2019 NOAA Arctic Report Card

Northern Fur Seal | credit: NOAA

The latest Arctic Report Card (ARC 2019) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recounts the numerous geophysical and biological changes that occurred in the northern polar region during 2019.

The report cites a number of important events, including near-record high air and ocean temperatures and melting of the Greenland ice sheet, low sea-ice extents, and shifts in the distribution of commercially valuable marine species.

The Arctic Report Card is an annual volume of original, peer-reviewed environmental observations and analysis of a region undergoing rapid and dramatic change.

Compiled by 81 scientists from 12 nations, the 2019 Arctic Report Card tracks a number of environmental indicators to inform decisions by local, state and federal leaders, as Arctic residents confront the challenges and opportunities presented by a rapidly changing climate and ecosystem.

"The speed and trajectory of the changes sweeping the Arctic, many occurring faster than anticipated, makes NOAA’s continued investment in Arctic research and activities all the more important," said retired Navy Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, Ph.D., deputy undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at NOAA

The Arctic Report Card is organized into three sections:

Vital Signs provides annual updates on seven topics: Surface Air Temperature; Terrestrial Snow Cover; Greenland Ice Sheet; Sea Ice; Sea Surface Temperature; Arctic Ocean Primary Productivity; and Tundra Greenness.

Other Indicators explores topics that are updated periodically.

Frostbites reports on new and emerging issues, and topics that relate to long-term scientific observations in the Arctic.

2019 Arctic Report Card Highlights:

The average annual land surface air temperature in the Arctic between October 2018 and August 2019 was the second-warmest since 1900.

North American Arctic snow cover in May 2019 was the 5th lowest for that month in 53 years of record. June snow cover was the 3rd lowest measured.

Exceptionally early snowmelt was observed in March over the northwestern Canadian Arctic and Alaska, during a month when maximum snow depth is normally reached.

The extent and magnitude of ice loss on the Greenland Ice Sheet from fall 2018 through 2019 rivaled the previous record year for ice loss, 2012.

Arctic sea ice extent at the end of summer 2019 was the second-lowest since satellite observations began in 1979.

The maximum ice cover towards the end of winter 2019 was 7th lowest in the satellite record. Bering Sea winter sea ice extent in 2019 narrowly missed eclipsing the record low set in 2018.

Loss of sea ice and changes in bottom water temperature caused Arctic fish species to shift to more northern waters between 2010 and 2018. Commercially valuable southern species are expanding their range north to take advantage of changing conditions.

In addition to the regular chapters, ARC 2019 brings a specific focus on the Bering Sea, including an essay from the Bering Sea Elders, a group representing 70 indigenous communities across the region.

source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Related Information

2019 Summer Weather Facts

Gulf of Alaska Online Coastal Guide

Terry Johnson, an Alaska Sea Grant marine recreation and tourism specialist, has completed an online guide for recreational boaters interested in the central and western Gulf of Alaska coast.

Johnson compiled information for navigating, anchoring, handling typical weather conditions and other challenges over several years, while operating a variety of recreational boats from a 40-foot tri-cabin trawler to a 15-foot Runabout.

The guide is appropriate for adventurers, fishermen, sailors, and recreational boaters. Although vessel traffic is sparse, communities are few and exposure to the North Pacific is challenging,

“it is a spectacular trip in good weather, with opportunities to experience the scenery, the solitude, geology, human history, wildlife and excellent angling,” said Johnson.

The guide begins at Cape Spencer near Glacier Bay and runs west along the coast all the way to Homer, Alaska.

The Gulf of Alaska Coastal Travel Routes website includes maps, photos, location information, and basic safety tips.


For more information, visit https://seagrant.uaf.edu/news/2016/03-09-16-coastal-guide-online.php

USGS Alaska Permafrost Study

Permafrost in Alaska could be reduced significantly by the end of the century, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study.

Using statistically modeled maps drawn from satellite data and other sources, USGS scientists have projected that the near-surface permafrost that presently underlies 38 percent of boreal and arctic Alaska would be reduced by 16 to 24 percent by the end of the 21st century under widely accepted climate scenarios.

Permafrost is defined by USGS as ground that stays below freezing for at least two consecutive years.

In addition to developing maps of near-surface permafrost distributions, the researchers developed maps of maximum thaw depth, or active-layer depth, and provided uncertainty estimates.

The research has been published in Remote Sensing of Environment. The current near-surface permafrost map is available via ScienceBase.

Highest Mountain in North America - Denali

A new, official height for Denali has been measured at 20,310 feet, 10 feet lower than the previous elevation, According to the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) is the highest mountain on the North American continent. It is located in the USA, in the state of Alaska.

According to USGS, the new elevation is due to advances in technology to better measure the elevation at the surface of the Earth.

To establish a more accurate summit height, the USGS partnered with NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS), Dewberry,  CompassData, (a subcontractor to Dewberry), and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, to conduct a precise Global Positioning System (GPS) measurement of a specific point at the mountain’s peak.

Denali National Park where the mountain is located, was established in 1917. Each year, more than 500,000 people visit the park.