Is Melting Ice Causing An Increase In Polar Tourism?

Climate change has led to the rise of “last chance tourism” as temperatures increase and glaciers disappear, making it both more popular and riskier for visitors. The melting of ice caps in far-flung destinations around the globe is opening up lanes for global trade routes, reducing the shipping industry’s carbon footprint and weakening Russia’s control over trade routes through the Arctic.

A French-led team assessed the behavior of nearly all the world’s glaciers, which are melting at an accelerating rate. As a result, the Arctic is becoming an increasingly coveted territory due to its wild landscapes and natural resources. The opening of commercial maritime routes also brings tourism, with summer tourism quadrupling and winter tourism increasing by an astronomic 600. However, diminishing sea ice and more temperate weather have made traveling through the Arctic Circle a vacation rather than an exploration.

Recent scientific evidence supports the rising temperature among the Arctic regions, loss of sea ice, and melting of the Arctic ice sheet. Polar climate warming has caused sea ice to melt rapidly, increasing accessibility to the Arctic and Arctic areas that have been difficult to access. Polar climate warming is already negatively impacting ship navigation in the Arctic region, with snow and ice melting at an increasing rate. This impacts both local ecosystems and the global climate system.

Tourism will benefit from improved access to ports and longer seasons, while remaining highly dependent on attractions that are endangered by climate change. However, the increasing popularity of “last chance tourism” in Canada’s melting Arctic is causing a row between those who warn of the devastation it is causing to the environment.

Will the sea level rise if the Arctic melts?

Icebergs and frozen seawater melt in warm temperatures but are not significant contributors to sea level rise. They are already in the water, and the volume of water they displace as ice is about the same as the volume of water added to the ocean when they melt. This means that sea level does not rise when sea ice melts.

Another contributor to sea-level rise is the increase in volume that occurs when water is heated, called thermal expansion. Both thermal expansion and ice melt are the results of the rise in global average temperatures on land and sea known as climate change.

To learn how melting ice contributes to sea-level rise, students should conduct an experiment. They should identify which type of ice contributes more to sea-level rise and record their predictions on a student data sheet. The experiment involves pressing equal amounts of clay into plastic tubs, placing ice cubes on the flat clay surface representing land ice and sea ice, pouring water into the sea-ice container until the ice floats, and then pouring water into the land-ice container until the water level is about equal to the sea-ice container.

Using a ruler, measure the water level in each tub and record it on the student data sheet. The water level can be marked with a marker on the outside of the tub or a line in the clay using a pencil or other object. At regular intervals, measure the water level and record it on the data sheet.

The measurements recorded on the data sheet can be used to create a line graph representing the water level in each tub.

What is the biggest problem in the Arctic?

The Arctic is facing a growing fight to save it from global warming, which is more pronounced than any other region. International oil companies have been investing in exploiting the oil in deep Arctic waters. Activists have successfully stopped Shell from drilling in the region for two years, but the fight must continue to prevent other oil companies from drilling in the fragile ecosystem. The Arctic’s unique ecosystem is crucial for the survival of its people and animals, who rely on it for survival. As the region warms twice as fast as the rest of the world, Arctic ice is melting faster due to ocean absorption of heat.

Why is flying over the Arctic faster?

Polar routes are popular for their efficiency, particularly for flights between North America and Asia or Europe and Oceania. These routes use the Earth’s curvature to cover shorter distances, resulting in faster travel times and lower operating costs. An example of a polar route flight is a direct flight from New York City to Tokyo, where the aircraft travels over the North Pole. Polar routes are characterized by their trajectory over the Arctic or Antarctic regions, often navigating through high-latitude airspace near the Earth’s poles.

This capitalizes on the Earth’s surface’s curvature to achieve shorter great circle distances between origin and destination points, reducing overall flight duration and fuel consumption. Polar routes are primarily deployed for long-haul international flights, enabling airlines to establish direct air links between geographically distant regions separated by vast expanses of ocean and landmasses. Flight planners meticulously design polar routes to capitalize on favourable wind patterns, known as jet streams, which flow at high altitudes in the Earth’s atmosphere.

However, polar routes present unique challenges and considerations for airlines and flight crews, including extreme weather conditions, which necessitate comprehensive pre-flight planning and risk assessment.

Where is tourism growing the fastest?

Qatar has become the fastest-growing travel destination in 2024, with a 177-fold increase in tourist volume compared to 2019. In 2023, the volume was 89 times higher. Qatar hosted over 4 million international tourists in 2023, primarily due to high-profile sporting events like the FIFA World Cup 2022 and Formula One. The capital city, Doha, attracted over 2 million visitors in the first four months of 2024. The tourism boom has also attracted major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., and MSC Cruises.

Why is tourism increasing in Antarctica?

The increasing number of tourists visiting Antarctica, which has increased tenfold between 1992 and 2020, is likely to increase the negative environmental impacts of tourism. Existing regulations do not adequately protect the environment from tourism impacts, including damage at visitor sites and wildlife disturbances. These negative impacts compound threats to Antarctica’s biodiversity, risking the survival of many species and the continent’s ability to regulate the global climate.

To mitigate these risks, tourism in Antarctica must be effectively managed, with new safeguards based on science and best practice. Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian Province, China, faces societal challenges and should consider other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).

How does melting ice affect the Arctic?

Arctic sea ice is melting due to climate warming, causing the addition of freshwater to the Arctic Ocean, which flows into the North Atlantic. This makes the seawater less dense, leading to a slowing of ocean currents. This less dense water may disrupt the pattern of ocean currents in the region, and scientists estimate that these currents could stop within the next few decades. If Atlantic ocean currents stopped, it would cause regional cooling in Western Europe and North America, as they carry warmth from the tropics. If these currents stopped completely, the average temperature in Europe would cool 5 to 10 degrees Celsius, impacting fisheries and hurricanes.

Is tourism growing in the Arctic?

The United Nations Environmental Program’s latest report indicates a significant increase in marine tourism in the Arctic over the past 15 years, with land-based tourism increasing by nearly 800 in the past decade. The maritime industry now represents the third largest human presence in the region, with popular destinations including Alaska’s Glacier Bay, Canadian Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon. Cruises to Greenland, Faroe Islands, and Iceland are easily accessible during summer, with Sweden and Finland establishing national parts easily accessible by railroads.

Tourism is crucial for jobs, private income, sales, and public finance revenue in northern communities, with Norway seeing nearly 400 thousand visitors in 2012 and over 50 cruise calls in its northernmost part, Svalbard.

Do people go to Antarctica for tourism?

Antarctica tourism began in the late 1950s with Chile and Argentina carrying passengers to the South Shetland Islands. The first expedition was led by Lars Eric Lindblad in 1966, and the modern expedition cruise industry was born in 1969 with the construction of the first expedition ship, MS Explorer. Since 1970, annual Antarctica tourist expeditions have been conducted. All human activities in Antarctica are regulated by the Antarctic Treaty and its associated measures, including the Protocol on Environmental Protection.

The industry is largely managed by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), founded in 1991 by seven private tour operators. It aims to promote safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to Antarctica.

Why is sea travel in the Arctic increasing?

Over the past decade, more ships have been recorded in the North due to accelerated rates of melting sea ice in the Arctic region. This has led to increased shipping along the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic region, with projections showing a 37 percent increase in ship numbers and distance sailed over the past 10 years. The Arctic Council Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) reports that this number does not only represent ships of the eight Arctic States but also numerous ships under flags of the Arctic Council Observer States entering the Arctic Polar Code area regularly.

Climate change is opening huge, newly ice-free areas in northern waters for various activities for civil and navy vessels. Current growing tensions in the North have resulted in numerous regional deployments, patrols, and incidents in the maritime Arctic. More icebreakers and submarines have been brought in the region as well, and fishing vessels can be found in new areas of exploration as commercial species migrate farther north and fill new niches in local marine ecosystems.

Marine traffic of expedition cruise ships has increased significantly in remote Arctic regions like Svalbard and Greenland, with the number of passenger vessels returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. Projections for the Arctic routes indicate a 100% navigation probability for the coming decades. Climate change indicators, such as weather and climate, are also increasing in the Arctic, which can affect ship stability and maneuverability, which affects safety at sea.

What are the main problems of tourism in the Arctic?

The melting ice is causing a range of consequences, including eroding coastlines, Arctic communities in crisis, thawing permafrost, and forest and tundra wildfires. Summer sea ice has decreased by 43% since 1979, endangering polar bears, narwhals, and walruses that rely on it. Most polar bear hunting was outlawed in 1973, but in some countries, particularly Canada, hunting by Inuit communities is still legal. The allocation of hunting permits is based on population monitoring and quotas are assigned through a system of tags given to hunters.

Polar bear hunting is a strong tradition for Arctic people, using every part of the bear, from fur to meat and fat. Hunters can sell on the pelts, which can reach $3, 000-$4, 000, a crucial source of income in remote communities. In Canada, communities are also allowed to sell on their quotas to hunters from elsewhere, with permits sold as part of a package containing food, transport, and lodging. This is a significant business for the Inuit, who depend on the income from hunters to remain in their Arctic villages as sea ice melts and subsistence hunting becomes tougher.

What is global warming doing to the Arctic?

Climate change is a daily reality for the Arctic’s people and animals, as Arctic ice is melting faster due to global warming. In the past 30 years, Arctic sea ice has melted larger areas than Norway, Sweden, and Denmark combined. The Arctic plays a crucial role in regulating the world’s temperature, but melting ice accelerates climate change. Ice reflects sunlight, while water absorbs it, leading to increased sunlight absorption and heat in the surrounding oceans, causing the world to become warmer. Therefore, the Arctic is a critical area for addressing climate change.