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Why is Climate Change Such a “Hot” issue for the North?
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Scientists expect northern regions to warm up more than other parts of the world as the earth’s climate changes. If you’ve flown over the Arctic, or over other parts of the north during the winter, you might know why. Snow and ice act like mirrors. They reflect a lot of the sun’s heat. But, as the world gets warmer, a lot of snow and ice will melt. This means that darker land and open water will soak up more of the sun’s heat.
More heat held by earth and water, means later winters and earlier springs. Temperatures will rise more in the north than in other parts of the earth. This will mean changes to our environment. And those changes will affect the plants and animals that have adapted to it.
Climate change could mean big differences to life in the north. It may change the land on which we travel and build our homes. Scientists and people on the land have already noticed differences in the ice on our rivers, lakes and seas.And warmer temperatures will affect plants and trees. All of these changes are bound to affect animals, fish, birds and sea mammals – and possibly our own way of life in the North.
We can’t ignore climate change, but we can learn more about what may happen as it changes.
Most of the North has a layer of permanently frozen ground just under the top layer of soil. While the top layer of soil thaws every summer and supports plant life and trees, the permafrost (permanent frost) underneath never thaws. As temperatures rise due to climate change, permafrost may thaw. This is especially likely to happen where ground has been disturbed around our communities. That means that the ground could turn soft and mushy. Roads and airstrips could turn into roller coasters. Buildings, water lines and power poles could tilt and gradually break or fall as the ground thaws and collapses. Melting permafrost could also make it harder for migrating animals and hunters and gatherers to travel over soft, uneven ground.
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Wetlands, such as sloughs and marshes, are an important part of the land around us. They offer summer homes, complete with nesting and feeding areas, to lots of migratory birds. As the land and air heats up, some wetlands will dry up or shrink because more water will evaporate. Others may disappear for a different reason. Many wetlands are hollows in the permafrost. If the permafrost melts, they may just drain away. That would be bad news for wetland birds and mammals.
We all know that when you heat ice, it melts. People are already noticing earlier spring break-ups on rivers, lakes and even on parts of the Arctic Ocean. When ice and snow on land melt, water levels in lakes and rivers rise, sometimes causing floods. Sea ice is breaking up earlier, thinning out, and covering less ocean surface during the summer months.
Less ice means it’s harder for trappers, hunters and animals to get around during the winter. When ice is thinner, it makes travel more dangerous. More open water along the Arctic coast, means more lapping or crashing against the shore. When you add that to melting permafrost, you can get collapsing coastlines. Some communities located on the coast may have to plan for big changes.
Humans aren’t the only creatures that have to adjust to a changing climate. Warmer temperatures are making it easier for some southern species of plants and animals to survive farther and farther north. At the same time, some northern plants and animals are finding it harder to survive as their environment changes.
If northern waters warm as a result of climate change, fish that like to live in warmer water may survive farther north. But fish such as salmon, cod and arctic char already live in the north and need colder waters to survive. As cold-water areas warm and southern species move in, cold-water fish might have a harder time making it.
Changes in climate also mean that animals are on the move. People are seeing moose and other animals, such as coyotes, white-tailed deer and cougars, farther north than ever before. Riding piggyback on these animals are smaller critters like parasites and insects that never used to live as far north. Different kinds of birds are also moving north with warmer weather.
Although plants can’t get up and walk to a new home, their seeds fly on the wind, float on rivers and ride in the fur of animals looking for new homes. If the climate is warmer, they may be able to put down roots further north.
When new plants move in, they sometimes crowd out the plants that were there before. With higher temperatures, plants like willows are moving north into areas of tundra. This could make it hard for some animals like caribou to find enough of their normal food. On the other hand, animals may be able to eat sooner in the spring – if plants green up earlier because of warmer temperatures. That’s a bonus when bellies are at their emptiest!
In the Arctic, polar bears eat seals, seals eat codfish, cod eat plankton, and plankton eat algae. This set of links between the eaters and eaten is called the food chain. The food chain in the Arctic is short and each link in the chain is important. This is especially true for marine life. Every link in the food chain depends on every other link.
Animals in the Arctic food chain depend on the particular climate of the Arctic – some more than others. If warmer temperatures affect one part of the chain, they may affect the entire marine ecosystem. Warmer temperatures, thinner ice and more open water, for example, affect several marine animals.
Seals and walruses mate and have their babies on the sea ice. One effect of thinning ice could be lower birth rates. Seals and walruses also rest and hunt from the ice. As it thins, they won’t have as good a base for resting and hunting. And as the ice melts away from shore, they’ll end up hanging out over deeper waters. That’s a problem when they usually depend on shallow water for their munchies. These two changes could make feeding a lot more difficult.
Polar bears will be affected by what happens to the ice and the seals. As the ice melts earlier in the spring, and the edge of the icepack gets farther away from land, polar bears have a harder time reaching the seals that they eat. This has already happened in the Hudson Bay region. There, polar bears are having trouble reaching the seals they usually fatten up on in the spring. That’s why scientists report lower weights and birth rates for polar bears in that region.
Animals on land may be in for trouble, too. Barren ground caribou in northern Canada travel great distances every year, from wintering grounds to calving grounds to insect relief areas and back again. These days, caribou are running into snow that is deeper and heavier than it used to be. Caribou may have to burn more energy breaking through harder, crusted snow to eat. Thinner ice on lakes and rivers and earlier break-up make river and lake crossings trickier. More caribou are likely to break through and drown as a result. On the plus side, caribou may find that some of the plants that they eat will green up earlier in the spring. However, the same warmer temperatures that help plants may also help insects to hatch sooner. That means that caribou could be chased out of their calving areas earlier than usual.
If climate change makes snow icier, as some scientists expect, smaller mammals may find it difficult to live and breath under the snow. If they have trouble surviving, the animals and birds that live on small mammals – foxes, for example – could have a tough time.
In the Eastern Arctic, climate change has meant cooler weather. That’s why some birds, like snow geese, have been nesting farther south than they used to. But continuing climate change is likely to warm this region in coming decades. In parts of the Arctic that have already warmed, people are seeing new duck species that used to stay farther south.
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A warmer climate is going to have a mix of positive and negative impacts on our communities. Melting permafrost will cause some of the biggest changes. It could affect our roads, buildings and industries. People who spend time on the land are already noticing changes- particularly to ice conditions –- that affect their hunting and trapping lifestyles. If we’re smart, we’ll prepare for changes that may be coming, even if we can’t be a hundred percent sure what they’ll look like.
The climate is changing everywhere. People around the world will have to deal with many of the same types of impacts as northerners. For example, worldwide, new plant and wildlife species will appear in some areas. Familiar species will disappear if they can’t handle the new climate.
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Around the world, many cities, towns and villages are built close to sea level. Scientists expect climate change to cause sea levels to rise. This means that tens of millions of people who live close to the sea will have to move to higher ground. Whole islands or countries could disappear under water. Salt water could flood low-lying farmland and displace fresh water. This would harm farm crops because many plants can’t grow in salty soil.
Climate change is expected to mean very unreliable weather. Some parts of the world will get more rain and floods. Other parts will get more droughts and really hot weather. When it gets really hot and dry, more water evaporates. That means less drinking water for people and less water for farm crops and animals. Some countries may find it even more difficult to feed and house their people.
Most of this is not good news for our planet. And it means major challenges for the animals, plants and people that live here. But don’t despair. There are things that people can do - and are doing - to help slow climate change and reduce its impacts. Read about them in Backgrounder 3 - Climate Change Solutions: We Can All Help!
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Want to know more?These websites will help you learn more about the impacts of climate change in the north and around the world:
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ClimateChangeNorth.ca – Home
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