Arctic Ocean

Changing sea levels open northern shipping lanes but create new logistical challenges. 

The Arctic is experiencing rapid environmental changes that present challenges to the natural environment, built environment, and social systems that have sustained Arctic peoples and ecosystems for generations. These changes are strongly evident in Arctic coastal systems. New research on Arctic coastal systems has been supported through both the Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) program and the Coastlines and People (CoPe) program. However, coordination and synthesis among these Arctic coastal projects and new perspectives are needed to fully understand these rapid changes.

Arctic sea ice is thinning due to rapid climate change, potentially increasing access to Arctic waters for economic activities including shipping, exploration, and resource exploitation. Despite the ice is thinning, environmental changes make ice conditions more dynamic. This may lead to new loading conditions for marine structures that have been of minor relevance so far. The increase in maritime operations in the region generates concerns regarding their environmental impact (e.g., oil spills, structural damage on ships and marine structures, etc.).

Autonomous underwater gliders (AUGs) are long range vehicles, capable of traversing basin scale distances. However, AUGs currently lack sufficient navigation accuracy to traverse long distances without periodic surfacing to obtain GPS fixes and constrain the localization drift. We present a method and preliminary results from field trials for improved AUG navigation using a Doppler Velocity Log to dynamically profile water column currents.

The arctic is changing rapidly, with sea ice being one of the fastest changing aspects that directly impacts both indigenous communities that depend on sea ice for subsistence as well as Western developers looking for ways to navigate this change. The resilience of the arctic is one of the most important examples of sustainability in the face of climate change today; while the arctic is home to endangered species and millions of people, it is also one of the greatest-impacted spots of global warming in the world.

We present a new, low-cost method for monitoring wave spectra (significant height, period, and direction) using an autonomous underwater glider equipped with a low power scanning sonar. Unlike conventional fixed buoys, this method enables coverage across wide spatial areas, including remote and difficult to access regions, such as the marginal ice zone or areas with extreme sea states. Preliminary results indicate that this process can operate continuously for durations of weeks, with spatial coverage in excess of 1000 km.

Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) is one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. NNA projects address convergence scientific challenges in the rapidly changing Arctic. The Arctic research is needed to inform the economy, security and resilience of the Nation, the larger region, and the globe. NNA empowers new research partnerships from local to international scales, diversifies the next generation of Arctic researchers, enhances efforts in formal and informal education, and integrates the co-production of knowledge where appropriate.

Part 1: This continuation of the Indigenous Observing Network (ION) project (now ION 2.0) will be led by the Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) in partnership with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. ION 2.0 will continue measurement of water quality constituents and expand the observation and monitoring program to include measurements of changes in permafrost depth due to thawing of the active layer at numerous of the long-term water quality monitoring sites.

The Arctic is the most rapidly changing environment in the world. People living in the Northern Hemisphere are now experiencing the consequences of a changing Arctic, including abrupt shifts in weather patterns, altered availability of natural resources such as fish, minerals and water, and threats to indigenous cultural heritage and economies.

Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) is one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. NNA projects address convergence scientific challenges in the rapidly changing Arctic. The Arctic research is needed to inform the economy, security and resilience of the Nation, the larger region and the globe. NNA empowers new research partnerships from local to international scales, diversifies the next generation of Arctic researchers, enhances efforts in formal and informal education, and integrates the co-production of knowledge where appropriate.