Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

• Main Author: O'Rourke, Ronald
• Other Authors: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *ARCTIC REGIONS; *SEA ICE; ARCTIC OCEAN; CLIMATE; COASTAL REGIONS; CONTINENTAL SHELVES; OIL SPILLS; SEASONS; STRATEGY; UNDERWATER; WEATHER; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Canada; Greenland; Northwest Passage; Norway; Climate change; Ice; Lomonosov Ridge; Northern Sea Route; Northwest passage; permafrost; Sea ice; Alaska; ice covered waters
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA604151; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA604151

The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region s future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. On May 10, 2013, the Obama Administration released a national strategy document for the Arctic region. Record low extents of Arctic sea ice over the past decade have focused scientific and policy attention on links to global climate change and projected ice-free seasons in the Arctic within decades. These changes have potential consequences for weather in the United States, access to mineral and biological resources in the Arctic, the economies and cultures of peoples in the region, and national security. The five Arctic coastal states the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, and Denmark (of which Greenland is a territory) are in the process of preparing Arctic territorial claims for submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Russian claim to the enormous underwater Lomonosov Ridge, if accepted, would reportedly grant Russia nearly onehalf of the Arctic area. There are also four other unresolved Arctic territorial disputes. The diminishment of Arctic ice could lead in coming years to increased commercial shipping on two trans-Arctic sea routes the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage. Current international guidelines for ships operating in Arctic waters are being updated. Changes to the Arctic brought about by warming temperatures will likely allow more exploration for oil, gas, and minerals. Warming that causes permafrost to melt could pose challenges to onshore exploration activities. Increased oil and gas exploration and tourism (cruise ships) in the Arctic increase the risk of pollution in the region. Cleaning up oil spills in ice-covered waters will be more difficult than in other areas, primarily because effective strategies have yet to be developed. CRS Report for Congress