Indicators

A prominent socioeconomic development in recent years has been an increase in maritime ship traffic (characterized in view of ship movements and attributes of type, size, and flag state) in the Arctic Ocean as the sea ice diminishes with climate warming.

Lake ice cover is an important component of the cryosphere and changes to the timing of ice freeze-up, break-up, duration, and thickness can have substantial impacts on weather and climate, transportation, and ecology.

Within North America, the status and trends of waterfowl species and their breeding habitats are of significant interest to federal, state, and tribal entities.

Research on North American beaver (Castor canadensis) engineering in the Arctic has made great strides in recent years, but most of the work lies ahead. Over the last several decades, people in remote Alaska communities have observed an influx of beavers.

The uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) causes a cascade of chemical reactions that decreases ocean pH and carbonate ion concentrations, a process known as ocean acidification (OA).

Arctic river discharge is a key indicator reflecting changes in the hydrologic cycle associated with widespread environmental change in the Arctic. It is the most accurately measured component of the Arctic water cycle.

Numerous glaciers and ice caps, in multiple climatic zones, occupy land areas in the Arctic outside Greenland.

Bowhead whales, the only “true” arctic baleen species, are large rotund whales with a range confined to icy arctic and sub-arctic seas.

Permafrost coasts in the Arctic make up more than 30% of Earth’s coastlines and they are sensitive to Arctic Ocean/permafrost-influenced land linkages.