Welcome back to the blog! In this entry, we zoom into the Arctic as a case study of the relationship between air pollution and climate change. In recent years, much attention has been drawn to these polar regions, which are warming at unprecedented rates. Read on to find out how air pollution comes into play!
Annual growth in greenhouse gas emissions have resulted in large-scale global warming, to which polar regions are most strongly affected. In merely 4 decades, the Arctic has warmed by almost 3°C, nearly four times as fast as other parts of Earth (Bamber, 2022). Accompanying the warming is a huge decline in Arctic sea ice minimum observed within the same period.
Figure 1. Decline of Arctic sea ice yearly minimum from 1980 to 2020 and beyond (Lindsey and Scott, 2022)
Figure 2. Differences in Arctic sea ice cover by extent and age between March 1985 and March 2021 (Lindsey and Scott, 2022)
The melting of sea ice covered by high-albedo ice leaves behind open Arctic waters that absorb most of the incoming solar radiation to warm quickly. A positive feedback loop (also known as Arctic amplification) is established where warm waters cause sea ice to melt more quickly, in turn causing the water to warm further (Bamber, 2022). Beyond disappearing sea ice, the Arctic Council (n.d.) reports that anthropogenically produced low-albedo black carbon, which lands on sea ice, stimulates faster warming and melting.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. A detailed study by Wadhams (2016) elaborates upon other forms of dynamics between warming induced by the enhanced greenhouse effect and the Arctic response. However, what he coined the “most worrisome feedback” struck me most deeply. With the prolonged melting of Arctic sea ice and continuous warming of Arctic water, there is a potential to thaw offshore permafrost underlain by a massive reserve of methane. Adding that just 8% of this methane can cause an instantaneous global warming of 1 degree Fahrenheit, Wadhams (2016) also warns that 50 gigatons of Arctic methane could be released “very soon”. This methane will strengthen the greenhouse effect and induce further global warming which, as you may have guessed, would then warm the Arctic further to create an endless feedback loop. Can you imagine the scale of destruction that will be unleashed should more than 8% of the methane were to be released?
Figure 3. Infographic illustrating various forms of feedback caused by the loss of Arctic sea ice (Wadhams. 2016)
According to the WWF (n.d.), the Arctic will continue to warm so long as greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed, spelling various climatological disasters for the world. Bearing in mind both the Arctic’s climate-sensitivity as well as its vast potential to influence global climate, it is absolutely critical for careful management of greenhouse gas emissions to preserve the integrity of our fragile, yet valuable Arctic.
Until the next entry, breathe safe and be safe!
References
Arctic Council. (n.d.). Addressing arctic pollution. Addressing Arctic Pollution. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.arctic-council.org/explore/topics/pollutants/
Bamber, J. (2022). The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the world. PBS. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-arctic-is-warming-nearly-four-times-faster-than-the-rest-of-the-world
Lindsey, R., & Scott, M. (2022). Climate change: Arctic sea ice summer minimum. Climate Change: Arctic sea ice summer minimum. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-arctic-sea-ice-summer-minimum
Wadhams, P. (2016). The global impacts of rapidly disappearing Arctic Sea Ice. The Global Impacts of Rapidly Disappearing Arctic Sea Ice. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://e360.yale.edu/features/as_arctic_ocean_ice_disappears_global_climate_impacts_intensify_wadhams