Hi, we are polar scientists and it's International Polar Week! Ask us anything!

Hello and thanks for being here!

How often do you encounter any form of wildlife there?

How do you cope with isolation during your work?

Do politics ever get in your way?

Erika: No wildlife at the south pole, but at McMurdo I saw skua (kind of like seagulls) and seals. Saw polar bear tracks in Svalbard but luckily no actual bears. Most of the isolation I've felt has been covid-related, working from home! In the field its pretty rare to be alone, and at South Pole there's a pretty good internet connection for a few hours a day! Politics can absolutely affect research funding, though I've been lucky to not have personally been affected. I do know a lot of people who's fieldwork has been cancelled or delayed because of government shutdowns though.

Olga: Moose come for a visit regularly in Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is a relatively large city, so you never feel isolated.

I have heard that current polar temperatures are way above normal. What are the potential impacts of this, and what is the major driving factor of these unusual temperatures in the polar region?

Erika: Yea, both the Arctic and Antarctic have areas where temperatures are way above normal right now. A great place to see the current conditions is Climate Reanalyzer out of UMaine: https://climatereanalyzer.org/wx/DailySummary/#t2anom

It's tough to say what the impacts will be, as they'll depend on how long-lived these conditions are. But, events like this are becoming more frequent and we're definitely seeing the effects of them, probably most substantially in the Arctic. Warmer temperatures in the winter mean the sea ice will grow more slowly, or not at all, and the sea ice has been *astoundingly* diminished in the last couple decades.

In the Antarctic, this is particularly interesting (and damaging) because glaciologists usually think of rising ocean temperatures as being a larger problem than rising air temperatures. A large percentage of Antarctic ice mass loss is happens where the ice touches the ocean through melting and calving (breaking off of icebergs), so rising ocean temperatures are a big concern. With air temperature, it is so cold over most of the continent that if it goes from say -20C to -18C, that doesn't change melt. However, heatwaves like the one that was just observed might change the importance of air temperature in predicting mass loss.

Do these events speed up our chances of reaching <1 million km² of Arctic Sea Ice in September within the next couple of years?

Lavanya: Several scientists at NASA and universities have been studying sea-ice using different techniques. According to a recent study, there is evidence that there is going to be extended loss of sea-ice in the Arctic in the coming decades. You can read more about this study here at https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice/

Erika: Well, increased extended heat events will absolutely make it more likely to happen sooner, but personally I wouldn't bet on getting below 1 million in the next couple of years. More likely the next couple of decades, we're definitely still trending that way.

Lavanya: Yes, you're right. In addition to what others have written, the temperatures in the poles are rising faster than the tropical region due to phenomenon called 'polar amplification'. This is a global process that particularly affects the ice regions and its ecosystem in the Arctic. Due to this, we see increased summer temperature, shorter winters and less snowfall. There are several communities (ecosystem) that depend on the global cycle. You can read more about polar amplification here: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/81214/arctic-amplification

Olga: For instance, here in Anchorage I have heard about the increased presence of bears during the winter times, as their hibernation routines have been impacted. Fortunately, I have not seen a bear myself yet though. As for Alaska Native Peoples, it impacts their subsistence routines. For example, the ice is unstable and they sometimes cannot reach their hunting areas any more.

What has been the most challenging part of your work so far?

Erika: Finishing a PhD dissertation...

Olga: Conducting fieldwork and research during the pandemic.

Did you notice changes in wildlife during the pandemic (less human intervention by travelers be it scientists or tourists)?

Curious due to what happened with the humpback whales in Alaska due to less noise caused by cruise ships.

Olga: Wildlife in Anchorage is used to cars and noise, there were almost no shut downs here, so I have not noticed any changes in their behavior.

All of us: None of us are whale specialists so we can't say. You could check out the work being done at NOAA if you're curious: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/marine-mammal-protection/passive-acoustic-monitoring-marine-mammals-alaska

As someone with no scientific background, what would be the best way for me to ever participate in an expedition short of arranging to go as a tourist? All my life I’ve felt fascinated by the environment but I’m not quite sure how to make the leap.

Erika: Depends on where you're looking to go, but the US Antarctic Program hires lots of non-scientists for support roles! https://www.usap.gov/jobsandopportunities/

What's some cool tech you lads get to use?

Erika: For my current job I work with high-resolution GPS receivers, which can detect change at the millimeter scale. Scientists use them for lots of different applications, but one that I think is super cool (though also sad) is measuring how the crust in some areas is slowly lifing as the ice sheets are melting - because the crust is basically floating on the mantle, and a loss of mass means it will rebound upwards

Millimeter precision from a satellite 100km+ or so up? That's impressive

Erika: Yea, actually about 20,000km! You can only get the really high precision with an instrument that's occupying its spot for a long time, and generally they are using 5+ satellites at once. There's the US GPS constellation, but there are others as well that we can take advantage of, like the Galileo constellation put up the the EU. Here's a video about it: https://youtu.be/qmSrAQpolj4 and there's others on UNAVCO's page as well!

Lavanya: For my job, I use satellite from GRACE satellites, and climate data from global models for my glacier model. The coolest thing about these data are its ability to measure mass balance at high spatial and temporal resolution. Spatial means the ability to resolve the size of glaciers, and temporal means the time intervals.

I read an article recently that Russia and China have teamed up to make agreements about how research happens on Antarctica more difficult. The SCAR has apparently been having trouble operating b/c they normally operate by unanimous consensus and that's been hindered. The article also raised concern that China may be testing submarines in violation of the treaty.

Was this just scaremongering and China baiting or are there real issues with the management of research in the south polar regions?

All of us: Thanks for the question. None of us are experts in Antarctic geopolitics but we have not heard anything about SCAR having trouble operating. Would you mind sharing the article for some more context?

Super thirsty post: I am a sound artist and would love to come to Antarctica to record sounds of you, your work and the environment- create something to give people an impression of life at a research station!

Anyway, a question: What would people find most surprising about your day-to-day at the north/south poles?

Note that there are a few programs through the National Science Foundation that you may be eligible for. It looks like there is a new program called Polar STEAM that will replace the Antarctic Artists & Writers Program - details here: https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/aawr.jsp

Erika: Your body can actually get pretty used to hanging out in temperatures below 0. After awhile temperature above freezing ends up feeling balmy

You gals doing anything special to celebrate?

From all of us: We've been celebrating polar week by hosting small polls on our Twitter feed - link is in the original post. Otherwise, our overarching organization APECS also hosts events this week!

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Thanks u/robert_sanchezs !