Greenpeace has released a new series of images illustrating the extent of the retreat of polar ice in the Arctic.
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Images released by Greenpeace have highlighted how quickly Arctic ice is retreating.
Taken in the Norwegian region of Svalbardthe photographs show not only the melting of the ice over a century, but also significant changes in just the last two decades.
This project takes up an initiative taken by the NGO 20 years ago. In 2002, photographer Christian Åslund set out to recreate historical photos of the region from the 20th century to illustrate the changing situation.
For Mr. Åslund, returning to the same place and seeing climate change laid bare so transparently was striking. He told the Guardian: “I expected the glacier to retreat, but not as much as we saw. It was a shock.”
Christian Åslund: “Literally incredible photos”
When Christian Åslund photographed the area in 2002, people didn’t believe what he had captured. Many accused him of faking them, saying he visited in the summer and that the historical photos were from the winter.
But glaciers, he says, are not like snow and ice that recede in the summer and return the following winter. Additionally, Svalbard is shrouded in almost complete darkness during the winter months, so taking photos is not possible.
He adds: “The Arctic is our climate sentinel: it is where the climate and ocean crises converge, and it is where the effects of these crises are first to be observed and felt most keenly.”
Mr Åslund hopes his visual depictions of climate change in action will help catalyze action by citizens and governments to resolve the crisis before it is too late.
The Arctic: a region that is melting rapidly
This summer, Svalbard experienced the highest temperatures on record for the third year in a row.
Meteorologist Daan van den Broek analyzed data from the Norwegian Climate Research Service and concluded that the town of Longyearbyen on Svalbard, at 78°N, reached an average temperature of 11°C in August 2024.
It was also a rainy summer in Svalbard, with 50 mm of rain in July, compared to the normal average of 20 mm.
All this adds up to a region that fond quickly. NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite captured images of the melt and concluded that the hot summer led to melting five times greater than an average year.
According to climatologist Xavier Fettweis, July 23 was a record day for the melting of ice cream in Svalbard, with 55 millimeters of water equivalent lost in a single day.
Melting ice is a problem for the whole world
The retreat of glaciers in the far north of Europe may seem far from our cozy homes, but the impact of such accelerated melting should be felt by all of us.
In addition to rising sea levels, which bring risks of coastal erosion and inland flooding, melting Arctic ice creates a feedback loop that accelerates the problem.
ADVERTISEMENTKnown asarctic amplificationmelting ice reveals new stretches of dark ocean which, instead of reflecting light and heat from the earth, absorb it. The sea surface and atmosphere then heat up, leading to even more melting.
Loss of ice at the poles can disrupt the jet stream, pushing it south and causing harsh winters on the continent. Likewise, less reflection means more trapped heat, which causes more intense heat waves around the world.
Laura Meller, Greenpeace Nordic project manager, added: “Here, at the top of the world, we can hear a cry of alarm from our planet and see in action the fundamentally linked future of the oceans and our climate. Halting climate breakdown goes hand in hand with protecting the oceans, to create a space where ocean life can recover, thrive and help us avoid the worst effects of climate change. warming.”
