Impact of Climate Change on the Russian Arctic and Paths to ... - WWF

5. Vulnerable Natural Boundary Zones 17© Rommel ZuluetaIce conditions and the distribution <strong>of</strong> seabirdsMap compiled by A.V. Popov and M.V. Gavrilowards dry land. A significant rise in sea levels will acceleratethat process, and may lead to the salinization <strong>of</strong> thelagoons, the destruction <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> the chains, which serveas important habitats for birds and marine mammals, andthe eventual washout <strong>of</strong> the barriers. Thus, the formation<strong>of</strong> communities <strong>of</strong> coastal vegetation will regress to earlierstages, which may have far reaching and as yet vaguelypredictable consequences for the entire ecosystem <strong>of</strong> thecoastal zone. Ever expanding exploratory and extractionoperations in Arctic coastal areas may yet inflict one morewoe on the buffer zone between sea and land – the use <strong>of</strong>all-terrain equipment may leave open wounds on the layer<strong>of</strong> coastal vegetation. If oil is spilled at sea and washes ontothe marshy coast, it may stay there for many years.Another boundary biotope is the polyna, where the level<strong>of</strong> interaction between ocean and atmosphere is highest.Polynas are sustained areas <strong>of</strong> open water among or borderingstationary bodies <strong>of</strong> ice. They have unique features,and are <strong>of</strong> great significance to the biological and physicalprocesses <strong>of</strong> the northern seas. Polynas form as a result <strong>of</strong>specific meteorological processes, most notably <strong>of</strong>fshorewinds and rip currents. The presence <strong>of</strong> open water andthin ice in polynas, when the surrounding sea is coveredin thick ice and air temperatures are well below 0°C, leadsto a concentrated transfer <strong>of</strong> energy, and the flow <strong>of</strong> heatand moisture to the atmosphere from the water surface.Additionally, continuously freezing water in the polynacontributes to the formation <strong>of</strong> substantial masses <strong>of</strong> ice,which then drift away, and to the release <strong>of</strong> brine into surroundingwaters.At the same time, these polynas themselves may influenceclimatic processes through feedback mechanisms,by regulating the flow <strong>of</strong> heat and moisture between atmosphereand ocean, and the formation and behavior <strong>of</strong> cyclones.Polynas can be used to gauge natural and climaticprocesses on the regional and global scale.Based on their important biological role, polynascan be called «oases <strong>of</strong> life» in ice-covered seas. Unusuallyearly and long-lasting Arctic growing seasons arecontributing to an increased biological productivity in polynasand the ability to sustain communities with multi-layeredtrophic structures. Also, due to strengthened verticalconvection currents and the inflow <strong>of</strong> organic materials,benthic communities <strong>of</strong> the polynas have unusually highbiomass. It is these polynas that host the largest bird coloniesin the high-latitude Arctic, and walruses, belugas andbowhead whales come to winter here. In the early spring,when the area is still confined in ice, sea birds migratealong the system <strong>of</strong> polynas to their nesting places.For thousands <strong>of</strong> years, indigenous peoples <strong>of</strong> the Arctic,and much more recently, polar explorers, have identifiedtwo fundamental natural characteristics <strong>of</strong> stationarypolynas – the presence <strong>of</strong> open water in the winter, andthe abundance <strong>of</strong> birds and marine animals. The distribution<strong>of</strong> ancient and contemporary settlements <strong>of</strong> theindigenous peoples, as well as the routes <strong>of</strong> early researchexpeditions, closely correspond to the distribution<strong>of</strong> polynas.In today’s warming environment, more accessible iceconditions make marine polynas attractive for navigationand commercial development <strong>of</strong> the Arctic. As such, thehighly vulnerable communities <strong>of</strong> the polynas are becomingareas <strong>of</strong> inevitable conflict in the current climate <strong>of</strong> industrialexpansion in the polar shelf zone.