The Transformation of the Arctic
This feels like an every-year thing at this point, but it’s still impossible to look away from what’s happening to the northernmost reaches of the globe. This year saw record-setting wildfires, the second-lowest sea ice extent on record, numerous heat waves, and even exploding tundra. Research published this year also showed that Bering Sea ice hasn’t been this low in at least 5,500 years and that freakish sunny skies led to record Greenland ice loss in 2019. Things just ain’t what they used to be.
Scientists also undertook a unique mission to the Arctic, spending a whole year aboard a ship moored in the sea ice—or, as the summer wore on, just chugging through open water. The mission, dubbed MOSAiC, is one of the most ambitious, comprehensive research programs ever undertaken in the harsh environment. Now over, the expedition promises to offer massive trove of data to help make sense of what will become of the increasingly open Arctic Ocean. Though the research cruise remained far from land for a year, it still dealt with a covid-19 scare, and women onboard faced discrimination and harassment.
