Why Polar Science Matters
BY STEPHANIE MACDONALD
The Polar Regions (Arctic and Antarctic) play a hugely important role in helping us understand how the Earth works. Our Earth is a global system, with all regions having an interconnecting role. The polar regions are immensely integral components of the Earth system yet due to how remote they are they are poorly understood. Due to the hostile and unique nature of the polar regions they are able to provide experts with a scientific vantage point that is not available anywhere else, ultimately leading to new scientific discoveries.
The trends and discoveries in the Polar ecosystems can help us predict what will happen in various regions of the planet years in advance. As global climate has garnered worldwide attention, the polar regions have been found to react acutely to fluctuations in climate and temperature. They are changing faster than any other region on earth. The polar regions are displaying rapid change and can help us understand the future of our planet especially in regards to atmospheric and ocean circulation.
Despite both being polar regions, Arctic and Antarctic science often focuses on different goals. The Arctic Ocean is surrounded by land, with much of the terrain and adjacent shorelines difficult to reach because of ice and challenging weather conditions. Antarctica is a continent surrounded by oceans. The continent has been mostly entombed in a thick ice cover for millennia, creating a unique setting for research. The Antarctic continent is the coldest and driest desert on Earth. Though it is warming, the antarctic is not warming at the same rate as the Arctic, potentially due to its elevation .The two contrasting environments leads to some unique and exciting research in the bipolar comparisons of climate.
Arctic sea ice is decreasing which leads to adverse ecological impacts on many polar species such as polar bears, whales, krill and sea birds. Arctic research helps us understand potential in changes in species’ distribution, migration patterns and reproductive disruption.
Animals are not the only victims of changes in the polar regions. More than 4 million people call the Arctic home. There have been communities living in the Arctic regions for over 20,000 years and these communities are facing displacement due to ice melt and their way of live being changed dramatically due to lack of sea ice. The reduction in sea ice makes traveling and hunting on the ice more difficult and coastline erosion is occurring more rapidly. Additionally much of the infrastructure and buildings that are constructed on the permafrost soil is subject to disruption as the soil begins to soften.
Research in these rapidly changing harsh environments has huge societal relevance, especially in the coming years. Polar research is crucial for climate change research, biodiversity, ocean circulation and dynamics. Understanding these regions can offer methodologies of sustainable development for bot the polar areas and the whole planet.