The Last Arctic Sea Ice Refuge

S:6>8: The last arctic sea ice refuge STEPHANIE PFIRMAN and her colleagues* argue that in a melting Arctic, if we want to maintain the remaining sea ice as a refuge for ice associated species, international planning and assessment is needed. AS GLOBAL WARMING reduces the ing scenario) also extent of summer sea ice in the Arctic indicates that a small Ocean, ecosystems that require peren- amount of summer nial ice are likely to survive longest sea ice – perhaps a within and along the northern flank half million square of the Canadian kilometers – is likely Arctic Archipelago to persist well into and Greenland. the 21st century along Analyses of models the northern flank and satellite data of Greenland and indicate that mul- the Canadian Arctic STEPHANIE PFIRMAN tiyear ice in this Archipelago. The is Hirschorn Profes- region is formed reason for this is that sor and co-Chair, locally, as well as sea ice formed each Environmental Science transported in from winter will continue Figure 1: September mean (2040–2049) sea ice concen- Department, Barnard the central Arctic to be pushed by domi- tration projected by the Community Climate System College, Columbia and Eurasian shelf nant wind and ocean Model (version 3, CCSM3), for the A1B global warming University and adjunct seas. An integrated, currents towards the scenario Associate Research (http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/01/arctic-sea-ice-decline-in-the-21st-century/; international sys- North American con- Holland et al., 2006). Scientist, Lamont-Do- tem of monitoring tinent where it will herty Earth Observa- and management of pile up and thicken. This region north mal polar bear habitat around most of tory, Columbia Uni- this sea ice refuge, of the Canadian archipelago is a “dead” the rest of the Arctic, but some habitat versity. Her research along with the ice zone with little ice motion caught in be- is projected to persist in the refugium focuses on under- source regions, tween the Beaufort Gyre in the western north of the Canadian Arctic Archipela- standing transport and has the potential Arctic and the Transpolar Drift Stream go and Greenland (Durner et al., 2009; trajectories of Arctic to maintain viable in the central Arctic exporting ice Figure 2C). As a result, this region, as sea ice in a changing habitat for ice-as- south via the Fram Strait. Today, this is well as the neighboring Canadian Arctic world. sociated species, in- exactly the place where the thickest and Archipelago, has the greatest likelihood cluding polar bears, oldest ice occurs (Figure 2B). In the fu- for maintenance of a viable polar bear for decades into the future. ture, species that rely on year-round sea population through the 21st century. Some climate models project much ice for all or part of their life cycle will Because the sea ice cover is dynamic, of the Arctic may be seasonally free of survive longest in this naturally formed any management plan must include the sea ice during summer by about 2040 sea ice refugium (Figure 2C). “ice shed” that delivers sea ice to the (Figure 1 and 2A). However, the Com- The consensus of models and obser- refuge. Our results from models and munity Climate System Model (version vations on the location of the last sea satellite data over the past 30 years in- 3, CCSM3 for the A1B global warm- ice refugium lays the foundation for dicate that, in addition to ice that forms developing an integrated, international locally, some sea ice in this region is * This article written by Stephanie Pfirman is based on her system of monitoring and management transported in from the central Arctic work in cooperation with Bruno Tremblay, McGill University, in order to maintain viable habitat for and shelf seas (Figure 2D). In the past, Canada and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Colum- bia University, USA; Charles Fowler, University of Colorado ice-associated species, including polar ice sources included regions as far at Boulder, USA; and Robert Newton, Lamont-Doherty bears. By mid-century, extensive sum- away as the northeastern Russian and Earth Observatory of Columbia University, USA. mer sea ice melting will diminish opti- Alaskan shelves. Sea ice formed over 6 I=:8>G8A: Figure 2: A) Aerial distribution of September A C mean (2040–2049) sea ice concentration projected by the Community Climate System Model (version 3, CCSM3), for the A1B global warming scenario (http://www.realclimate. org/index.php/archives/2007/01/arctic-sea-ice-decline-in-the-21st-century/; Holland et al., 2006). B) Distribution of arctic sea ice age at the end of the 2008 melt season showing collection of oldest ice immediately north of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Greenland. http://nsidc.org/images/arctic- seaicenews/20080924_Figure3.jpg C) Projected 21st century changes in frequency (number of months) of optimal polar bear habitat between the two decades 2001–2010 and B D 2041–2050 (Durner et al., 2009). Colors indicate change in months: blue = increased habitat, red = decreased habitat. D) Back trajectories showing the origin of ice supplied to the continental shelf area north of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Greenland during the summer of 2008: colors change at yearly intervals, repre- senting 5 years of drift. Trajectories are computed by reversing ice vec- tor data. Box indicates approximate region of projected sea ice refuge including its “ice shed” of potential ice source areas. these shelves during fall and winter In the future, as the area of sea ice data indicate that average sea ice transit would drift north, entering into the that melts each summer increases, ice times in recent years are shorter than perennial pack ice of the central Arctic. formed in winter over distant shelves in the 1980s (e.g. Rampal et al., 2009). Pushed by the wind and ocean currents, may melt before it has a chance to The reason for the potential increase the ice would circulate in the clockwise reach the refugium. But model results in ice speed is that wind energy will be Beaufort Gyre within the Arctic Basin. and observations indicate that as the ice transferred more efficiently to moving While much of the ice was exported concentration and thickness decreases, individual ice floes, rather than being out of the central Arctic within a couple drift speeds increase. For example, the dissipated laterally through the pack as of years through Fram Strait, east of Tara Expedition of 2006 drifted with is the case today when thicker ice floes Greenland, some ice continued circulat- the sea ice from northern Russia, across move relative to one another. If drift ing for years along the northern flank the central Arctic Basin to Fram Strait, speeds increase substantially, as our re- of Greenland, on towards the northern in 1.2 years rather than the 3 years that gional sea ice model suggests, then ice flank of the Canadian Archipelago, and was anticipated based on climatologi- formed in winter north of Siberia could then back around in the gyre. cal ice drift speed. In addition, satellite continue to be contributed to the refuge. I=:8>G8A: 7 FDD9L:7 Maintaining the viability of the remaining arctic sea ice as a refuge for ice-associated species requires that Ecosystem impacts we start international planning and assessment. The refugium itself lies in the Canadian and Greenland Exclusive of seasonal sea ice Economic Zones (EEZs), while the ice sources that feed it could lie in the EEZs of Russia, the United States, and declines Norway. As sea ice thins and retreats, economic development is likely to increase in the region. New shipping While charismatic mega fauna receive the majority of study, routes and expansion of the extractive researching lower levels of the arctic food web will help to un- industries, for example, would need to derstand the scope and impact of climate change throughout the be managed in the context of protect- ing the refugium habitat. As far as marine ecosystem, says LEE W. COOPER. we are aware, recognition of a sea ice refugium, including its dynamic “ice shed”, would be novel in international WHILE TEMPERATURE increases and water of Pacific Ocean origin across policy. It would require significant lead- decreases in seasonal sea ice provide the shallow shelf in the Bering Strait time to be established and would take clear evidence of warming in the Arctic region. Because the northern shelf is considerable international cooperation and its marginal seas, the impacts of shallow and largely surrounded by land and diplomacy. In addition to ongo- climate warming on many marine where North America and Asia meet, ing research focused on understanding biological systems remain hidden from it is subject to significant summer tem- future sea ice extent, research also view. For example, a recent summary perature variation, and in warmer years, needs to be conducted on future sea of ecosystem impacts of climate change fish that dominate the southern Bering ice drift patterns and rates. Develop- documented during the International Sea ecosystem can typically be found ment plans for resource extraction and Polar Year and published in Science, further north, where they compete for shipping require consideration of the discussed changes in treeline, vegeta- food with diving marine mammals dynamic nature of arctic sea ice: they tion, animal migration patterns and such as gray whales, walrus and diving need to recognize that sea ice – along many other well-documented shifts that ducks that feed on the rich benthic com- with any contaminants from accidents have occurred on land in the Arctic. munities on the sea floor. or spills – has the potential to drift from However in the ocean system, examples one country’s continental shelf, into of climate change vulnerability were another’s.

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