The Arctic’s cold atmosphere is not hospitable for thunderstorms. But air temperature in the region have risen drastically in the past three decades which is faster than anywhere else on the planet, as per studies published in the scientific journal, Nature Climate Change. Recently in July 2021, three successive thunderstorms swept across the Arctic—from Siberia to north of Alaska—unleashing lightning bolts, an unusual phenomenon that made meteorologists stunned. Scientists say that this will become more frequent with the rise of global warming. According to a National Weather Service meteorologist in Fairbanks, Ed Plumb, forecasters have not seen anything like this before. Typically, the air over the Arctic Ocean lacks the convective heat needed to generate lightning storms, especially when the water is covered with ice. However, this phenomenon is changing as climate change warms the Arctic faster, compared to the rest of the world, and resulting in the melting of ice.
Impact of the Storms
These electrical storms pose a great threat to boreal forests located throughout the Arctic region, as they spark fires in remote regions which are already warm due to continuous summer sun. The boreal forests are the planet’s second largest biome stretching across Europe, Asia, and North America. Consequently, there are more lightning incidents in boreal Siberia, Russia, compared to any other Arctic region.
In June this summer (2021), lightning sparked one of the biggest fires in Alaska, which scorched more than 7,284 hectares of tundra about 200 km north of the Arctic Circle in the Noatak National Preserve in the north-western corner of the state.
In August 2019, lightning was even recorded within 100 kilometres of the North Pole. Researchers at the International Arctic Research Center, US, are of the view that twice as much Alaska tundra could regularly burn with fires, occurring four times more frequently by the end of the century. Therefore, lightning has become a threat to mariners as vessel traffic is on the rise, due to retreating sea ice.
Major Factors of Summer Lightning
According to a study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, episodes of summer lightning within the Arctic Circle have tripled since 2010. This trend is directly related to climate change and increasing loss of sea ice in the far north. The more sea ice vanishes, the more water evaporates, leading to warmth in the atmosphere.
Two other studies, published in the same journal, by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, state that thunderstorm activity will increase three times by the end of the century if the atmosphere keeps warming at the current rate.
Warming leads to growth of vegetation on northern Alaska’s tundra, which is another major reason for fires. In recent years, Siberia has been witnessing ferocious forest fires and the incidents are increasing.
Critical Analysis
Given the situation across the globe, all the countries, particularly the developed ones, must think over with all sincerity, how to mitigate climate change effect and reach the goal to keep warming well under 2.0°C (3.6°F). Though pledges have been made under the Paris Agreement, and efforts have also been made, still global warming may reach about 2.8°C (5.0°F) by the end of the century. International efforts should be steered to limit warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) by 2030 and achieve near-zero emissions by 2050.
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