Context: According to recent study it was found that parts of the Arctic region near Norway are warming at as much as seven times the rate of warming in the rest of the world.

• The region around the northern Barents Sea has been warming two to two-and-a-half times the average warming of the Arctic region and five to seven times the warming in the rest of the world.
• Such intense warming has never been observed in the Arctic region before. This is leading to the phenomenon of Atlantification.

About Barents Sea

• It borders the Norwegian and Greenland Sea in the west, the Arctic Sea in the north and the Kara Sea in the east.
• It is divided between Russia and Norway as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

About Atlantification

• Scientists have discovered ‘hotspots’ where some parts of the Barents Sea have started to closely resemble the Atlantic.
• The north-flowing ocean currents transport the warm waters of the Atlantic into the Arctic Ocean through the Barents Sea.

Unlike the Atlantic and Pacific, the upper waters of the Eurasian Arctic Ocean get warmer as they get deeper.

• The top of the ocean is typically covered by sea ice. Below this is a layer of cool freshwater, followed by a deeper layer of warmer, saltier water delivered to the Arctic from the Atlantic by ocean currents.

Streams of warmer water from the Atlantic Ocean flow into the Arctic at the Barents Sea.

• This warmer, saltier Atlantic water is usually fairly deep under the more buoyant Arctic water at the surface.
• Lately, however, the Atlantic water has been creeping up. That heat in the Atlantic water is helping to keep ice from forming and melting existing sea ice from below.
• This process is called “Atlantification”.
• The ice is now getting hit both from the top by a warming atmosphere and at the bottom by a warming ocean.

Possible Reasons for it

• In the background of all of this is global climate change.
• The Arctic sea ice extent and thickness have been dropping for decades as global temperatures rise.
• As the Arctic loses ice and the ocean absorbs more solar radiation, global warming is amplified.
• That affects ocean circulation, weather patterns and Arctic ecosystems spanning the food chain, from phytoplankton all the way to top predators.

Impact of Arctic ice melting

Impact on temperature

• Loss of ice means more heat is absorbed because lesser sunlight is reflected
• Heat entering the oceans during summer is later released back into the atmosphere raising atmospheric temperatures too. It’s one important reason why the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet.

Impact on sea level

• Melted ice foes into sea and its level increases.
• Leads to Extreme Weather Events: The extreme weather events south of the Arctic are linked to the region’s warming through the Arctic jet stream.
• The newest climate models project that by 2100, Greenland’s ice sheet could contribute four to nine centimetres to sea level.

Impact on permafrost

• Rising Arctic temperatures are thawing once-frozen ground in the Arctic known as permafrost.
• Scientists are concerned that carbon dioxide and methane released from the carbon-rich permafrost could cause additional warming by adding to greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere – another positive feedback.

Impact on ocean circulation

• Freshwater runoff into the ocean disrupts part of a major circulation system known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation ( AMOC).
• The AMOC carries warm surface water northward, giving Europe its mild climate.
• Models suggest a slowdown in the AMOC could cool the northern hemisphere this century, but the effect is likely to be outweighed by greenhouse gas warming
• So losing ice could affect regional climates worldwide.
• Impact on indigenous ways of life – will impact habitat, change habitable limits and thus impact entire food web.

Impact on shipping routes

• An ice-free Arctic Ocean might open up more efficient global shipping routes, and provide easier access to oil and gas deposits.
• However, both developments could bring security concerns, as Arctic countries vie for access to valuable resources or feel compelled to protect these natural and commercial resources.
• Shorter trade routes through the Arctic could be a boon to export-driven nations like China.

Road Ahead

• As Arctic Sea ice is a barometer for the health of the global environment, all countries need to support and commit to meaningful climate action such as COP 21 to reduce global temperature. The Arctic Council should seriously focus more on dealing with issues such as global warming, melting sea ice, plastic pollution and black carbon. Support companies and politicians who are leading the charge towards a new low-carbon future