Severe Climate Warming... How Are Polar Bears Doing?

Polar Research Institute, Araon Ship Departs for Arctic Expedition on the 12th

"How are polar bears coping with severe global warming?" On the 12th, the Korea Polar Research Institute announced that the polar research vessel Araon will embark on its 14th Arctic expedition to study the current status and impact of climate change in the Arctic.

Araonho. Archive photo.

The Arctic is one of the regions where climate change appears first and most intensely. Last winter, the sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean recorded the smallest area ever observed.

The Araon will depart from Gwangyang Port and spend a total of 90 days observing changes in Arctic sea ice, atmospheric phenomena, marine ecosystems, environmental changes, and seabed geological phenomena in the Bering Sea, East Siberian Sea, and Chukchi Sea. To measure the rate of change in sea ice thickness, observation equipment will be installed in the Bering Sea to acquire real-time sea ice monitoring data. Sea ice thickness is essential information for analyzing how quickly the sea ice is diminishing.

The crew will land directly on the sea ice to observe its characteristics and install observation equipment at the boundary where the ice meets the sea to analyze the mechanism by which waves break the ice. The sea ice data collected on-site will be used to improve the accuracy of satellite remote sensing research.

To analyze the impact of climate change on the Arctic marine ecosystem and secure information on Arctic marine biological resources, cutting-edge equipment such as Deep Sea cameras will also be utilized.

2023 Araon Arctic Voyage Plan. Image source: Provided by the Korea Polar Research Institute

Research on methane, identified as one of the main culprits of global warming, will also be conducted. Long-term observation equipment will be installed in methane emission areas of the East Siberian Sea to analyze annual methane emissions. Methane emissions have been rapidly increasing recently due to the thawing of the Arctic Ocean's subsea permafrost.

During the voyage, the Araon will also observe and collect Arctic fine dust in real time. Since large amounts of clouds can lower atmospheric temperatures and fine dust plays a role in cloud formation, the collected data will be analyzed to study the impact of fine dust on climate change. Additionally, during the Arctic voyage, the atmosphere from the surface up to 25 km altitude will be observed 2 to 4 times daily, and the related data will be shared with the Korea Meteorological Administration to cooperate in operating the World Meteorological Organization’s global real-time observation network. Especially in the Bering Sea region of the North Pacific, equipment capable of simultaneously observing changes in the sea and sky will be installed to analyze ocean currents, water temperature, salinity, and other factors together.

Kang Seong-ho, director of the Korea Polar Research Institute, said, “The climate change the Arctic is experiencing will ultimately affect our lives. Through scientific exploration and continuous observation in the Arctic, we will strive to secure national response capabilities in the coming era of climate crisis.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.