Arctic coastline shrinking faster than predicted: study

A new study says Arctic sea ice is retreating up to eight metres or more a year in some areas, leading to more erosion.(PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

JORDAN PRESS
Postmedia News

A new report detailing the increasing loss of Arctic sea ice should be a wake-up call for Canadians, says a leading environmental scientist.

John Smol, an expert on Arctic biodiversity from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., said the “State of the Arctic” report released Sunday paints a grim picture of the North — and possibly a bleak portrait of the future.

The report from an international consortium of 30 environmental scientists found that, on average, Arctic sea ice was retreating at a rate of about a half-metre per year, but up to eight metres or more a year in some areas.

The report stated the amount of sea ice covering the Arctic has declined over the past decade, with the summer of 2010 posting the third-smallest amount of ice in the past 30 years. At the same time, the report said, the ice is getting thinner.

As the amount of sea ice recedes, the amount of open water increases along with the size and strength of waves through the Arctic. More open water combined with warmer water temperatures has the potential to increase coastal erosion, the researchers said.

As Arctic ice continues to decrease in size, the effect on wildlife and Northern communities is inevitable, the researchers wrote.

The researchers noted that while further study is required, it appears the ice is melting faster than previously believed. However, the report didn’t state previous projections.

“I still don’t think people grasp how serious the problem is,” Smol said. “I hate to say it, but I think the worst is yet to come.”

Climate changes may affect the availability of food and resources for Northern communities, and “even small changes in the availability or quality of natural resources may be enough to threaten their very existence,” the report said.

“One thing we haven’t really appreciated . . . is these multiple stressors are happening all at once,” Smol said. “They build on each other, they don’t sort of cancel each other out.”