May 30, 2013 by Darius
Science in the Arctic could be on the way down. Literally. Why? Because ice sheets are melting too fast to support the research stations necessary to conduct science.
Right now, science stations in the Arctic are built on ice sheets, since there is no land near the North Pole. The ice, though, is posing a problem. Earlier this week, one of these drift stations was forced to close months ahead of schedule because the ice started breaking apart under it.
This station, manned by Russian scientists but actually on the Canadian side of the Arctic Ocean, had already opened behind schedule because researchers couldn’t find any suitable ice last fall. As it turns out, their ultimate choice wasn’t great either, and researchers have had to abandon the last in a series of Arctic research stations going back to 1937. The scientists were studying atmospheric conditions, ozone concentrations, and sea temperature, among other things. (Source: “Ice Floe Cracks Forcing Researchers to Depart,” The Washington Post, May 25, 2013, p.A9, http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-to-pack-up-arctic-ice-station/2013/05/24/15d4734a-c46e-11e2-914f-a7aba60512a7_story.html)
Arctic sea ice has hit record lows, or come close, for each of the last several years. For Russia, this is an opportunity. If the ice is gone, many of Russia’s ports will be open year round. So Russia, at least, might be happy that they can’t have drifting research stations anymore. As for the rest of us, well, we’re out of luck.
Not What You Might Think 