WILDFIRES, FISH SIZE: HOW HOTTEST ARCTIC SUMMER IMPACTED REGION

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released its annual Arctic Report Card for 2023.
• The report highlights the region's record-breaking temperatures, contributing to unprecedented events and environmental changes.

Record-Breaking Summer Temperature

• The 2023 summer in the Arctic marked the warmest on record, amplifying the ongoing trend of accelerated warming in the region.
• Overall, the past year was the sixth-warmest year the Arctic had experienced since reliable record-keeping began in 1900.

Unprecedented Wildfires

• Rising temperatures fueled unprecedented wildfires, particularly in Canada, where the worst wildfire season on record occurred.
• More than 10 million acres in the Northwest Territories were burned, leading to evacuations and severe air quality issues.

Thawing of Subsea Permafrost

• Subsea permafrost is essentially frozen soil beneath the seabed that contains organic matter.
• Warming ocean temperatures accelerated the thawing of subsea permafrost.
• This releases methane and carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming and ocean acidification.
• Also, limited research hinders accurate estimates of future greenhouse gas releases from subsea permafrost.

Food Insecurity

• Climate change adversely affected salmon populations in Western Alaska.
  • Chinook and chum salmon numbers declined 81% and 92% below the 30-year mean, respectively.
• Reduced salmon availability led to fishery closures, user conflicts, and significant food security impacts in Indigenous communities.

Raging Wildfires in Canada

• Canada experienced its worst wildfire season, burning over 10 million acres in the Northwest Territories.
• High temperatures, dry vegetation, and below-average rainfall created ideal conditions for widespread wildfires.

Severe Flooding in Alaska

• Thinning of the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska, attributed to rising temperatures, caused annual floods, with a notable disaster in August 2023.
• A glacial lake burst through its ice dam, leading to unprecedented flooding and property damage in Juneau.

Greenland Ice Sheet Melting

• The highest point on Greenland's ice sheet experienced melting for the fifth time in the 34-year record.
• Despite above-average winter snow accumulation, the ice sheet lost approximately 350 trillion pounds of mass, contributing to sea-level rise.

Conclusion

• NOAA's Arctic Report Card 2023 paints a dire picture of the Arctic's escalating climate crisis.
• From wildfires and flooding to thawing permafrost and diminishing food resources, the report underscores the urgent need for global climate action to mitigate these impacts.