News from the polar regions in September included more worrisome news for Arctic sea ice, the potential role of permafrost in global warming, and new fossil discoveries in Antarctica. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!

2008 was the second-lowest year in terms of summer Arctic sea ice coverage, a continuation of an accelerated downward trend. This was also the first year in which the Northwest Passage and the Northeast Passage were both ice free. In addition, Arctic sea ice is becoming younger and thinner and thus more susceptible to melting. The continued loss of sea ice spells trouble for polar bears and other marine mammals as well as the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. It also means that less solar radiation is reflected back into space, as it is absorbed by the darker open water. Increased heat absorption will lead to further melting and is thus a powerful positive feedback that accelerates global warming.

Another positive feedback in the Arctic is thawing permafrost. Permafrost, frozen ground that contains slowly decomposing roots and other soil organic matter, contains large amounts of organic carbon. As temperatures warm and permafrost thaws, the carbon is released into the atmosphere as the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. Permafrost blankets the northern latitudes of Russia, Europe, Greenland, and North America. Just how much carbon is contained in these areas? A new study estimates 1,672 billion metric tons – more than double the 780 billion tons in the atmosphere today. Researchers say that this new estimate supports other climate change science in suggesting that at a certain tipping point, natural processes (such as permafrost thaw) may contribute significantly to global warming. Another study has identified very old (more than 700,000 years) sections of permafrost in North America, suggesting that layers of frozen soil more than several meters below the surface may be more resilient than previously thought. Even so, the authors conclude that permafrost’s potential role in global warming should not be ignored.

Greenland has also made news in recent months as a result of ice loss and continued studies of ice sheet dynamics. While much of the focus has been on large glaciers, new research has found that almost 75% of Greenland’s ice loss can be traced back to small coastal glaciers. The study combined two types of satellite data to obtain a better picture of the rapid thinning. Greenland is second only to Antarctica in terms of ice, a cap 1,491 miles long, 683 miles wide, and 1.8 deep at its thickest point.

The changes across the Arctic have prompted a group of scientists to merge and re-analyze ten years of detailed atmospheric, sea ice, and land surface measurements into a single computer model-based synthesis. Researchers hope that the Arctic System Reanalysis project will lead to a better understanding of changes in the diverse and complex Arctic environment.

In August, we reported that vast amounts of oil and natural gas were believed to be present in the Arctic region. Now, new technologies and expeditions may help governments locate and utilize these resources. Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a method to analyze remote sensing data that locates the intersection of continental and oceanic crust. Called rifted continental margins, these boundaries are often the location for oil and gas reserves. U.S. and Canadian expeditions will explore the Arctic seafloor in an attempt to map the extended continental shelf, an area more than 200 nautical miles beyond shore. Under the criteria of the Convention of the Law of the Sea, countries may claim the extended continental shelf off their coastline.  

Researchers in the polar regions will soon be able to start processing data in the field, thanks to the Polar Grid Project. The project provides a collection of customized computational resources in an effort to speed time between data collection and scientific discovery. Data analysis in the field also provides the ability to adjust experiments to gather more accurate data. Equipment from the project was used in a summer expedition to Greenland and currently is being sent to a research camp on Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica.

Analysis of ice cores from Antarctica has showed a correlation between carbon dioxide levels and abrupt changes in climate. The study’s findings provide greater insight into past greenhouse gas and climate fluctuations and seem to support computer models that project a warmer climate in the future as a result of increased carbon dioxide.

Paleontologists have discovered an amphibious predator species that lived in Antarctica during the Triassic period, about 251 to 199 million years ago. The amphibian, called Kryostega collinsoni, was probably about 15 feet in length, resembled a modern-day crocodile, and had large teeth at the edge and on the roof of its mouth. The size of the teeth suggest that it was a predator. During the Triassic period, all the world’s land was united in the supercontinent Pangaea, and the climate of Antarctica was much warmer than today.

Researchers are using mathematical techniques to locate and study giant spinning eddies in the Southern Ocean. Called gyres, the swirling water does not mix well with the rest of the ocean. Gyres can thus trap pollutants, nutrients, drifting plants and animals, and even block ocean currents. It is believed that gyres have significant effects in terms of how heat and carbon are distributed around Earth by the oceans.

One major concern associated with climate change is the potential for sea level rise, with some projections as great as 20 feet or more by the end of this century. A new study, however, concludes that the most plausible scenario will lead to a total sea level rise of roughly 3 to 6 feet by 2100. Researchers considered glaciological conditions in Greenland and Antarctica to make their projections.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s office of Biological and Environmental Research recently launched a new program to attack the problem of abrupt climate change. While many people think of climate change as a gradual process, it has happened suddenly in the past and can do so in the future. The program brings together six national laboratories: Argonne, Los Alamos, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, and Pacific Northwest.

And, finally, experts are calling for a new coordinated set of international rules to govern commercial and research activities in the Arctic and Antarctica. Increases in both types of traffic have put pressure on the fragile ecosystems – something experts claim is not manageable within existing international law.

Know of another significant news story from September that you’d like to share? Reactions to one of the stories discussed here? Post a comment – we’d love to hear from you!