Arctic Research Cassiope tetragona Papaver radicatum Vaccinium vitis-idaea Polygonum viviparum Melandrium apetalum Dryas octopetala Huperzia arctica Splachnum ampullaceum Eriophorum scheuchzeri www.nipr.ac.jp National Institute of Polar Research 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo 190-8518, JAPAN 1903G5000(3) Polar bear The polar bear is largest land-based Ocean. The current polar bear Arctic climate is carnivore on the earth. They can population is estimated at 22,000 grow up to 2 - 2.5 m in length, and to 31,000. They live mainly on sea males can weigh between 250 ice and feed chiefly on seals. For and 600 kg, while females can this reason, they are considered rapidly changing weigh between 150 and 300 kg. marine mammals instead of ter- Living primarily on the islands of restrial ones. Polar bears have Canada, polar bears can also be been listed in the Red List of found in Greenland, Alaska and Threatened Species (IUCN) since Russia in a ring around the Arctic 2006. EISCAT Radars Japanese facilities Antarctic-Arctic Longyearbyen (Norway) Ny-Ålesund Research Station Aurora Conjugate Longyearbyen office at UNIS Observation Reduction of Arctic ice melting of Greenland Ice Sheet. Recent evaluation Tromsø (Norway) Husafell Accelerating reduction in sea ice extent, diminishing shows a strong relationship between Greenland ice Kiruna (Sweden) Iceland Tjornes Norwegian Sea Sodankyla (Finland) glaciers, and melting and disintegration of Greenland disintegration and sea level rise. We started observa- Greenland Sea Ice Sheet are strong concerns not only in terms of tion on Greenland Ice Sheet to focus the system of Ice EGRIP Barents Sea Greenland Svalbard (DENMARK) Arctic climate change but also global environmental Sheet mass change. Baffin Bay Kara Sea change. Arctic sea ice and snow cover are important Ellesmere Island components of the Arctic climate system that drives Arctic connection to middle latitudes North Pole polar amplification through ice-albedo feedback. Sea Mid-high latitude atmospheric circulations pass over TayTaTTaymyrayymyryyrr PPeninsulai ice is a fragile component affected by the warming continents and sub-arctic seas. Circum-Arctic atmo- Victoria Island 2 climate, and changes in it transfer anomalous condi- spheric circulation is affected by land-sea distribution. 3 Banks Island tions to various areas of the environment, including The Arctic amplification is a leading mode of atmo- oceanic processes, marine ecosystem, atmospheric spheric circulation in the high-middle latitudes in the CANADA processes, and terrestrial conditions. northern hemisphere. Arctic circulation patterns Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is surrounded by the Eurasian influence the weather of many countries, including RUSSIAUS A AlaAlAAlaskak (USA)A Continent, North American Continent, Greenland, and Japan. This phenomenon often determines colder many Arctic islands. It is thus connected directly to winter anomalies with snow cover and cold air outbursts human activities in the Arctic countries, and is often from Siberia. Anomalous weather influences also the setting for international economic activities. terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Observations of One of the Arctic’s important influences on the snow and ice are substantial for Arctic Climate Bering Sea Sea of Okhotsk An image of the Arctic taken by NASA's Earth-observing satellite global environment is sea level rise is accelerated by research. Aqua (September 3, 2010) Aqua is an international project, and the satellite is equipped with several countries' sensors, including Kamchatka Peninsula JAPAN some developed by JAXA in Japan. Credit: NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio the Arctic the Arctic Ocean Ocean The Arctic As of January, 2018 Arctic amplification and extreme weather conditions The North Pole refers to a point as Antarctica. There are many Weather in Japan, which lies between and North America. It has been specu- Siberia High Longyearbyen, the biggest at 90 degrees north, and the inhabited settlements within the the Arctic and the tropics, can be affect- lated that this “Warm Arctic, Cold Con- town on the island of Spits- Low region above 66.5 degrees north Arctic Circle, and the region has ed by climate change in the Arctic re- tinents” trend pattern is due to sea-ice bergen in the Svalbard Ar- latitude is generally called the more vegetation than Antarctica. gion. In recent years, sea-ice loss and loss and mid-latitude oceanic changes. chipelago, is accessible by Japan Japan warmer air from the south have caused Other theories have been advanced as Arctic Circle. There is no land at The Arctic sea ice extent in sum- commercial air service. The the North Pole. The Arctic Ocean, mer tends to shrink. It is about standard route from Japan extremely high temperatures in the Arc- well. At present there are insufficient which is ringed by the Eurasian half of that in the 1980s. begins in Narita and in- tic Ocean, with rainfall occurring even in observation data to scientifically sub- and North American continents cludes layovers in Oslo and mid-winter. This condition has coincid- stantiate any of the theories. Continu- ed with severe winter weather in the ous observation and data collection Meandering westerlies are involved Cold air flows into Japan from the Eurasian and Greenland, covers an area of Tromsø, Norway. The total in the “Warm Arctic, Cold Continents” continent under a western-high 14 million km2, or about the same size flight time is about 16 hours. mid-latitudes including Japan, Europe are therefore indispensable. trend pattern. and eastern-low pressure pattern. Polar bear The polar bear is largest land-based Ocean. The current polar bear Arctic climate is carnivore on the earth. They can population is estimated at 22,000 grow up to 2 - 2.5 m in length, and to 31,000. They live mainly on sea males can weigh between 250 ice and feed chiefly on seals. For and 600 kg, while females can this reason, they are considered rapidly changing weigh between 150 and 300 kg. marine mammals instead of ter- Living primarily on the islands of restrial ones. Polar bears have Canada, polar bears can also be been listed in the Red List of found in Greenland, Alaska and Threatened Species (IUCN) since Russia in a ring around the Arctic 2006. EISCAT Radars Japanese facilities Antarctic-Arctic Longyearbyen (Norway) Ny-Ålesund Research Station Aurora Conjugate Longyearbyen office at UNIS Observation Reduction of Arctic ice melting of Greenland Ice Sheet. Recent evaluation Tromsø (Norway) Husafell Accelerating reduction in sea ice extent, diminishing shows a strong relationship between Greenland ice Kiruna (Sweden) Iceland Tjornes Norwegian Sea Sodankyla (Finland) glaciers, and melting and disintegration of Greenland disintegration and sea level rise. We started observa- Greenland Sea Ice Sheet are strong concerns not only in terms of tion on Greenland Ice Sheet to focus the system of Ice EGRIP Barents Sea Greenland Svalbard (DENMARK) Arctic climate change but also global environmental Sheet mass change. Baffin Bay Kara Sea change. Arctic sea ice and snow cover are important Ellesmere Island components of the Arctic climate system that drives Arctic connection to middle latitudes North Pole polar amplification through ice-albedo feedback. Sea Mid-high latitude atmospheric circulations pass over TayTaTTaymyrayymyryyrr PPeninsulai ice is a fragile component affected by the warming continents and sub-arctic seas. Circum-Arctic atmo- Victoria Island 2 climate, and changes in it transfer anomalous condi- spheric circulation is affected by land-sea distribution. 3 Banks Island tions to various areas of the environment, including The Arctic amplification is a leading mode of atmo- oceanic processes, marine ecosystem, atmospheric spheric circulation in the high-middle latitudes in the CANADA processes, and terrestrial conditions. northern hemisphere. Arctic circulation patterns Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is surrounded by the Eurasian influence the weather of many countries, including RUSSIAUS A AlaAlAAlaskak (USA)A Continent, North American Continent, Greenland, and Japan. This phenomenon often determines colder many Arctic islands. It is thus connected directly to winter anomalies with snow cover and cold air outbursts human activities in the Arctic countries, and is often from Siberia. Anomalous weather influences also the setting for international economic activities. terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Observations of One of the Arctic’s important influences on the snow and ice are substantial for Arctic Climate Bering Sea Sea of Okhotsk An image of the Arctic taken by NASA's Earth-observing satellite global environment is sea level rise is accelerated by research. Aqua (September 3, 2010) Aqua is an international project, and the satellite is equipped with several countries' sensors, including Kamchatka Peninsula JAPAN some developed by JAXA in Japan. Credit: NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio the Arctic the Arctic Ocean Ocean The Arctic As of January, 2018 Arctic amplification and extreme weather conditions The North Pole refers to a point as Antarctica. There are many Weather in Japan, which lies between and North America. It has been specu- Siberia High Longyearbyen, the biggest at 90 degrees north, and the inhabited settlements within the the Arctic and the tropics, can be affect- lated that this “Warm Arctic, Cold Con- town on the island of Spits- Low region above 66.5 degrees north Arctic Circle, and the region has ed by climate change in the Arctic re- tinents” trend pattern is due to sea-ice bergen in the Svalbard Ar- latitude is generally called the more vegetation than Antarctica. gion. In recent years, sea-ice loss and loss and mid-latitude oceanic changes. chipelago, is accessible by Japan Japan warmer air from the south have caused Other theories have been advanced as Arctic Circle. There is no land at The Arctic sea ice extent in sum- commercial air service. The the North Pole. The Arctic Ocean, mer tends to shrink. It is about standard route from Japan extremely high temperatures in the Arc- well. At present there are insufficient which is ringed by the Eurasian half of that in the 1980s.