On the Front Lines of Climate Change in Greenland

As global temperatures rise, it is more important than ever to support scientific research and sustainable tourism in one of the most environmentally vulnerable areas on Earth

It is still and silent along the secluded fjords around Greenland’s southern tip; icebergs and “bergy bits” (small chunks of ice that have broken off from larger ice floes) dance slowly in the water, and calving glaciers spill out between the jagged mountains that line the waterways like sentries. Stretching from the North Atlantic to the High Arctic, this ice-laden island is one of the most remote corners of the world, its sparse population scattered in isolated communities along the coast. Expeditions such as those with Adventure Canada are among the only ways to access these communities, and the only ways to reach them are by boat or plane. But travellers who have this opportunity are rewarded with not only breathtaking landscapes but also a look at a locale of utmost scientific importance. Beyond the surface, Greenland is teeming with life. The tundra that stretches along the coastline supports a diverse ecosystem of plants and wildlife, and the frigid waters that surround the island are home to jellyfish, whales, and more than sixty species of bird. Yet this environment’s isolation does not spare it the effects of climate change. In fact, Greenland is a bellwether for researchers: the dramatic physical and ecological shifts happening there can be valuable bioindicators for the rest of the globe on the acceleration of the climate crisis. Learning about these ecosystems and witnessing their transition firsthand is a crucial first step in understanding climate change, not only for policy makers and people in positions of power but for all of us. Greenland is dominated by an enormous ice sheet that covers 80 percent of the island and contains 10 percent of the world’s fresh water in its icy mass. It is up to three kilometres thick in some places and measures seven times

the size of the UK. But, since 1993, this sheet has shed 5,000 cubic kilometres of fresh water into the subpolar North Atlantic. This melting portion of inland ice (which some call “ground zero” for climate scientists) has recently become the focus of scientific research as it acts as evidence of climate change’s quickening pace. In the summer of 2019, it was widely reported that Greenland’s ice sheet is melting faster than ever — nearly 200 billion tons in July alone. According to current predictions, if the entire ice sheet were to melt, it could contribute to a global water-level rise of up to seven metres. The summer months usually see higher rates of melting, but this year’s abnormally high temperatures contributed to a longer melting season. Stories quickly spread about the future of the island’s ice and the need to cut back CO₂ emissions—a major contributor to global warming — alongside aerial images of clear-blue pools of meltwater gathering on the ice sheet’s surface. These changes are visible along Greenland’s coasts, specifically in the glaciers that poke through the mountainous terrain. Glaciers are masses of layers: snow falls on their surface in winter and melts in summer. Until recently, this cycle has remained in check, but over the last three decades, Greenland’s glacier has shrunk more and more each year. Navigating the coastal fjord by sea, you can hear the walls of blue-and-white ice creaking and groaning, occasionally punctuated by large sections breaking off and tumbling into the water below. Peter Croal is a retired exploration geologist who has worked with Adventure Canada and other expedition-tourism companies in the Arctic and Antarctic. He has seen the impacts of climate change in Greenland firsthand: “It is happening,” he says, “and it’s changing things in quite remarkable ways.” One of these changes, he says, is to the colour of the ice. Unlike the brilliant white of the picturesque glaciers on postcards, large swaths of Greenland’s ice are marred by thin patches of grey and black. Croal explains that this is a combination of soot, microbes, dust, and carbon called cryoconite, which settles from the atmosphere onto the ice as a result of our increased industrial and natural processes. The microscopic layers of carbon and dust act as big solar panels, absorbing heat and accelerating melting. The pockets of melted ice also create nutrient-rich habitats for polar micro-organisms like algae, which thrive and spread, further darkening and thawing the ice. “It’s definitely a major concern,” Croal says. Greenland’s diminishing ice affects numerous ecosystems and species, the most familiar being polar bears, who are struggling to find enough food without the same amount of sea ice in their hunting grounds. Meanwhile, Arctic

foxes, seals, walruses, and musk oxen are also suffering as a result of ecosystem disruption, as is the delicate food chain that supports whale populations. On a larger scale, the influx of fresh water running off Greenland’s ice sheet makes water at high latitudes less saline and therefore less dense, which has the potential to slow the ocean conveyor belt, whose deep-sea circulation helps regulate climates worldwide though a process called “overturning.” Disrupting this process would have repercussions across the planet, most notably in Western Europe, where temperatures could drop as a result. The hitch is that scientists still don’t understand exactly how ocean currents work, which makes measuring this process exceedingly difficult. In the face of a rapidly changing environment, Greenland’s many communities are changing too. Diminishing glaciers are opening new areas for fishing and tourism, yet for the country’s 50,000 Inuit, traditional ways of life such as dog sledding and hunting are at risk. In August, the Guardian called Greenland’s changing social landscape “the hidden frontline of the climate crisis,” chronicling a mounting mental-health crisis directly connected to climate breakdown. The immediate needs in the arctic and subarctic regions are more research and attention. These include better access, more Inuit participation and knowledge, and international cooperation. Ahead of UN talks in September 2019, the World Meteorological Organization warned that carbon-cutting efforts need to start immediately to address sea-level rise and warming global temperatures, and youth activists marched on the streets of major cities around the world, led by teenage activist Greta Thunberg. At the summit, Thunberg looked down at the crowd of gathered world leaders and said: “You are failing us.” With the stakes so high, Greenland has become the centre of many scientific efforts to track the ever-changing ice sheet, and Canada-based expedition company Adventure Canada is doing its part. Since 2015, Adventure Canada has collaborated with the Mallory Lab at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, inviting ten early career scientists onboard to study seabirds. These student-scientists identify and count birds as the ship is moving, and the precise position of these counts is then entered into a multi-decade database. This allows researchers to determine where different species are found, at what times of year, and how these distributions are changing in response to environmental stress such as climate change. The data that comes from this collaboration fills the gaps in many coastal regions, where other types of ships generally do not travel and thus information on bird populations has been lacking. “The opportunity to work with Adventure Canada, doing quantitative,

structured surveys for marine birds and mammals, is filling in information gaps that we simply couldn’t any other way,” says ornithologist and environmental researcher Mark Mallory, who runs the Mallory Lab. “In turn, this is greatly improving our models and insights to how upper marine predators are responding to the environmental stressors they face.” In 2018 and 2019, Adventure Canada also initiated a new collaborative project with its scientist-in-residence program and Acadia University, sending two early career scientists to record plastic observed on the water during seabird observations or along shoreline stops as part of the development of a citizen-science protocol. This work provides a baseline for the current state of plastic pollution through much of the Canadian Arctic waterways as global concern over the extent of this type of pollution rises and new initiatives get underway in Canada and elsewhere to reduce plastic waste. On top of the great work they’re engaged in, these scientists and their projects have been popular with passengers, who are generally curious lifelong learners and see great value in supporting science during the expeditions. By connecting climate researchers with open-minded travellers, Adventure Canada is helping form an educated and informed society and build empathy for the endangered environment and communities who depend on it. Getting to know the world is one way of becoming better global citizens, and there is no better way to understand its fragility than by travelling to these Arctic corners.