Solutions for the Arctic
Collaborative action can protect the Arctic: curb black carbon, manage permafrost thaw, expand monitoring, and support Indigenous-led adaptation.
Change shipping practices in the Arctic to reduce black carbon emissions
Business and government should work together to reduce the damage done by commercial shipping in the Arctic. One way is through supporting the EU’s Arctic Black Carbon impacting on Climate and Air Pollution (ABC-iCAP) initiative.
Black carbon – soot particles produced in ship engine exhaust – settles on polar ice and snow, both reducing the ability of ice and snow to reflect light, and thereby leading to it melting faster, as well as absorbing heat
Although the Arctic Heavy Fuel Oil ban came into force in July 2024 (2029 for some states), many of the alternative fuels could be even more disastrous in the event of a spill due to the behaviour of such fuels in cold water, which could evade cleanup responses. Businesses who run, or benefit from, commercial shipping routes through the Arctic need to understand the chemical properties of their fuel and bolster appropriate emergency response preparedness.
Despite the ban on Heavy Fuel Oils, there are numerous loopholes, which will remain until 2029. Moreover, the ban only covers 16% of HFO burned and 30% of HFO when carried as fuel. Receding ice and expanding interest in Arctic routes has skyrocketed shipping traffic. Between 2021-2023, the number of unique ships grew by 37%, bringing an increase in emissions and concerns about safe passage. Notably, many of these ships operate in the Arctic Ocean without adhering to the Polar Code.
Support the International Maritime Organisation in ensuring that Arctic ships are sufficiently strong enough to safely pass Arctic waters as outlined in the Polar Code. Encourage the IMO to implement measures such as an Emission Control Area or speed restrictions in especially vulnerable parts of the Arctic (such as areas of particularly productive habitats).
Environmental management to slow the pace of permafrost thaw
Research in northeastern Russia found that areas with herds of large Arctic herbivores like reindeer, horses and bison have a soil temperature about 2 degrees colder compared to herd-free areas. It’s thought that herds thin snow cover and increase its density, allowing heat to escape from the soil and preserve vital permafrost. This means that strategically resettling herds like these could help preserve the Arctic’s frozen soils.
Protecting forests and peatland can also limit permafrost disruption. Peat insulates permafrost by trapping air pockets above it, while vegetation shades the ground from direct sun, slowing thaw. A modeling study found that the areas most likely to suffer from permafrost degradation are those with mineral-based soil and no vegetation.
More data from the Arctic
The Arctic is enormous, covering the equivalent area of the United States, Canada and China combined. But we observe this vast area with a very limited number of sensors and observation systems that are deployed and maintained on the ice (sea ice, glaciers), on land, and in the sea (such as buoys) by various research teams every year.
Sensors in the Arctic play a critical role in monitoring the atmosphere, land, sea ice and ocean by collecting and broadcasting their observations. They are also used to validate and create new satellite-derived data products that are also critical for continuous monitoring of the Arctic region.
Arctic Basecamp
Arctic Basecamp and collaborators are aiming to develop a global trust fund for sensors to address this funding shortage and significantly increase our observations for several key metrics, such as air and sea-surface temperature, atmospheric pressure, sea surface salinity, etc.
This would create an observation network of marine- and land-based sensors strategically located within communities, and uniformly distributed throughout the Arctic. It would be a major step towards properly monitoring, recording, and preparing for Arctic hazards and their global impacts.
Helping Arctic communities adapt
People living in the Arctic are at the foreground of climate change. Supporting their adaptation helps develop adaptation models that may be applicable elsewhere.
Several organisations are keen to make initial moves
SmartICE is a social enterprise initiative that helps northern communities adapt to the reality that sea ice is becoming less predictable as the Arctic warms, increasing the risk of vital ice travel.
SmartICE combines Indigenous knowledge, sensor technology and satellite imagery to generate up-to-date information about areas where travelling across the ice is too hazardous. That information is shared via mobile apps, maps in public places and local radio to help northern communities navigate sea ice and preserve traditional travel and hunting.
“SmartICE partners with Arctic Indigenous communities to empower them to monitor the ice that not only acts as their harvesting platform and travel highway but is central to their culture and identity. By helping to document and share their indigenous knowledge of ice travel safety, while also putting into their hands the sensors that monitors the ice, SmartICE is demonstrating to Davos that traditional knowledge and novel technology can work hand-in-hand for a climate change solution.” Dr. Trevor Bell, SmartICE Co-Founder.
ArcticNet is a Network of Centres of Excellence of Canada that brings together scientists, engineers, and other professionals in the human health, natural and social sciences with partners from Inuit organizations, northern communities, federal and provincial agencies and the private sector to study the impacts of climate and socio-economic change in the Canadian North.
Organisations like ArcticNet can support partnering Indigenous communities with external scientists and funders. While investments, especially from the private sector, are critical for adaptation work, finances continue to be a limiting factor.
