Hi, my name is Alexander Sholtz, principal engineer for Ice911 Research, and in honor of Earth Week, I’d share three reasons why the Arctic is important. Feel free to watch my video or read the blog below.

We’re all familiar with the iconic species of the Arctic, the polar bear, narwhal, walrus, caribou… and that’s the first reason why the Arctic matters. It’s a unique ecosystem for animals and plants not found anywhere else on earth. As the Arctic warms these species are seeing reduced ranges and foraging ability decreasing population sizes and impacting the way of life of those that depend on them.

A cold Arctic is important as a part of the pump that drives efficient circulation around the earth’s oceans and atmosphere. A big temperature difference between the Arctic and the lower latitudes is critical for doing the work of keeping this humming along. Unfortunately, as Arctic ice melts and the Arctic warms it’s warming much faster than the lower latitudes bringing things closer to equilibrium, and reducing the effect this circulation. This changes weather patterns not just in the Arctic, but globally.

This brings me to the third reason the Arctic is important. An ice-covered Arctic helps reflect the energy of the sun during the hottest months of the year keeping it from warming the arctic ocean and atmosphere. As we lose ice we lose this ability to reflect solar radiation warming the arctic further, and leading to further ice loss. This is called the ice-albedo feedback and this is what Ice911 Research is attempting to stop by replacing the lost reflectivity of the Arctic, cooling it down, and slowing the impacts of global warming.

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Thanks, and stay cool!
- Alex Sholtz, Principal Engineer