The Arctic-Arc - The sea ice is melting unusually quickly
Alain and Dixie
© International Polar Foundation
Alain Hubert and Dixie Dansercoer have been delayed by strange weather conditions and surprisingly fragile or fractured ice throughout the expedition: what is going on in the Arctic? Be that as it may, our explorers have picked up speed to reach Greenland before the ice melts.
During this expedition, Alain and Dixie have encountered very different conditions from what they are used to in the Arctic: "I have never seen anything like this before in the Arctic." explains Alain. "Since our departure, that is 84 days ago now, we have only seen 4 full days of clear weather. Yesterday, for example, the blue sky was around from the morning until about mid-day. Then, the sky got very cloudy and the day ended in a complete whiteout. Tonight, we cannot see three metres from our tent. What is happening with the weather?"
Regarding the sea ice itself, conditions are also quite odd: on their way to the North Pole, they encountered ice that was surprisingly young and fragile. They were also astonished to find numerous fractures near the pole itself, within a region where the ice should normally be stable. Finally, the sea ice in the Lincoln Sea, around the mouth of the Robeson Channel, has broken up much sooner than it should have, forcing Alain and Dixie to modify their route in order to reach Greenland. What does all this mean? What has caused all these changes?
To learn more about these changes, the IPF has interviewed Leif Toudal Pederson, a reknown specialist of satellite images in the polar regions. His opinion is quite clear: it is clearly an abnormal event for the sea ice to break up so early around the mouth of the Robeson Channel. Since satellites have been surveying the arctic region, no similar conditions have been observed. All of this is probably due partly to climate change, partly to particular cyclonic conditions. We'll have to wait for more data to be collected before we learn anymore.
One thing which is certain is that the changes currently taking place in the Arctic are impressive. Alain and Dixie, first witnesses of these changes, are appalled to see the speed at which the sea ice is breaking up, nearly under their feet as shown on this sattelite image (in red, the new route they will follow). They now walk (or ski) at least 10 hours a day and progress 20 kilometers minimum every day, thanks to the better ice quality, the favorable ice drift and the weight of their sledges getting lighter by the day. They have only 260 kilometres left before reaching Greenland's coast!
