The Arctic and Antarctica

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivera Ilic
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
English Language ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Interest And Knowledge ◽  
Melting Experiment

<p>It is highly important for teacher of all subjects to develop students' interest and knowledge about our planet, environmental issues and science. During English language lessons, students from Primary School ‘Sveti Sava’ explored the polar regions and their characteristics, differences and similarities between the Arctic zone and the Antarctic by using different ICT. Students also did simple experiments with ice and water in order to understand how melting ice affects sea level. Finally, students discussed the causes and effects of global warming and what could be done to protect the environment. During the lessons, students developed an awareness of global warming, were familiarized with environmental threats and the importance of environmental protection. They discovered the enormous influence and importance of Arctic, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean on global climate and on our planet. The ice melting experiment helped them understand and visualize the effects of global warming on polar regions and their own environment. In the end, students were asked to think about the actions they personally can take in order fight global warming and protect the environment.</p>

Temperature in the Arctic and the Antarctic

2019 ◽  
pp. 416-427
Author(s):  
Valentin Sapunov
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Global Temperature ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Average Global Temperature ◽  
Temperature Dynamics ◽  
The One ◽  
The Antarctic

This chapter aims at the consideration of world temperature dynamics and its prediction in the polar regions of the planet. The global warming started in the 17th century and has been progressing since then. The decline in average global temperature began in 1997. There exist various factors which affect the process, the abiotic ones being among the major in controlling the climate. The climate is also dependent on the interaction between abiotic, biotic, and social spheres. This system seems rather stable and not very much dependent on human activity. The effects of contemporary cooling are not expected to be significant for the mankind but are definitely important for the polar regions. In the Arctic, the temperature is increasing. The one in the Antarctic declines. The average global temperature thus becomes variable. Modern science is able to predict climate change, but extensive studies free of political and economic pressure have to be conducted.

scholarly journals On the Role of the Atmospheric Energy Transport in 2 × CO2–Induced Polar Amplification in CESM1

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (13) ◽  
pp. 3941-3956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rune G. Graversen ◽  
Peter L. Langen
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Energy Transport ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Antarctic Region ◽  
Atmospheric Energy ◽  
Atmospheric Energy Transport ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Co2 Forcing

AbstractA doubling of the atmospheric CO2 content leads to global warming that is amplified in the polar regions. The CO2 forcing also leads to a change of the atmospheric energy transport. This transport change affects the local warming induced by the CO2 forcing. Using the Community Earth System Model (CESM), the direct response to the transport change is investigated. Divergences of the transport change associated with a CO2 doubling are implemented as a forcing in the 1 × CO2 preindustrial control climate. This forcing is zero in the global mean. In response to a CO2 increase in CESM, the northward atmospheric energy transport decreases at the Arctic boundary. However, the transport change still leads to a warming of the Arctic. This is due to a shift between dry static and latent transport components, so that although the dry static transport decreases, the latent transport increases at the Arctic boundary, which is consistent with other model studies. Because of a greenhouse effect associated with the latent transport, the cooling caused by a change of the dry static component is more than compensated for by the warming induced by the change of the latent transport. Similar results are found for the Antarctic region, but the transport change is larger in the Southern Hemisphere than in its northern counterpart. As a consequence, the Antarctic region warms to the extent that this warming leads to global warming that is likely enhanced by the surface albedo feedback associated with considerable ice retreat in the Southern Hemisphere.

scholarly journals Evolution in the cold

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Antarctic Fish ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Evolutionary Studies ◽  
Adaptive Radiations ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Theodosius Dobzhansky once remarked that nothing in biology makes sense other than in the light of evolution, thereby emphasising the central role of evolutionary studies in providing the theoretical context for all of biology. It is perhaps surprising then that evolutionary biology has played such a small role to date in Antarctic science. This is particularly so when it is recognised that the polar regions provide us with an unrivalled laboratory within which to undertake evolutionary studies. The Antarctic exhibits one of the classic examples of a resistance adaptation (antifreeze peptides and glycopeptides, first described from Antarctic fish), and provides textbook examples of adaptive radiations (for example amphipod crustaceans and notothenioid fish). The land is still largely in the grip of major glaciation, and the once rich terrestrial floras and faunas of Cenozoic Gondwana are now highly depauperate and confined to relatively small patches of habitat, often extremely isolated from other such patches. Unlike the Arctic, where organisms are returning to newly deglaciated land from refugia on the continental landmasses to the south, recolonization of Antarctica has had to take place by the dispersal of propagules over vast distances. Antarctica thus offers an insight into the evolutionary responses of terrestrial floras and faunas to extreme climatic change unrivalled in the world. The sea forms a strong contrast to the land in that here the impact of climate appears to have been less severe, at least in as much as few elements of the fauna show convincing signs of having been completely eradicated.

scholarly journals Polar Amplification and Ice Free Conditions under 1.5, 2 and 3 °C of Global Warming as Simulated by CMIP5 and CMIP6 Models

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1494
Author(s):  
Fernanda Casagrande ◽  
Francisco A. B. Neto ◽  
Ronald B. de Souza ◽  
Paulo Nobre
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Polar Amplification ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Average Rise

One of the most visible signs of global warming is the fast change in the polar regions. The increase in Arctic temperatures, for instance, is almost twice as large as the global average in recent decades. This phenomenon is known as the Arctic Amplification and reflects several mutually supporting processes. An equivalent albeit less studied phenomenon occurs in Antarctica. Here, we used numerical climate simulations obtained from CMIP5 and CMIP6 to investigate the effects of +1.5, 2 and 3 °C warming thresholds for sea ice changes and polar amplification. Our results show robust patterns of near-surface air-temperature response to global warming at high latitudes. The year in which the average air temperatures brought from CMIP5 and CMIP6 models rises by 1.5 °C is 2024. An average rise of 2 °C (3 °C) global warming occurs in 2042 (2063). The equivalent warming at northern (southern) high latitudes under scenarios of 1.5 °C global warming is about 3 °C (1.8 °C). In scenarios of 3 °C global warming, the equivalent warming in the Arctic (Antarctica) is close to 7 °C (3.5 °C). Ice-free conditions are found in all warming thresholds for both the Arctic and Antarctica, especially from the year 2030 onwards.

scholarly journals BRICS in polar regions: Brazil’s interests and prospects

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-340
Author(s):  
Paulo Borba Casella ◽  
◽  
Maria Lagutina ◽  
Arthur Roberto Capella Giannattasio ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legal Regulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Public Power ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
International Power ◽  
Global Affairs ◽  
The Antarctic

The current international legal regulation of the Arctic and Antarctica was organized during the second half of the XX century to establish an international public power over the two regions, the Arctic Council (AC) and the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), which is characterized by Euro-American dominance. However, the rise of emerging countries at the beginning of the XXI century suggests a progressive redefinition of the structural balance of international power in favor of states not traditionally perceived as European and Western. This article examines the role of Brazil within the AC and the ATS to address various polar issues, even institutional ones. As a responsible country in the area of cooperation in science and technology in the oceans and polar regions in BRICS, Brazil appeals to its rich experience in Antarctica and declares its interest in joining the Arctic cooperation. For Brazil, participation in polar cooperation is a way to increase its role in global affairs and BRICS as a negotiating platform. It is seen in this context as a promising tool to achieve this goal. This article highlights new paths in the research agenda concerning interests and prospects of Brazilian agency in the polar regions.

The Polar Regions and the Development of International Law: Contemporary Reflections and Twenty-First Century Challenges

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald R. Rothwell
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
First Century ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Foundational Research ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
Global Affairs ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The polar regions are increasingly coming to the forefront of global affairs in ways that are beginning to approach the prominence given to the polar regions during the ‘heroic era’ of exploration at the beginning of the twentieth century. This contemporary focus is, however, very much upon governance and the capacity of the existing and future legal frameworks to govern the Antarctic and Arctic effectively. This article revisits foundational research undertaken in 1992–1993 and reassesses the impact of the polar regions upon the development of international law. Particular attention is given to environmental management, living and nonliving resource management, the regulation and management of maritime areas, and governance mechanisms and frameworks. The article seeks to critically assess whether the existing legal frameworks that operate in Antarctica and the Arctic are capable of dealing with their increasing globalisation, or whether there will be a need for new legal and governance regimes to be developed to address twenty-first century challenges.

Polar tourism regulation strategies: controlling visitors through codes of conduct and legislation

Polar Record ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 33 (184) ◽  
pp. 13-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret E. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
Area Of Concern ◽  
Tourist Behaviour ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Further Development

AbstractControlling visitor impacts in polar regions continues to be important in both the Antarctic and Arctic. Concerns relate to impacts on the physical environment, cultural heritage, and host communities or scientific bases, as well as a recognition that safety and liability are major issues for governments, commercial operators, and local populations. Strategies for controlling tourists include visitor and operator codes and formal legislation. This paper summarises several approaches to visitor regulation in polar regions in order to illustrate the ways in which concerns about tourist impacts are being addressed. Similar issues arise throughout the polar regions, although in some places a particular emphasis might indicate a specific area of concern for a community, region, nation, or segment of the tourism industry. While a comprehensive strategy might be appropriate in many respects in the Arctic, it is also important to acknowledge the significance of more specific concerns. This paper first describes regulation of tourist behaviour and considers general issues of strategy effectiveness. Then it examines the approaches to visitor regulation used in the Antarctic and on S valbard as examples that may be of use in the further development of strategies in the Arctic. The paper then discusses an evolving strategy for control in the Northwest Territories, Canada. This strategy differs from these other approaches in that it targets a specific segment of the visitor population: those undertaking adventure expeditions.

scholarly journals Detecting changes in Arctic methane emissions: limitations of the inter-polar difference of atmospheric mole fractions

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 17895-17907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar B. Dimdore-Miles ◽  
Paul I. Palmer ◽  
Lori P. Bruhwiler
Keyword(s):  
Mole Fraction ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Continuous Version ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. We consider the utility of the annual inter-polar difference (IPD) as a metric for changes in Arctic emissions of methane (CH4). The IPD has been previously defined as the difference between weighted annual means of CH4 mole fraction data collected at stations from the two polar regions (defined as latitudes poleward of 53∘ N and 53∘ S, respectively). This subtraction approach (IPD) implicitly assumes that extra-polar CH4 emissions arrive within the same calendar year at both poles. We show using a continuous version of the IPD that the metric includes not only changes in Arctic emissions but also terms that represent atmospheric transport of air masses from lower latitudes to the polar regions. We show the importance of these atmospheric transport terms in understanding the IPD using idealized numerical experiments with the TM5 global 3-D atmospheric chemistry transport model that is run from 1980 to 2010. A northern mid-latitude pulse in January 1990, which increases prior emission distributions, arrives at the Arctic with a higher mole fraction and ≃12 months earlier than at the Antarctic. The perturbation at the poles subsequently decays with an e-folding lifetime of ≃4 years. A similarly timed pulse emitted from the tropics arrives with a higher value at the Antarctic ≃11 months earlier than at the Arctic. This perturbation decays with an e-folding lifetime of ≃7 years. These simulations demonstrate that the assumption of symmetric transport of extra-polar emissions to the poles is not realistic, resulting in considerable IPD variations due to variations in emissions and atmospheric transport. We assess how well the annual IPD can detect a constant annual growth rate of Arctic emissions for three scenarios, 0.5 %, 1 %, and 2 %, superimposed on signals from lower latitudes, including random noise. We find that it can take up to 16 years to detect the smallest prescribed trend in Arctic emissions at the 95 % confidence level. Scenarios with higher, but likely unrealistic, growth in Arctic emissions are detected in less than a decade. We argue that a more reliable measurement-driven approach would require data collected from all latitudes, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a global monitoring network to observe decadal changes in atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Arctic shipping guidelines: towards a legal regime for navigation safety and environmental protection?

Polar Record ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Øystein Jensen
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Legal Issue ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
International Polar Year ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
International Polar ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Near Future

ABSTRACTWith the International Polar Year (IPY) having commenced in March 2007, key issues relating to the polar regions are again in focus. This article reviews one central legal issue re-emerging in the Arctic: global regulation of safety standards for international shipping. The ‘Guidelines for ships operating in Arctic ice-covered waters’ are examined, with a view to the probable expansion of shipping in the Arctic in near future. Following an introduction to navigational issues within the Arctic context, the article describes how the guidelines came into being, and then analyses key elements and structure of the regulations and shortfalls of today's arrangements. The possible relevance of the guidelines to the Antarctic is also discussed briefly. Finally, the article inquires into the key repercussions of introducing binding regulations.

Long-term variability of Atlantic water temperature in the Svalbard fjords in conditions of past and recent global warming

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniil I. Tislenko ◽  
Boris V. Ivanov
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Arctic Amplification ◽  
The West ◽  
West Spitsbergen

Within last decades, the climate of our planet has underwent remarkable changes. The most notable are those called "Arctic amplification." is the changes comprise a decrease in the area of ​​multi-years ice in 2007 and 2012 in polar regions of the Northern hemisphere, accompanied by the temperature rise of intermediate Atlantic waters, increasing surface temperature. In this paper, an analysis of long-term variability of temperature transformed Atlantic waters (TAW) in the fjords of the West-Spitsbergen island (Isfjorden, Grnfjorden, Hornsund and Kongsfjorden) in the first period (1920–1940) and modern (1990–2009) warming in the Arctic is reported. It is shown that the instrumental observation data corresponds to the periods of rise in temperature in the layer of the TAW and surface air temperature (SAT) for the area of ​​the Svalbard.

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