Drones Changing How Scientists Monitor Arctic Climate Change. Cliffs along the western Canadian Arctic coastline are eroding at an increasingly rapid pace, threatening to impact animals, plants and people in the area. But a team of scientists from the Geological Survey of Canada has found a cheap and novel way to monitor the phenomenon: combining off-the-shelf drones with 3D imagery that tracks erosion year-to-year without breaking the bank. Nunatsiaq Online

The Arctic is Getting Crazy. In the past year the climate in the Arctic has at times bordered on the absurd. Temperatures were 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit above average in some places during the recent Christmas week. Through November the area of ice-covered ocean in the region reached a record low in seven of 11 months-an unprecedented stretch. More important, perhaps, the difference between Arctic temperatures and those across the midlatitudes of North America, Europe and Asia during 2016 was the smallest ever seen. That narrowing gap is important to note because it seems to be driving extreme weather in the midlatitudes, from heat waves and droughts to heavy snowfalls. Why is the Arctic so crazy lately, and how strong is the connection to bad weather to its south, where so many people live? Scientific American asked Jennifer Francis, who is a research professor at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University and has investigated Arctic climate change and its links to weather worldwide since 1994. Scientific American

 

National News Arctic Geese Breeding More as Climate Changes- buy Mothers at Higher Death Risk. Warmer conditions at breeding grounds in north-east Canada help light-bellied Brent geese produce more young, researchers found. But in years when productivity is highest, the death rate among mothers also increases. The researchers believe this happens because mothers use extra energy to lay eggs and face more risk from predators while sitting on their nests, which they make on the ground. Witney Gazette

 

When the Arctic Coast Retreats, Life in the Shallow Water Areas Drastically Changes. The thawing and erosion of Arctic permafrost coasts has dramatically increased in the past years and the sea is now consuming more than 20 meters of land per year at some locations. The earth masses removed in this process increasingly blur the shallow water areas and release nutrients and pollutants. Yet, the consequences of these processes on life in the coastal zone and on traditional fishing grounds are virtually unknown. Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) urge to focus our attention on the ecological consequences of coastal erosion in the January issue of the journal Nature Climate Change. According to the scientists, an interdisciplinary research program is required, and must involve policy-makers as well as inhabitants of the Arctic coasts right from the onset. Science Daily

 

 

Alaska Faces up to $5.5 Billion in Climate Damage by 2100. Climate change will cause billions of dollars in damage to roads, buildings, airports, railroads and pipeline infrastructure in Alaska, particularly if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, a new study found. The findings suggest it would be prudent for local, state and federal governments and businesses to adapt infrastructure or design new infrastructure with climate change considerations in mind. Scientific American