The Changing Arctic

Warming at more than twice the rate of anywhere else on Earth, the Arctic is on the front lines of change. Sea ice and weather conditions are changing so rapidly that Arctic animals, well-adapted to living in extreme environments, now struggle to acclimate to sea ice loss and warming water temperatures. No one is feeling the impact more than indigenous communities, including 40,000 on Alaska’s Arctic coastline, whose food sources and way of life are changing rapidly.

A top priority for NOAA Fisheries is to work with national and international scientists, Alaska state and tribal governments, Alaska Native organizations, and commercial and subsistence fishing interests, to understand how warming trends are affecting the Arctic’s valuable natural resources and how to sustainably manage its marine environment for generations to come.

By way of Alaska, the United States is an Arctic nation. Ice loss has made the region’s marine areas more accessible than ever to economic opportunities like shipping and energy exploration, and thus more vulnerable to environmental disasters, such as oil and chemical spills, that threaten living marine resources and coastal communities.

NOAA Fisheries works across many sectors to understand ecosystem changes and recommend sustainable ways for economic development and human activities to occur while minimizing impacts on marine life. Our goal is to ensure maritime activities can be conducted safely and responsibly. The data and information we collect is also used by international bodies—including the eight-nation Arctic Council, to which the United States is a party—to plan for sustainable development in this once-remote region now and for the future.

For Alaska as a whole, fishing is big business, and it’s culturally important for indigenous peoples who depend on marine resources for sustenance. On a larger scale, the entire nation benefits from fish caught here. In fact, commercial harvest of groundfish, shellfish, salmon, and other resources in Alaska constitute more than 60 percent of marine fish landings in the United States. The Alaska pollock fishery is the largest and one of the most valuable, generating more than $1.9 billion annually.

To identify opportunities while ensuring sustainability, NOAA is working to better understand how changing environmental conditions in the Arctic are affecting marine resources.

Alaska’s Arctic coastline has historically been inaccessible to most forms of commercial fishing due to the presence of sea ice for most of the year. NOAA Fisheries is working to better understand what marine resources exist in this region (the “Arctic Management Area”), and whether those resources could support viable fishing operations, before permitting these waters for sustainable commercial fishing.

When we think of Arctic change, iconic animals like ice seals come to mind. These species’ life cycles depend on sea ice as platforms for breeding and pupping. Other marine mammals, like whales, walruses, and polar bears, also rely on icy seascapes and similarly are experiencing challenges and adapting to new ways of life.

Several species in the Arctic are listed under the Endangered Species Act, a law that guides the conservation and recovery efforts of NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. NOAA Fisheries specifically is responsible for the following threatened and endangered species with Arctic ranges: bearded seals, ringed seals [note for Drupal review: Candace Nachman commented: "This is just an FYI. We were sued on our listing decision for both species. We just recently won the appeal to keep bearded seals listed as threatened. We are still awaiting the final decision on our appeal regarding ringed seals. Technically, at this time ringed seals are not listed under the ESA, however, we think we will receive a favorable ruling to get the listing reinstated. We just need to keep an eye on whether we post this with ringed seals in the list if the court decision on our appeal has not yet been given by the time we are ready to post this. Hopefully the decision will come down before we post the new content, in which case, no changes will be needed."], bowhead whales, and fin whales. Because these marine mammals are key predators, understanding their populations and behavior changes helps us better understand other species and dynamics in the Arctic marine ecosystem.

In 2015 NOAA Fisheries developed a national climate science strategy to help scientists, fishermen, managers, and coastal businesses better understand what’s changing, what’s at risk, and what actions are needed to safeguard America’s valuable marine resources and the revenues, jobs, and communities that depend on them.

In 2016, we released regional action plans—including for the southeastern Bering Sea—with specific actions to help federal fishery managers sustain our marine resources for current and future generations. This plan details actions we’re taking to better track changing Arctic conditions, provide better forecasts, and identify best strategies to reduce impacts.

Every year, NOAA scientists join dozens of scientists from around the world to produce the NOAA Arctic Report Card, which provides a snapshot of observed changes in temperature warming, sea ice loss, snow cover, ocean productivity (including fisheries), and other indicators. The research we conduct also funnels into other authoritative reports documenting Arctic change, specifically studies conducted by the International Panel on Climate Change and the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

In addition, NOAA Fisheries scientists and fishery managers (including those at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Alaska Regional Office) work routinely to research, inventory, and monitor ecosystems and changing conditions in the Arctic Ocean along Alaska's North Slope.

Learn more about our Arctic initiatives