Polar Science最新文献

High concentrations of iodine oxide (IO) have been reported over west Antarctica, with areas around the Weddell Sea showing a peak in spring. However, stations in east Antarctica show much lower values during summer, although observations over spring are still missing. Here, we present the first year-long observations of IO outside the Weddell Sea region using a multi-axis differential optical absorption spectrometer (MAX-DOAS) over the Bharati station (69.41°S, 76.19°E). Observations show that iodine chemistry is less active than over the Weddell Sea, even during springtime, with IO mixing ratios below 2 pptv throughout the sunlit period. A slight increase in IO is observed in spring, although it is a factor of 10 lower than the Weddell Sea region. We identify the variations in drivers in the different regions using sea ice concentrations, sea ice thickness and chlorophyll concentrations. We use a global model which uses a parameterization for iodine emissions based on a combination of these factors. The model reproduces the high concentrations over the Weddell Sea and the low concentrations over Bharati throughout the year, shedding light on the environmental factors, sources and chemistry of iodine in Antarctica. Even at small concentrations, iodine can enhance ozone loss caused by bromine chemistry over east Antarctica, although this impact is lower than in the west Antarctic.

The article is devoted to assessment of the anthropogenic influence in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. The emission of the main pollutants and greenhouse gases from diesel generators used at Antarctic stations are estimated for the period since the beginning of the development of the oasis area (from 1986 to 2019). It is shown that SO₂ emissions decreased in 2019 compared to peak values in 1990 by 5.6 times, which was due to a significant decrease of the sulfur content in fuel. Emissions of other pollutants mostly increased. Surface air pollution by SO₂, NO₂, CO, PM₁₀ and black carbon (BC) using the AERMOD dispersion model are characterized. It is revealed that the most significant emission health impact is due to increase of surface concentrations of nitrogen dioxide. Deposition fluxes of PM₁₀ and BC are estimated. The fluxes of PM₁₀ and BC dry deposition in the territory of Larsemann Hills can reach maximum values of 27.5 and 21.7 mg/m²/year, respectively; can be traced in certain directions at a distance of up to 2.0 km or more. Modeling of BC deposition due to the dispersion of emission allowed to make draft estimates of soot concentration in the snow of the area and resulting radiative forcing climatic effects.

This study utilized choice-based conjoint analysis, along with conditional logit to identify the following three research questions: RQ1: Which factor of the route is important for sippers in marine transport? RQ2: What is the potential demand for the NEP? How does the shipping cost alter the demand? RQ3: Which industry exhibits a high potential demand for the NEP? According to the results, Shipping Time, Percent Delay, Container Temperature, and Shipping Cost impact route selection by shippers. The following order was determined in terms of importance: Cost > Delay > Time > Temperature. The following values were found for the marginal willingness to pay: USD 31.7/FEU for one-day reduction, USD 35.2/FEU for 1% reduction in the delay rate of 1–3 days, and USD 456.0/FEU for a decrease in temperature inside the container from 15 to 45 °C to 5–20 °C. Furthermore, the potential probability of the selection of NEP is 39.4% if the cost is equal. When the cost increases from USD 2585/FEU to USD 2100–2150/FEU, the share becomes equal to the SCR. The Agriculture and Fisheries industry exhibited the highest potential demand, while the Chemical industry exhibited the least demand. These results led to three policy implications. It should be noted, however, that the accuracy of the analysis remains debatable because it is not random sampling.

Toponyms contain Indigenous modes of understanding and reflect ecological histories and deep relationships between Indigenous communities, arctic environments, time, and land. Completed toponymic studies are useful for researchers to access; however, they are notoriously difficult to find. Many are completed by community groups and published on their websites, or are completed by government agencies and published as grey literature. An inventory of toponym projects has not existed, and eliciting what has been completed where, with whom, and by whom has required long searches through academic and grey literature. In this paper, we inventory Indigenous toponymy projects in the Canadian North, and document our efforts to produce a publicly accessible index where toponymy projects can be found via maps. New or unknown resources can be added by users. Our purpose, here, is to document the production of this resource and to increase awareness of toponymical resources among communities, researchers, scientists, and other stakeholders. We reflect on knowledge gained through construction of the index and make observations on trends in Inuit toponym research through time. We argue for renewed efforts across arctic sciences to recognize Inuit-environment relationships through reference to place names and the ecological histories they encapsulate, and we provide considerations for future work.

Our understanding of tundra fire effects in Northern Alaska is limited because fires have been relatively rare. We sampled a 70+ year-old burn visible in a 1948 aerial photograph for vegetation composition and structure, soil attributes, terrain rugosity, and thermokarst pit density. Between 1948 and 2017 the burn initially became wetter as ice wedges melted but then drained and dried as the troughs became hydrologically connected. The reference tundra has become wetter over the last few decades and appears to be lagging through a similar sequence. The burn averaged 2.5 °C warmer than the reference tundra at 30 cm depth. Thinning of organic soil following fire appears to dramatically accelerate the background degradation of ground-ice features in response to climate change and promotes a plant community that is distinct in terms of taxa and structure, dominated by tall willows and other competitive, rather than cold-tolerant, species. The cover of sedges and mosses is low while that of willows and grass is high relative to the reference tundra. The changes in plant community composition and structure, increasing ground temperature, and thermokarst lead us to expect the observed biophysical changes to the tundra will persist centuries into the future.

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most affected regions by global climate change, requiring a multinational and collaborative effort of concerted actions guided by scientific principles. Science diplomacy has been embraced by policymakers and various stakeholders as a promising approach in international and global politics to tackle this issue and manage Antarctica's governance peacefully through science and diplomacy. The Antarctic Treaty System has been accepted as a model for international cooperation among the countries interested in Antarctic science and governance for many years. However, with the profound changes in the Antarctic Peninsula landscape in recent years due to global climate change, an increasing number of nations with various motivations have been more eager to secure a place at the table regarding the governance of Antarctica, which has become a vital agenda. Scientific research and collaboration have been among the most effective ways for most countries to show their presence in/for the region. This study aims to emphasize the increasing importance of Antarctica from a Science Diplomacy perspective and discuss Türkiye's recent policies and initiatives as an emerging market economy and a potential model for developing countries to engage in scientific research and collaboration in Antarctica from the same perspective.

This paper summarises research on ambient noise data collected during the summers of 2016 and 2017 by an autonomous Ambient Noise Measurement System (ANMS) deployed in the Kongsfjorden, Arctic. The primary goals of this study are to identify the various soundscape components and the variation of the soundscape in the Arctic environment during the summers of 2016 and 2017. This work mainly quantifies the ambient noise sources during each month of the summer. After analysing the data, five distinct sources of soundscape were identified, out of which three geophysical sources, including iceberg bubbling, glacier calving, and rain noise, as well as two anthropogenic sources, such as shipping noise and ice ramming noise, were identified. No biological sources were identified either in the summer of 2016 or in 2017. A comparison of average Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) in the summers of 2016 and 2017 shows that the difference in average SPL below 8 kHz is 3 dB re 1 μPa²/Hz.