Arctic

Warming up faster than the rest of the world due to climate change, the Arctic region is becoming increasingly vulnerable to major disruptions in its finely balanced eco-, climate, and physical systems.

The Arctic region is located at the northernmost point on our planet and is characterised by very low The Arctic region is located at the northernmost point on our planet and is characterised by very low temperatures. This region is extremely vulnerable to climate change, and today it is experiencing a phenomenon called Arctic Amplification. This is the accelerated surface warming of the region, which is occurring twice as fast as the rest of the world. The damages to the Arctic system from warming will lead to considerable social, economic, and environmental costs if contributions under the Paris Agreement are not implemented.

Along with Arctic Amplification, the North Atlantic storm track is projected to shift with climate change, potentially impacting the global climate system. The feedback processes that occur in the Arctic, from the sea ice to clouds, all play a role in regulating climate, on a regional and global scale. The storylines investigated for the Arctic region will be selected based on their environmental impacts such as Boreal Forest fires, permafrost thaw, trans-arctic shipping routes, and radionuclide dispersion in the Arctic Ocean.

Storylines

PolarRES is exploring 8 pairs of Arctic impact storylines. The investigation into these storylines is ongoing and any chosen storylines will soon be documented here. The final storylines for the Arctic will be selected based on their impact on several environmental risks which can be found below.