Arctic Climatic Conditions Research Articles

Assessment of thermal stability and application of engineering solutions to preserve the degrading road embankment near Hudson Bay Coast, Canada

There are 14 northern communities in Nunavik, the Arctic region of Quebec province, Canada. Transportation infrastructure plays a vital role in the social and economic development of these localities. The thawing of permafrost compromises the stability of northern transportation infrastructure. Harsh Arctic climate conditions limit the installation of effective monitoring systems to assess infrastructure stability. In Akulivik, the access road connects the Akulivik airport and the village of Akulivik. There is no monitoring to observe the thermal condition of the permafrost foundation of the access road, hindering the capacity to perform preventive maintenance activities, especially in the context of observed climate warming in Nunavik. This paper describes a project aiming at the assessment of the stability of the access road using a new approach and proposes adaptation solutions to stabilize the road, based on design tools recently developed. Particular attention was paid to the foundation soil under the side slope where relatively rapid permafrost degradation was occurring due to accumulated snow. The results indicate a positive thermal gradient of 0.29 °C/m under the side slope and a near-zero thermal gradient under the centerline. Projected climate warming was also considered to further investigate the thermal condition, providing a safety margin for the design of promising adaptation solutions. These results assist government agencies in evaluating the thermal conditions of underlying permafrost and deploying potential adaptation solutions in Akulivik.

Another Record-Breaking Year in the Arctic Amplifies Calls for More Data

A downward spiral of the Arctic's ecological health and climatic conditions continued in 2023, causing problems for people, plants, and animals, according to a new NOAA report.

Assessment of Arctic sea ice and surface climate conditions in nine CMIP6 climate models

ABSTRACT The observed retreat and anticipated further decline in Arctic sea ice holds strong climate, environmental, and societal implications. In predicting climate evolution, ensembles of coupled climate models have demonstrated appreciable accuracy in simulating sea-ice area trends throughout the historical period, yet individual climate models still show significant differences in accurately representing the sea-ice thickness distribution. To better understand individual model performance in sea-ice simulation, nine climate models were evaluated in comparison with Arctic satellite and reanalysis-derived sea-ice thickness data, sea-ice area records, and atmospheric reanalysis data of surface wind and air temperature. This assessment found that the simulated spatial distribution of historical sea-ice thickness varies greatly between models and that several key limitations persist among models. Primarily, most models do not capture the thickest regimes of multiyear ice present in the Wandel and Lincoln seas; those that do often possess erroneous positive bias in other regions such as the Laptev Sea or along the Eurasian Arctic Shelf. This analysis provides enhanced understanding of individual model historical simulation performance, which is critical in informing the selection of coupled climate model projections for dependent future modeling efforts.

Impact of economic sanctions on financing for oil and gas projects in the Russian Arctic

The article analyzes the impact of the economic sanctions of 2022–2023 on the financing for oil and gas projects in the Russian Arctic. The relevance of the topic is attributed to the importance of developing the Arctic oil and gas potential for the energy sector, which is a pivotal industry for the Russian economy. The Arctic zone contains a significant part of Russian and global hydrocarbon reserves. The economic and political feasibility of their development is increasing amid the resource depletion in the traditional production basins and the shift of energy consumption сenters to the Asia-Pacific countries. The author considers the role of the oil and gas industry in the global and national economy, identifies the specific features of the oil and gas projects in the Arctic climatic conditions, analyzes the main economic sanctions affecting the financing for the projects. The assessment of their impact on the Arctic LNG 2 and Vostok Oil projects is also provided. The research is based on the methods of systemic, statistical and comparative analysis, economic analysis, case method and risk assessment. The author concludes that the imposed sanctions have significantly limited the opportunities for financing for the oil and gas investment projects in the Russian Arctic. However, the impact of sanctions may be quite moderate in the short run, while the lack of financing may lead to a change in the timelines and scale of ongoing projects on the horizon of 5–10 years.

Создание пожарных автомобилей для эксплуатации в северных и арктических климатических условиях

Создание пожарных автомобилей для эксплуатации в северных и арктических климатических условиях

Phytoplankton in the Ecological Assessment of the Mining Facilities Influence on the Anabar River in the Permafrost Zone of the Arctic, Eastern Siberia, Russia

In modern conditions of climate change and increased anthropogenic pressure on aquatic ecosystems, the study of the diversity of organisms in the Arctic has become a top priority. Our study continues a series of studies on the biodiversity of Arctic rivers. Using innovative methods, such as ecological mapping, statistics, and bioindication, we identify environmental factors that influence phytoplankton diversity in the river basin under study. For the Anabar Arctic River, an increase in the diversity of phytoplankton was found to the north towards the mouth of the river, which is associated with an increase in turbidity from industrial discharges. A weak effect of organic pollution and toxic effects associated with existing settlements have been identified, but it has been established that natural processes of self-purification take place in the studied Arctic River. Among 210 species of phytoplankton, an increase in the diversity of chrysophytes in the northern direction was revealed, consistent with the intensification of severe Arctic climatic conditions. Since the study region is characterized by increased diamond mining, we recommend continuing to monitor phytoplankton, track changes in the Anabar River ecosystem, and expand such observations to other Arctic rivers.

Influence of the arctic climatic conditions of the Kola Peninsula on the reactivity of the sympathetic-adrenal and cardiovascular systems of junior high school children

The growth and development of children aged 7-10 years takes place under conditions of continuous learning, and the level of fatigue increases by the end of the school year. Environmental factors of the Kola Peninsula play a special role here. the process of adaptation of the organism takes place in all age and gender groups. The most obvious is the reactivity of the cardiovascular and sympathetic-adrenal systems to physical load, which enhances the correlation links between indicators of the two active systems. It happens in the following way: by the end of the academic year, in all age and gender groups before the polar day, a proven shift of the observed indicators is recorded. The results obtained provide a comprehensive picture of age-related adaptation changes and increase in the level of fatigue in the arctic climate conditions of the Kola Peninsula. Examinations of children aged 7-10 years showed that age dynamics of cardiovascular and sympathoadrenal systems indicators is non-linear and significantly depends on specific parts of the academic year. This may be due to the periodicity of the polar night, namely, as the functional capabilities of particular systems tend to increase with age, certain indicators have a wave-like character of changes.

A biophilic wellbeing framework for positive indoor-outdoor connections in energy-efficient Arctic buildings

This paper develops a biophilic wellbeing framework for positive indoor-outdoor connections in Arctic buildings to respond to occupants’ wellbeing and energy-efficiency requirements. Extreme cold weather and drastic photoperiods of Arctic climates could have adverse impacts on wellbeing and reduce connections with nature, i.e., identified as biophilia. Characteristics of positive relationships with extreme Arctic climatic stressors have not yet been comprehensively studied in terms of integrated wellbeing needs and energy efficiency requirements. This paper aims to articulate a fundamental wellbeing framework integrating thermal and photobiological needs with biophilic recommendations to characterize positive connections with Arctic climates for energy-efficient buildings. A scoping literature review is conducted to discuss occupants' thermal and photobiological needs in relation to biophilic recommendations and Arctic climatic conditions. As a case study, shortcomings of existing building practices in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada, are studied regarding wellbeing, indoor-outdoor connections, and energy-efficiency needs. The proposed wellbeing framework for positive indoor-outdoor connections in Arctic buildings integrates (i) thermal and (ii) photobiological indicators based on biophilic recommendations. The integrated wellbeing framework enables characterizing thermal and (photobiological) lighting adaptation scenarios responding to Arctic weather, daylighting, and photoperiods as well as energy efficiency. Intermediate spaces are also proposed as a prosing architectural solution to address the integrated wellbeing framework energy efficiency in arctic buildings. Overall, the proposed framework could help architects, building designers, and stakeholders to develop further architectural solutions for positive, energy-efficient indoor-outdoor connections for Arctic buildings and occupants.

What Mainly Drives the Interannual Climate Variability Over the Barents‐Kara Seas in Boreal Early Autumn?

AbstractYear‐to‐year forecasts of the Arctic climate conditions have drawn much interest in recent decades. This study investigates the primary drivers responsible for interannual variations (without multi‐decadal trends) of air temperature at 2 m (T2m) and sea ice concentration (SIC) over the Barents‐Kara Seas (BKS) during September from 1950 to 2021. The Arctic Dipole (AD), a leading factor in the BKS variability, plays an important role via influencing large‐scale atmospheric circulations and local thermodynamical feedbacks (i.e., vapor and albedo feedbacks). During a negative AD phase, the positive surface air temperature advection anomalies warm up the BKS region and promote sea ice melting, which in turn maintains the below‐normal sea ice and warmer‐than‐normal conditions via positive vapor and albedo feedbacks. Moreover, our results suggest that the sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the midlatitudes of the North Atlantic in the preceding month could also be an important driver of the SIC variability over the BKS area. The anomalous temperature advections from the surface to the upper troposphere are accompanied by a Rossby wave‐type atmospheric response, which intensifies the energy exchanges between the ocean and the atmosphere. Local SST anomalies associated with the surface heat flux anomalies further persist in the following month and influence sea ice variations due to their long‐lasting memory. A better understanding of the mechanisms of interannual climate variabilities over the BKS region in boreal early autumn is helpful to improving the Arctic regional climate predictions.

Significant relationship between Arctic warming and East Asia hot summers

AbstractArctic warming is of growing interest because it could affect midlatitude climates. Even though numerous studies have paid attention to the relationship between Arctic warming and the midlatitude climate in winter, the influence of Arctic warming on the summer conditions has not been examined in depth. Here we identify a significant relationship between East Asia hot summers and Arctic warming over the Barents and Kara seas. To represent Arctic warming, we define a combined index by simply differencing the normalized surface air temperature and sea‐ice indices. We found that the combined index in July has significantly high correlations with the temperatures in China, Korea, and Japan. While the teleconnection mechanism is not completely revealed, it is evident that warming over the Barents and Kara seas is accompanied by the local development of an anomalous anticyclone and downstream wave trains, which yield a strong anticyclonic circulation over East Asia and the North Pacific. The anticyclonic circulation persists and intensifies until August, which leads to hot summer conditions in East Asia with warm advection and enhanced shortwave radiation. Our results suggest that Arctic climate conditions can be used as a useful precursor of East Asia temperature variations even in summer.

Error Probabilities in the Millimeter-Wave Channel in the Spacecraft–Ground Tracking Station Communication Line Taking into Account Arctic Climatic Conditions

Error Probabilities in the Millimeter-Wave Channel in the Spacecraft–Ground Tracking Station Communication Line Taking into Account Arctic Climatic Conditions

ENVIRONMENTAL INSURANCE AS A WAY TO MINIMIZE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL-LEGAL RISKS IN THE ARCTIC

The purpose of the study is to analyze the most promising and effective way to minimize environmental and environmental-legal risks in the Arctic climatic conditions. Special attention is paid to the Institute of Environmental Insurance in the light of the development and adoption of the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the period up to 2035. It is noted that environmental insurance is not only a guarantee of satisfying the interests of individuals and legal entities in the event of certain insured events, but also one of the preventive ways of environmental protection. Attention is paid to the need to develop public-private partnership in the process of developing infrastructure facilities in the Arctic zone of Russia. According to the author, within the framework of the adoption of the Federal Law "On State Support of Entrepreneurial Activity in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation", a voluntary form of environmental insurance, implying additional benefits to Arctic residents, becomes preferable.

Simplified Thermal Performance Evaluation of a PCM-Filled Triple-Glazed Window under Arctic Climate Conditions

This paper evaluates the thermal performance of a triple-glazed glass window filled with a phase-change material (PCM) compared to the performance of a traditional triple-glazed window with air gaps. The chosen PCM was paraffin wax. A mathematical model to simulate heat transfer within the system was presented. A commercially available software, COMSOL Multiphysics, was used to numerically solve the governing equations. The analysis was carried out for the representative days of different seasons using three types of paraffin wax (5, 10, and 15) that have different melting-temperature ranges. Particularly, the study considers the unique climatic conditions of the Arctic region. Results showed that by integrating a PCM into the cavity of triple-glazing, thermal performance during summer season of the window was enhanced, while for spring and autumn thermal performance was affected by the type of paraffin selected. The thermal performance of glass windows during winter did not change with PCM integration.

Structural Fire Protection of Steel Structures in Arctic Conditions

Most structures in the Arctic and Antarctic for oil and gas production are offshore stations, tankers, modules, steel supporting, and enclosing structures, which need to be protected against both cryogenic spills and fire exposure. Oil and gas industry facilities have products of high flammability and explosiveness, which in the case of ignition make it possible to develop a fire along the hydrocarbon curve, accompanied by a sharp jump in temperature and the formation of excessive pressure. This article discusses possible structural fire protection for metal structures in the Arctic region. Three different structural fireproofing materials are presented using super-thin basalt fiber (STBF) as an example. Tests of steel structures with fire protection are demonstrated, as a result of which the time from the beginning of cryogenic exposure to the limit state of samples is determined, and after the time from the beginning of thermal exposure to the limit state of samples under the hydrocarbon temperature regime is determined. An assessment of various flame retardants with values up to 120 min, which can be used in arctic climate conditions, was carried out. It was found that the most effective coatings are materials prepared on the basis of STBF.

A Driftwood‐Based Record of Arctic Sea Ice During the Last 500 Years From Northern Svalbard Reveals Sea Ice Dynamics in the Arctic Ocean and Arctic Peripheral Seas

AbstractWe present a 500‐year history of naturally felled driftwood incursion to northern Svalbard, directly reflecting regional sea ice conditions and Arctic Ocean circulation. Provenance and age determinations by dendrochronology and wood anatomy provide insights into Arctic Ocean currents and climatic conditions at a fine spatial resolution, as crossdating with reference chronologies from the circum‐Arctic boreal forests enables determination of the watershed the driftwood originated from. Sample crossdating may result in a wide range of matches across the pan‐boreal region, which may be biased toward regions covered by the reference chronologies. Our study considers alternate approaches to selecting probable origin sites, by weighting scores via reference chronology span and visualizing results through spatiotemporal density plots, as opposed to more basic ranking systems. As our samples come from naturally felled trees (not logged or both), the relative proportions of different provenances are used to infer past ocean current dominance. Our record indicates centennial‐to decadal‐scale shifts in source regions for driftwood incursion to Svalbard, aligning with Late Holocene high variability and high frequency shifts in the Transpolar Drift and Beaufort Gyre strengths and associated fluctuating climate conditions. Driftwood occurrence and provenance also track the northward ice formation shift in peripheral Arctic seas in the past century. A distinct decrease in driftwood incursion during the last 30 years matches the observed decline in pan‐Arctic sea ice extent in recent decades. Our new approach successfully employs driftwood as a proxy for Arctic Ocean surface circulation and sea ice dynamics.

Long-Term Performances and Technoeconomic and Environmental Assessment of Al2O3/Water and MWCNT/Oil Nanofluids in Three Solar Collector Technologies

Bringing together nanofluids and solar collectors has been widely discussed without any major advance or long-term study being carried out. In this context, this paper provides a useful feasibility study to help future decisions in using nanofluids in Solar Water Heating Systems (SWHSs) in different locations. The performances of SWHSs using the nanofluid-based flat plate solar collector (FPSC), evacuated tube collector (ETC), and compound parabolic collector (CPC) under the Mediterranean, arctic, and desert climate conditions are presented and discussed. The analysis is carried out using a transient-based numerical approach, solving energy balance equations for different systems. Various performance factors such as energy saving, solar fractions, and environmental impacts of auxiliary energy supplies are evaluated to feasibly assess the use of nanofluids in such devices. Simulation results demonstrate that the use of nanofluids increases the solar heater performance which reduces considerably the payback period ( P P ) of the investment in solar heating systems up to 3.34 years in Tunisian climate. Under Quebec’s climate region, the annualized solar return of the ETC system increases from 4874.65 US$ to 9785.93 US$ by adding 0.06 v% Al2O3 in water. Also, the use of nanofluids in solar collectors with electric auxiliary heaters reduces harmful CO2 emissions up to 0.49 tons/year.

The potential environmental risks associated with the development of rare earth element production in Canada

The development of rare earth element (REE) production in Canada could generate significant economic benefits but also poses serious potential risks to the environment. Rare earth elements have been widely used in modern life and industries and are even indispensable in some crucial advanced technologies (e.g., permanent magnets). Increasing demand and the current United States – China trade tensions provide a commercial economic development opportunity for Canada, which has rich resources of REEs, to develop its own sector. However, environmental and health issues caused by REE production are challenges that Canada has to face given that significant environmental impacts have been reported elsewhere (e.g., China). Little literature is available on the potential environmental risks associated with the development of REE production in Canada. It is important to know what environmental issues, particularly those generated by REEs themselves, may happen in Canada in the future. Therefore, three major aspects are evaluated and summarized from multidisciplinary perspectives in this paper: (1) a general conceptual model of the transport of REEs as a group in the environment is established; (2) toxicity levels, biochemical mechanisms, and physiological effects of REEs on different organisms are reviewed, and case-studies from existing REE mining areas are briefly highlighted; and (3) considering specific environmental condition and risk factors, environmental risks that Canada may face in future REE developments are identified and discussed. This review concludes with macro-identification of potential environmental risks associated with the development of REE production in Canada considering both human and ecological health. We note that ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure for workers and surrounding residents (including potentially Indigenous communities) and subarctic and arctic climate conditions could increase the risks to human and ecological health in future REE production development in Canada. Finally, future research directions are proposed that could be applied to both Canadian and other geographical contexts.

The potential for the Passive House standard in Longyearbyen – the High Arctic

Passive building design reduces a building’s energy consumption through mainly non-mechanical design strategies. The Passive House (or Passivhaus) Standard certifies such buildings that comply with its strict energy performance criteria. Achieving the Standard is very challenging for dwellings in extreme climates. There is limited knowledge of the Standard’s potential in Arctic regions, particularly the High Arctic. Through a review of the literature and energy modelling of a hypothetical dwelling, the challenges in achieving the Standard in Longyearbyen (78°N), Norway are investigated. Very low temperatures and 112 days without daylight create a high heating demand. Whereas previous studies measured actual building performances or used simple calculations, the findings in this investigation show the limitations of individual design parameters and technical limits of the building envelope. In theory the Standard can be achieved in Longyearbyen; however, the potential in practice is low due to the very tight margins in the heating criteria. The results show the significant impact of applying contextual (climatic) adjustments to the boundary conditions of the Standard. The investigation could contribute to a discussion on modifying the Passive House Standard for dwellings in the High Arctic and improving building design for the region. Practical application: Current knowledge regarding energy efficient building performance in Arctic climates is limited, while the urgency for improved efficiencies is extremely high. The modelling in this work shows the valuable impact of contextual adjustments to the Passive House boundary conditions; the impact of individual design parameters; and the potential for significant energy savings through adopting passive house principles for dwelling design in Longyearbyen or similar climates. This investigation could encourage new policy making, additional research and the development of an optimized Passive House Standard that considers High Arctic climate conditions, thus encouraging new energy efficient building construction in cold climates.

Long-Term Statistics of Riming in Nonconvective Clouds Derived from Ground-Based Doppler Cloud Radar Observations

AbstractRiming is an efficient process of converting liquid cloud water into ice and plays an important role in the formation of precipitation in cold clouds. Due to the rapid increase in ice particle mass, riming enhances the particle’s terminal velocity, which can be detected by ground-based vertically pointing cloud radars if the effect of vertical air motions can be sufficiently mitigated. In our study, we first revisit a previously published approach to relate the radar mean Doppler velocity (MDV) to rime mass fraction (FR) using a large ground-based in situ dataset. This relation is then applied to multiyear datasets of cloud radar observations collected at four European sites covering polluted central European, clean maritime, and Arctic climatic conditions. We find that riming occurs in 1%–8% of the nonconvective ice containing clouds with median FR between 0.5 and 0.6. Both the frequency of riming and FR reveal relatively small variations for different seasons. In contrast to previous studies, which suggested enhanced riming for clean environments, our statistics indicate the opposite; however, the differences between the locations are overall small. We find a very strong relation between the frequency of riming and temperature. While riming is rare at temperatures lower than −12°C, it strongly increases toward 0°C. Previous studies found a very similar temperature dependence for the amount and droplet size of supercooled liquid water, which might be closely connected to the riming signature found in this study. In contrast to riming frequency, we find almost no temperature dependence for FR.

Modelling of Surface Runoff on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia, Using ERA5 Reanalysis

The Yamal peninsula is a territory of active industrial development as it contains several rich fields of natural condensed gas and oil. The density of the gullies net on the Yamal peninsula is one of the highest in the Russian Arctic. The natural environment or constructions can be potentially damaged by gully erosion and the cost of such damage is high. The models of gully erosion require surface runoff estimates. The hydrological model was developed for surface runoff estimation during the spring snow thaw and summer rains. In the conditions of Arctic climate with deep permafrost, the losses in runoff are limited to evaporation, as soil permeability is negligible. The model was calibrated on the available measurements. The meteorological base for hydrological calculations was ERA5 reanalysis, the fifth generation of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalyses, validated on the meteorological data. The deviations of reanalysis data from the measurements cause the errors in the results of surface runoff calculation. The daily surface runoff can vary in the range of 18–30% due to ERA5 errors in air temperature and snow cover depth. As the daily surface runoff is the main input to the models of gully erosion, these errors must be taken into account in the modelling of gully erosion on the Yamal peninsula.