Satellite monitoring over 1982-2015 shows earlier onset of snow melt on Svalbard. Detailed knowledge of these processes is crucial in order to understand the consequences of global warming. Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR)  Box 4 The large amount and role of organic compounds in the Arctic particle formation surprised the researchers. @NinaSarnela, Mikko Sipilä about Svalbard: trends in snow cover and sea-ice area, about Svalbard: the state of the cryosphere 2020, about Sea Ice Extent plot with updated minimum years, about OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.1 - new climate indicator of sea ice, Svalbard: trends in snow cover and sea-ice area, Svalbard: the state of the cryosphere 2020, Sea Ice Extent plot with updated minimum years, OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.1 - new climate indicator of sea ice. Snow cover variability in lowlands correlates with the variability of sea ice in the adjacent seas, especially in June. They know the weather patterns that allow them to travel safely on the sea ice for their hunting expeditions. The results give additional insight into the future of melting sea ice and the Arctic atmosphere. (Yliopistonkatu 3) They have the southernmost range of any seal, but find the chilly waters rich with the prey they seek. +358407093103mikko.sipila@helsinki.fi, Read more: The Polar and arctic atmospheric research group. Satellite monitoring over 1982-2015 shows earlier onset of snow melt on Svalbard. 2020 holds the second-lowest sea-ice extent on record in the Arctic, following the record-low in 2012. Austfonna, in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway, is the largest of many ice caps in Scandinavia. Svalbard: trends in snow cover and sea-ice area. While both sites are located at similar latitudes, about 1000 km south of the North Pole, their environments are very different.  In Svalbard, surrounded by open waters, the observations showed how sulfur-compounds emitted by phytoplankton could form a large amount of particles that could grow fast, and can even form cloud droplets. Beck, L. J., Sarnela, N., Junninen, H., Hoppe, C. J. M., Garmash, O., Bianchi, F., et al. During their expeditions to the Arctic, the scientists collected measurements for 12 months in total.  The results of the extensive research project were recently published in the Geophysical Research Letters journal. To name a few vessels we currently have in our Ice Watch database; RV Kronprins Haakon, KV Svalbard, HI Sverdrup, Polarstern and Akademik Fedorov. Associate professor, University of Helsinki 2020 was the warmest year on record for Norway since the temperature measurements began more than 120 years ago. View image of Permafrost in Svalbard (Credit: ... Because the Arctic sea ice is melting, the north shore of Siberia has become more easily accessible by sea. The study clarifies how Arctic warming and sea ice loss strengthens processes where different vapors are emitted to the atmosphere. (2021). Higher concentrations of vapors result in a higher amount of particles. Meltwater gushes from an ice cap on the island of Nordaustlandet, in Norway's Svalbard archipelago. The thinning of sea ice enables more iodine emissions while broader open waters enable more emissions of sulfur-containing vapors. And see them we do––during our season in Svalbard, we observe all manner of behavior from hunting for seals amid the floes to frolicking cubs––all viewable from … Researchers of the University of Helsinki have resolved for the first time, how the environment affects the formation of nanoparticles in the Arctic. The researchers discovered that atmospheric vapors, particles, and cloud formation have clear differences within various Arctic environments. Arctic sea ice extent averaged for January 2021 was 13.48 million square kilometers (5.20 million square miles). 00014 University of Helsinki, Switchboard: Coronavirus situation at the University of Helsinki, Services for researchers and research policy, Researchers specialised in artificial intelligence and data science, Researchers specialised in climate change and biodiversity, Follow updates about the coronavirus situation, Faculty of biological and environmental sciences, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), The Polar and arctic atmospheric research group, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences. In the studies of Svalbard also organic compounds were detected. Therefore we update our daily Arctic sea-ice extent figure which includes the two recent years with the lowest sea-ice extent as reference curves. The southern half of the Barents Sea, including the ports of Murmansk (Russia) and Vardø (Norway) remain ice-free year round due to the warm North Atlantic drift.In September, the entire Barents Sea is more or less completely ice-free. Doctoral student, University of Helsinki The Ice is Changing. Weddell seals spend much of their time below the Antarctic ice. Differing mechanisms of new particle formation at two Arctic sites. The area is geologically stable and humidity levels are low. For Svalbard, although not beating the record from 2016, 2020 was also a warm year with the warmest summer in the 121-year record for Svalbard Airport. Until recent studies, the molecular processes of particle formation in the high Arctic remained a mystery.Â. The published research is connected to the recent Polarstern studies that have continued the studies in the high Arctic in the middle of sea ice areas. ... Piqaluyak is salt-free multiyear sea ice. Ivuniq is a pressure ridge. The ice charts are produced by the Norwegian Ice Service as part of their operational responsibility for European waters and in addition as a collaboration for Antarctic waters.These ice charts are analyzed and quality controlled by a Sea Ice Analyst. Its harbor at Petsamo was Finland's only ice-free winter harbor. Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR)  In total, the database consists of close to 10 000 individual sea ice observations from research, operations and polar tourism cruises in remote polar waters. Arctic areas are especially sensitive to changes in cloudiness and albedo”, says Lisa Beck, a doctoral student at the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR). The particle concentrations in Svalbard were clearly higher than the ones measured in Northern-Greenland. “Currently, the Arctic sea ice is melting fast. While the entrance may be visible, the Vault itself is over 100 meters into the mountain. Dr Amstrup says polar bears are so adapted to the sea ice world that when they come ashore during the ice ... And new wells were sunk in Norwegian waters south of Svalbard in October. The most pronounced shift is in valleys, where the ground is snow-free 1-2 days more every year during summer. On behalf of the OSI SAF sea-ice team, we are happy to present the new OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.1. University operates on four campuses in Helsinki and at nine other locations. Ocean Science (OS), an international open-access scientific journal, wrote last week that "a perturbation in greenhouse gas concentrations changes the balance of energy fluxes between the atmosphere and the ocean surface and the balance of mass fluxes to and from glaciers and ice sheets." P.O. The researchers conducted measurements in Northern Greenland at Villum research station and in Svalbard at Ny-Ålesund for 6-months at each station. “We did not expect to observe many organic vapors in the cold and bare Arctic environment as they have been mainly seen in areas covered by forests. The most pronounced shift is in valleys, where the ground is snow-free 1-2 days more every year during summer. Until the Winter War (1939–40), Finland's territory also reached to the Barents Sea. “Our observations are contributing to further understanding of what happens in the Arctic atmosphere due to warming. Nina Sarnela. “Currently, the Arctic sea ice is melting fast. As a result, we can assume that the processes observed in Svalbard will be more common in the Arctic areas that will be liberated from sea ice”, Beck says. The index consists of both the sea-ice extent and sea-ice area information and is provided as global, hemispheric, and regional data. Over the last six months, we have received many contributions through Ice Watch and testing of our new mobile application IceWatchApp. Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) lisa.beck@helsinki.fi, Nina Sarnela This on the other hand will lead to more clouds, which can – depending on the season and location – either slow down or accelerate the Arctic warming. For centuries, the Inuit have lived out in the roughest environments. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norwegian: Svalbard globale frøhvelv) is a secure seed bank on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Photo: Heikki Junninen, Lisa Beck These compounds form molecular clusters that can grow into bigger particles. The researchers of the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth system research at the University of Helsinki have investigated how atmospheric particles are formed in the Arctic. Postdoctoral researcher, University of Helsinki Villum-station is surrounded by sea ice all year round, while the warm sea currents cause the sea around Ny-Ålesund to remain open.Â. The largest ice cap in the world is probably the Severny Island ice cap, part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Russian Arctic. Svalbard is the best place on the planet to see polar bears—wild, majestic, in their native habitat: the sea ice. The particle concentrations in Svalbard were clearly higher than the ones measured in Northern-Greenland. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2020GL091334. We are planning to continue the studies in Svalbard to figure out what these organic compounds are and where they are coming from”, Beck says. What types of cryospheric observations are available on cryo.met.no for the Svalbard area, and what characterized these for 2020? Publication:  +358 (0) 2941 911 (mobile call charge / local network charge), Coronavirus situ­ation at the University of Helsinki, Photo: The Norwegian Meteorological Institute conducts in-situ measurements and remote sensing observations of the cryosphere: terrestrial snow cover, permafrost and sea ice. In general, atmospheric particles and clouds play an important role in regulating the atmosphere’s temperature, and any changing behavior of these has consequences on Arctic warming. This web portal gives access to the latest products and information about sea ice, snow and permafrost - the cryosphere - from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Sea levels continue to rise at an alarming rate as oceans expand and ice on land melts amid climate change. As the spring continues, the thinning sea ice leads to the emission of even more iodine compounds. Svalbard is the farthest north a person can fly on a scheduled flight, offering a remote location that is nevertheless accessible. In Northern Greenland the researchers discovered that in the spring after the Polar night the microalgae below the sea ice started to emit iodine compounds to the atmosphere. Current ice charts for European waters are available on weekdays (Monday-Friday) and the Antarctic on Mondays (October-April), both after 1500 UTC. Ice caps and ice … +358505741513,nina.sarnela@helsinki.fi This was 400,000 square kilometers (154,000 square miles) above the record low set in 2018 and 940,000 square kilometers (363,000 square miles) below the 1981 to 2010 average. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091334, Researcher Nina Sarnela conducting the measurements in Northern Greenland. January 19, 2021 . For some of these indigenous people, hunting isn’t sport – it has been their means of providing food. As a result, we can assume that the processes observed in Svalbard will be more common in the Arctic areas that will be liberated from sea ice…