noise pollution

Air Pollution In The Arctic | Earth Wise

March 8, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Climate change is shrinking the Arctic ice cover, which is making it easier for ships to travel along the northern coast of Russia, known as the Northern Sea Route or the Northeast Passage. There is also the Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

More than 600 fishing vessels sail the waters of the Arctic Ocean, but these fishing vessels are not the worst offenders when it comes to the growing problem of air pollution. Giant natural gas tankers are becoming a much bigger problem.

In 2021, only 26 natural gas tankers traveled through Arctic waters. But these ships can be 1000 feet long or more and produce far more CO2 emissions than fishing boats. In 2019, the tankers accounted for 28% of the emissions and the number of them cruising the Arctic has been growing.

As the ice cover in the Arctic continues to shrink, more and more ships of all varieties, including cruise ships, fishing vessels, as well as tankers, are coming north and spending more time in the Arctic. Any increases in ship traffic will increase the pollutant load in the Arctic and the Arctic is one of the most vulnerable environments in the world.

Between 2013 and 2019, the aggregated nautical miles that vessels traveled in what is called the Polar Code area increased by 75%. It isn’t just that more ships like tankers are going there. It is that their operational season is expanding.

Air pollution isn’t the only problem. Shipping in the Arctic brings with it light pollution, noise, marine litter, and more. Only zero activity has zero pollution.

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The worst polluters in the Arctic are not what you think

Photo, posted February 26, 2015, courtesy of Chris Parker via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

What’s On Nature’s Calendar? | Earth Wise

January 29, 2020 By EarthWise 1 Comment

The Inuit Calendar is based on six seasons defined by weather, ice, animal migration, daylight hours and the night sky. All these variables are in flux according to Harvard Narwhal Biologist Dr. Martin Nweeia. Last August in the high Canadian Arctic, at 72 degrees north latitude, temperatures were at an astounding 70 degrees during the day. In 2018, the same region at the same time of year, experienced one of the coldest August months in 15 years.

Disappearing sea ice in Hudson Bay affects migration patterns of ice-dependent species like narwhal and beluga whales and now allows more shipping traffic which produces more marine noise pollution and the risk of an oil spill. As a natural resource, the Arctic has significant deposits of iron ore, gold, diamonds, phosphate, and bauxite, so cargo shipments are increasing yearly.

The disappearance of caribou herds and altered migrations of other animals have also blurred the seasonal changes. Caribou numbers have decreased by more than half in the last two decades. Narwhal populations are remaining steady but are experiencing migration shifts resulting in their appearance at new locations and their absence from traditional areas. Even the timing of the migration has changed, shifting two weeks later from normal late summer – early fall patterns.

The night sky, which has long had identifiable reference points for Inuit observers, is also changing causing speculation about changes in the magnetic field and a polar shift or flipping of the poles. The earth’s magnetic north has been shifting toward Siberia at an alarming 30 miles each year since 2015. Every million years, it is estimated that the poles flip three times. No one knows if or when it will happen again. That’s a calendar with some unexpected dates.

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–Earth Wise acknowledges script contribution from Dr. Martin Nweeia of Harvard University.

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Migratory Tundra Caribou and Wild Reindeer

Earth’s magnetic field is acting up and geologists don’t know why

Photo, posted June 27, 2014, courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Noise Pollution And Wildlife

November 11, 2015 By WAMC WEB

Traffic noise is something nobody likes. We shy away from homes too close to highways and major roads. We soundproof our houses. We build noise abatement walls.