2012 Arctic Report Card Tracking recent environmental changes Martin Jeffries 1, J. E. Overland 2, J. A. Richter-Menge 3, and N. N. Soreide 2 1 Office of Naval Research & University of Alaska Fairbanks, Arlington, VA 2 NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Seattle, WA, USA 3 US Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory 1

Arctic Report Card 2012 Sponsored by the Arctic Research Program in the NOAA Climate Program Office 6 th annual update of the Arctic Report Card (first published in 2006) 20 essays developed by 141 authors from 15 different countries Independent peer-review organized by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) of the international Arctic Council 2

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Headlines 4

Highlights 5

Video 6

Detailed Essays 7

WHAT’S NEW IN 2012? Arctic Report Card

Record-setting changes occurring repeatedly & faster than expected Record low Arctic sea ice extent & thickness Record losses of Greenland ice sheet 9 Record low June snow extent in North America and Eurasia

Greenland ice sheet loss Record-setting surface melting, ice area and volume losses. Standardized Melt Index (SMI) Area-averaged albedo (Jun-Aug) Melt Reflectivity Loss of ice sheet mass Jul 8, 2012Jul 12, 2012 Melt Area Rare July melt event impacted 97% of surface area 10

Sea ice extent The continued decline in sea ice is indicative of a shift to a new state of reduced sea ice coverage September 16, 2012 The minimum Arctic sea ice extent in 2012 was nearly half the values seen from

Older, thicker sea ice continues to be replaced by younger, thinner sea ice January 1987 January Older, thicker sea ice shown in white Sea ice thickness 12

Snow extent June snow extent in the northern hemisphere set record lows repeatedly in the past 5 years in N America and Eurasia. June June June snow extent has decreased faster (-17.6 % /decade) than September sea ice extent (-13% /decade) Impacts the length of the growing season, the timing and dynamics of spring river runoff, the ground thermal regime, and wildlife population dynamics.

Changes in Arctic marine ecosystem Massive plankton blooms under thinning ice pack. New habitat for algae in “melt holes” in sea ice Whale population impacts are uncertain. With sea ice declining, gray whales are remaining in the Arctic longer Seabirds, indicators of changing marine conditions, are showing changes in diet, foraging behavior and survival rates. Under-ice phytoplankton bloom Shifts in primary and secondary production have direct impacts on benthic communities 14 “… profound, continuing changes in the Arctic marine ecosystem”

Land Tundra, adjacent to the expanding ocean open in summer, is seeing an increase in biomass, greenness, length of growing season and summer warmth. Permafrost temperature below the tundra land surface is increasing partially due to greater summer warmth following the earlier retreat of the snow cover in spring Permafrost temperatures 15

Land 16 Melting permafrost impacts infrastructure, river runoff, vegetation, growing season, turndra fires

Land animals Lemming (small rodent) population density decreasing, may be influenced by snow characteristics Arctic fox population linked to lemming (food) abundance and northward territorial expansion of the larger Red fox. Strong regional variation in caribou and reindeer populations. 17

Record low Arctic sea ice extent & thickness Record losses of Greenland ice sheet Record low June snow extent in North America and Eurasia Record losses of Greenland ice sheet Record low June snow extent in North America and Eurasia Arctic Report Card Multiple, record-breaking and recurring changes provide strong evidence that the Arctic system is entering a new state 18