379-2389 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Opel ◽  
D. Fritzsche ◽  
H. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Barents And Kara Seas ◽  
Arctic Climate Change ◽  
Severnaya Zemlya

Abstract. Understanding recent Arctic climate change requires detailed information on past changes, in particular on a regional scale. The extension of the depth–age relation of the Akademii Nauk (AN) ice core from Severnaya Zemlya (SZ) to the last 1100 yr provides new perspectives on past climate fluctuations in the Barents and Kara seas region. Here, we present the easternmost high-resolution ice-core climate proxy records (δ18O and sodium) from the Arctic. Multi-annual AN δ18O data as near-surface air-temperature proxies reveal major temperature changes over the last millennium, including the absolute minimum around 1800 and the unprecedented warming to a double-peak maximum in the early 20th century. The long-term cooling trend in δ18O is related to a decline in summer insolation but also to the growth of the AN ice cap as indicated by decreasing sodium concentrations. Neither a pronounced Medieval Climate Anomaly nor a Little Ice Age are detectable in the AN δ18O record. In contrast, there is evidence of several abrupt warming and cooling events, such as in the 15th and 16th centuries, partly accompanied by corresponding changes in sodium concentrations. These abrupt changes are assumed to be related to sea-ice cover variability in the Barents and Kara seas region, which might be caused by shifts in atmospheric circulation patterns. Our results indicate a significant impact of internal climate variability on Arctic climate change in the last millennium.

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