Ch 1
The Arctic, an ancient ecosystem, is disappearing before our eyes. Disruptive heat-related impacts driven by unrelenting
human-caused climate change are happening throughout the Polar North. In Siberia, unusually warm air temperatures led to early snow and sea ice melt, followed by another active wildfire season. Rain was seen for the first time on the 10,000 foot summit of the Greenland ice cap. Destructive geological forces unleashed by thawing permafrost and melting land ice are an increasing threat to the homes and livelihoods of Arctic residents. These changes are not isolated. Each one can have a cascading effect, some amplifying warming and further accelerating climate change.

Ch 2
Arctic sea ice has been in a decades-long decline. Older, thicker sea ice that once covered the central Arctic Ocean is now almost entirely gone. This has enabled shipping and other industrial activities to push deeper into the Arctic year round, resulting in more pollution and more noise in the ocean. During winter in the Bering Sea, the vocalizations marine mammals
use to hunt and communicate create an almost rain forest-like soundscape. Shipping noise can drown out these calls, potentially driving marine mammals away from their preferred habitat and raising concern for the food security of Indigenous hunters and their families. Increased shipping in the Arctic is leading to more fishing nets, plastics, garbage and hazardous materials lost or illegally discarded into the ocean. Alaska Native communities reported many miles of their once pristine beaches and harvesting sites fouled by garbage.

Ch 3
The Arctic is becoming greener. Tundra vegetation is flourishing, and shrubs and small trees are spreading into new territory. Iconic Arctic animals are losing habitat, while new species are moving in and changing ecosystems. In Alaska, exploding beaver populations are transforming the tundra. More than 12,000 dams are clogging streams, flooding surrounding terrain, and facilitating the invasion of more new species. New ponds cause underlying permafrost to thaw and release more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Thawing of permafrost and melting glacial ice also creates special hazards for northern residents, ranging from crumbling homes and infrastructure to extraordinarily dangerous geological events, like glacial outburst floods and avalanche-triggered tsunamis. With continued warming, identifying and assessing these hazards is just one of many urgent tasks facing Arctic scientists today. All these disruptions are the direct result of a climate straining under the heat-trapping burden of greenhouse gas pollution. The time to face this monumental challenge is now.