The Arctic

Moon, Twila; Tedesco, Marco; Mankoff, Kenneth D.; Cappelen, John; Fausto, Robert S.; Fettweis, Xavier; Korsgaard, Niels J.; Loomis, B. D.; Mote, Thomas L.; Reijmer, Carleen; Smeets, C. J. P. P.; As, Dirk van; Wal, Roderik van de; Winton, Øyvind

doi:10.1175/bams-d-21-0086.1

Cited by 24 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Arctic amplification is changing the climate of the Arctic faster than the global average. Near-surface air temperatures have increased four times faster since 1979 [ 1 ] and annual minimum sea ice extent has decreased 13% per decade [ 2 ]. Arctic marine mammals, including polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ), seals, walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus ), and whales rely on sea ice for a variety of needs, including access to prey and breeding habitat and for predator avoidance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sea ice directs changes in bowhead whale phenology through the Bering Strait

Szesciorka

Stafford

2023

Mov Ecol

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Background Climate change is warming the Arctic faster than the rest of the planet. Shifts in whale migration timing have been linked to climate change in temperate and sub-Arctic regions, and evidence suggests Bering–Chukchi–Beaufort (BCB) bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) might be overwintering in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Methods We used an 11-year timeseries (spanning 2009–2021) of BCB bowhead whale presence in the southern Chukchi Sea (inferred from passive acoustic monitoring) to explore relationships between migration timing and sea ice in the Chukchi and Bering Seas. Results Fall southward migration into the Bering Strait was delayed in years with less mean October Chukchi Sea ice area and earlier in years with greater sea ice area (p = 0.04, r2 = 0.40). Greater mean October–December Bering Sea ice area resulted in longer absences between whales migrating south in the fall and north in the spring (p < 0.01, r2 = 0.85). A stepwise shift after 2012–2013 shows some whales are remaining in southern Chukchi Sea rather than moving through the Bering Strait and into the northwestern Bering Sea for the winter. Spring northward migration into the southern Chukchi Sea was earlier in years with less mean January–March Chukchi Sea ice area and delayed in years with greater sea ice area (p < 0.01, r2 = 0.82). Conclusions As sea ice continues to decline, northward spring-time migration could shift earlier or more bowhead whales may overwinter at summer feeding grounds. Changes to bowhead whale migration could increase the overlap with ships and impact Indigenous communities that rely on bowhead whales for nutritional and cultural subsistence.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sea ice directs changes in bowhead whale phenology through the Bering Strait

Szesciorka

Stafford

2023

Mov Ecol

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“…(4.1) Analyzing the earliest thickness records from ERS-1/2, Laxon et al (2003) found that the standard deviation of mean ice thickness over the first 8-year period of altimeter observations was 9% of the overall average ice thickness and moreover that average winter ice thickness was strongly correlated with the length of the summer melt season. Subsequent observations from ERS-1/2, Envisat, ICESat, CryoSat-2 and ICESat-2 have revealed a decline in Arctic sea ice thickness and volume over the last two decades (e.g., Perovich et al 2020, Kwok andCunningham 2015;Laxon et al 2013;Giles et al 2008a), during which time the sea ice cover has transitioned from a predominantly multi-year to seasonal ice pack (Druckenmiller et al 2021). The greatest losses have been observed in areas containing the oldest and thickest sea ice (Figs.…”

Section: Sea Ice Thicknessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sea Ice Remote Sensing—Recent Developments in Methods and Climate Data Sets

Sandven¹,

Spreen

Heygster

et al. 2023

Surv Geophys

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Sea ice monitoring by polar orbiting satellites has been developed over more than four decades and is today one of the most well-established applications of space observations. This article gives an overview of data product development from the first sensors to the state-of-the-art regarding retrieval methods, new products and operational data sets serving climate monitoring as well as daily operational services including ice charting and forecasting. Passive microwave data has the longest history and represents the backbone of global ice monitoring with already more than four decades of consistent observations of ice concentration and extent. Time series of passive microwave data is the primary climate data set to document the sea ice decline in the Arctic. Scatterometer data is a valuable supplement to the passive microwave data, in particular to retrieve ice displacement and distinguish between firstyear and multiyear ice. Radar and laser altimeter data has become the main method to estimate sea ice thickness and thereby fill a gap in the observation of sea ice as an essential climate variable. Data on ice thickness allows estimation of ice volume and masses as well as improvement of the ice forecasts. The use of different altimetric frequencies also makes it possible to measure the depth of the snow covering the ice. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has become the work horse in operational ice observation on regional scale because high-resolution radar images are delivered year-round in nearly all regions where national ice services produce ice charts. Synthetic Aperture Radar data are also important for sea ice research because the data can be used to observe a number of sea ice processes and phenomena, like ice type development and sea ice dynamics, and thereby contribute to new knowledge about sea ice. The use of sea ice data products in modelling and forecasting services as well as in ice navigation is discussed. Finally, the article describes future plans for new satellites and sensors to be used in sea ice observation.

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“…At 20 m, seasonal variations become negligible (corresponds to the Depth of Zero Annual Amplitude, DZAA), making the temperature at this depth a suitable indicator of long-term change in permafrost thermal state [7], often used in international assessment reports (e.g. [27,28]). The trend in the time series at the near-surface depths is less obvious since the annual fluctuations are much stronger.…”

Section: Long-term Trends In Svalbard and Norwaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in operational permafrost monitoring on Svalbard and in Norway

Isaksen

Lutz²,

Sørensen³

et al. 2022

Environ. Res. Lett.

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The cryosphere web portal maintained by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway), https://cryo.met.no, provides access to the latest operational data and the current state of sea ice, snow, and permafrost in Norway, the Arctic, and the Antarctic. We present the latest addition to this portal: the operational permafrost monitoring at MET Norway and methods for visualising real-time permafrost temperature data. The latest permafrost temperatures are compared to the climatology generated from the station’s data record, including median, confidence intervals, extremes, and trends. There are additional operational weather stations with extended measurement programs at these locations. The collocated monitoring offers daily updated data for studying and monitoring the current state, trends, and the effects of, e.g. extreme climate events on permafrost temperatures. Temperature rates obtained from the long-term records in the warmer permafrost found in Norway are typically 0.1 °C to 0.2 °C per decade. In contrast, in the colder permafrost of the High Arctic on Svalbard, a warming of up to 0.7 °C per decade is apparent. The operational monitoring provides information faster than ever before, potentially assisting in the early detection of, e.g. record high active layer thickness and pronounced permafrost temperature increases. It may also become an important cornerstone of early warning systems for natural hazards associated with permafrost warming and degradation. Currently, data are submitted manually to the international Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost and are scheduled for integration with WMO operational services through the WMO Global Cryosphere Watch.

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The Arctic

Cited by 24 publications

References 26 publications

Sea ice directs changes in bowhead whale phenology through the Bering Strait

Sea ice directs changes in bowhead whale phenology through the Bering Strait

Sea Ice Remote Sensing—Recent Developments in Methods and Climate Data Sets

Advances in operational permafrost monitoring on Svalbard and in Norway

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