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Notes

Introduction

The Arctic ice pack is melting. A large body of recent scientific evidence now verifies what was once science fiction speculation set in an indefinite future.

Covering an average of 14 million square kilometres at its greatest extent in February and about half this size at its smallest extent in the northern autumn, the Arctic’s sea ice is a major driver of global weather systems. The light surface of the ice (which in scientific terms has a high “albedo”) reflects solar energy away from the Earth and acts as a natural refrigerator for the planet. Ice and melt water from the Arctic Ocean have profound affects on ocean circulation patterns on the North Atlantic, and from there to ocean and other climate systems over the entire planet.

The Arctic’s sea ice is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including polar bears, arctic foxes, seals, walruses, and whales, fish species such as Arctic cod and char, and sea birds such as guillemots, auks, and eiders. The sea ice is also used as an important transportation route by caribou and muskox and a traditional hunting ground for the Inuit, that remarkable indigenous culture of the far north.