The Arctic Is Becoming Wetter and Stormier, Scientists Warn
Context- Changing weather patterns due to climate change
Highlights-
- Even though 2022 was only the Arctic’s sixth warmest year on record, researchers saw plenty of new signs this year of how the region is changing.
- Temperatures in the Arctic Circle have been rising much more quickly than those in the rest of the planet, transforming the region’s climate into one defined less by sea ice, snow and permafrost and more by open water, rain and green landscapes.
- Over the past four decades, the region has warmed at four times the global average rate, not two or three times as had often been reported, scientists in Finland said this year.
- Rising temperatures have helped plants, shrubs and grasses grow in parts of the Arctic tundra, and 2022 saw levels of green vegetation that were the fourth highest since 2000, particularly in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, northern Quebec and central Siberia.
- During 2021-22, by June, snow cover in the North American Arctic was the second-lowest on record. In the Eurasian Arctic, it was third lowest.
- Precipitation levels have increased significantly in the Arctic since the mid-20th century. Three main factors could be-
- First, warmer air can hold more moisture.
- Second, as sea ice retreats, storms can suck up more open ocean water.
- The third factor is that storms are passing over warmer water before reaching the Arctic, feeding them with more energy.
(Credits- Britannica Kids)
What is India’s Arctic Policy?
Six Central Pillars to India’s Arctic Policy
- Science and research.
- Environmental protection.
- Economic and human development.
- Transportation and connectivity.
- Governance and international cooperation.
- National capacity building
What is the history of India’s Arctic Engagement?
- India’s engagement with the Arctic began when it signed the Svalbard Treaty in February 1920 in Paris between Norway, the US, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Ireland, and the British overseas Dominions and Sweden.
- India initiated its Arctic research program in 2007 with a focus on climate change in the region. The objectives included studying teleconnections between Arctic climate and Indian monsoon, to characterize sea ice in the Arctic using satellite data, to estimate the effect on global warming.
- India already has a research station in the Arctic named, Himadri, for the research work.
Way Forward- Collaborative approach to maximize accruals due to scientific research, while , maintaining ecological character of the arctic should be the way forward.
Source- Indian Express
Syllabus- Mains; GS-1; GS-3; Physical Geography; Climate change
