Ocean observation research theme under ArCS project, “Theme 4: Observational research on Arctic Ocean environmental changes”, aimed to elucidate the status and trends of ongoing Arctic Ocean environmental changes and to evaluate their impacts on Arctic marine ecosystem and the global climate system. For these purposes, we conducted field observations, mooring observations, laboratory experiments, numerical

We compare the sediment magnetic properties of two lakes in Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica and discuss the intensity of pedogenesis during the Late Quaternary. The magnetic minerals are land-derived with no obliteration of the signal due to bacterial or anthropogenic sources. The magnetic grains of Lake L-49 are much smaller in size compared to Lake Sandy's (IRM20mT/ARM, S20 ratios). The iron oxide

The high frequency radars in the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) estimate the elevation angles of returned backscatter using interferometric techniques. These elevation angles allow the ground range to the scattering point to be estimated, which is crucial for the accurate geolocation of ionospheric measurements. For elevation angles to be accurately estimated, it is important to calibrate

Black carbon (BC) aerosols and methane are considered as a part of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), and the uncertainty of the emission, removal processes, and its impact on global change is quite large. This paper reviews studies of SLCPs and CO2 performed during the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) project focusing on the Asian influx into the Arctic. For a more detailed understanding

The polar region is the gateway of the magnetospheric processes induced due to the solar events; through which Sun-illuminated plasma enter into the polar ionosphere. In this paper we are presenting the comparative study of the South Pole B-spline ionospheric scintillation model and ionospheric scintillation/total electron content (TEC) comparison tool (that uses only observed data) associated with

Raven appears as an important character in many Alaskan Athabascan myths. He is depicted as a powerful shaman who transforms the world through magic. In this chapter, I analyze an often-neglected motif of Alaskan Athabascan Raven stories: Raven as Dog-eaters. I use mythological texts and ethnographic data collected in prior studies and from my fieldwork in the community of Nikolai, Alaska. In some

Geese can profoundly affect arctic ecosystems directly (e.g., by grazing vegetation) and indirectly (e.g. by changing nutrient cycling resulting from faces inputs and by reducing plant litter). In the Arctic, behavior and abundance of geese have changed due to climate and land-use change. While the short-term effects of increased goose populations on tundra ecosystems are known, there is a knowledge

Environments along the coast of Greenland are rapidly changing under the influence of a warming climate in the Arctic. To better understand the changes in the coastal environments, we performed researches in the Qaanaaq region in northwestern Greenland as a part of the ArCS (Arctic Challenge for Sustainability) Project. Mass loss of ice caps and marine-terminating outlet glaciers were quantified by

The method for calibrating elevation measurements at EKB ISTP SB RAS radar obtained for the period 20/09/2019–18/11/2019 is presented. The calibration method is a modernization of the method for calibrating radar by meteor trails. The main difference of the method is the use of not a statistically processed FitACF data, but the full waveform of the signals scattered on the meteor trails. Using the

A review of researches related to ultra low frequency (ULF) waves studied using a midlatitude coherent decameter radar located near Ekaterinburg (EKB), Russia is presented. The radar was constructed similar to SuperDARN radars. During the experiment conducted in 2013–2015 three of its beams were surveyed successively with the integration time of 6 s providing time resolution of 18 s at each beam. In

The sea ice coverage in the summer Arctic Ocean from the Beaufort to Laptev Seas continues to decrease, and the largest waves in the western Arctic open waters are increasing year by year. By looking into the historical wave events in the ERA-Interim reanalysis data, we discovered that more than half of the extreme events are caused by cyclones that are originating in the Arctic Ocean as well as in

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is becoming a practical passage for transport during the warm season due to Arctic sea ice reduction. There is a need for new navigational support as LNG shipments are increasing in recent years. In this research, a non-heuristic optimal route search is attempted near the New Siberian Islands. The assumption is that an optimal route is related to the surrounding conditions

The direct collisions that thermospheric neutral particles experience with convecting ionospheric ions is the primary way in which energy from the solar wind is deposited into the Earth’s atmosphere. Because of these collisions, the neutral gas polewards of middle latitudes (∼±40∘ geomagnetic) is often set into motion due to ion-drag, and Joule heated due to friction. Transient ionospheric phenomena

Emergence of pancake ice in the western Arctic Ocean is understood to be an effect of the increasing wave activity. During the 2018 R/V Mirai field campaign in the refreezing Chukchi Sea, we obtained observational evidence of sea ice formation that resembled the pancake cycle—frazil/pancake/consolidated pancake ice–first discovered and known to be ubiquitous in the Antarctic. Apparently, R/V Mirai

Time series measurements of ocean ambient sound were carried out using an autonomous passive acoustic measurement system deployed in Kongsfjorden, Arctic Ocean, between July 2015 and April 2016. Geophysical soundscape components, particularly that of sea ice melting and wind noise, were identified. The biological sounds produced by walruses in the form of knocking and tapping sequences fall in the

We examined the shock effects on 12 basaltic and 4 cumulate eucrites, using the petrographic and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Petrographic and XRD measurements were conducted on the same polished sections of the eucrites. On the basis the ranges of undulatory extinction angles and occurrence of maskelynite, we defined five shock degrees: A (unshocked to very weakly shocked), B (weakly shocked)

We evaluated, in two consecutive austral summers, the biochemical composition, sources, distribution and degradation state of particulate organic matter (POM) in surface coastal waters of Collins Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. Bulk elemental and stable isotope analyses were combined with molecular-level proxies (fatty acids and amino acids) to obtain more comprehensive evidence about POM characteristics

This article focuses on the social representations of permafrost thaw among people who were born in different regions of the Sakha Republic (Russia) and live in the regional capital city of Yakutsk. Our research aims to obtain a better understanding of the new risk patterns associated to permafrost thaw through the collection and subsequent analysis of narratives of personal experiences in order to

Global climate change is one of the main problems facing humans at the beginning of the 21st century. In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), it has led to significant social consequences, especially those caused by flooding, which is very common in the region. One way of protecting settlements from catastrophic floods is to relocate them to non-flooded terraces. In the article, the author examined the

While most studies using a Person-Environment (P-E) fit approach focus on commonplace work settings, the present study adopts this approach to explore an extreme and unusual setting; specifically, Antarctic research stations. People who had been deployed for a year in Antarctica (n = 59) were asked to reflect on their experience and to report their perceived fit with the environment. Other measures

We present textural evidence of spinel (low-Zn) and quartz from two samples of quartzofeldspathic rocks from the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. The present occurrence is unusual for the fact that the direct grain contact is preserved unlike most other occurrences where these two phases are separated by reaction products during retrograde and/or prograde metamorphic stages. Textural features further

We summarize U–Pb age data for the Lützow–Holm Complex (LHC) in East Antarctica and propose the following geological subdivisions based on protolith ages, along the coast of Dronning Maud Land from southwest to northeast: the Innhovde Suite (INH, 1070–1040 Ma) composed mainly of felsic orthogneiss; the Rundvågshetta Suite (RVG, 2520–2470 Ma), mostly felsic orthogneiss with minor mafic and metasedimentary

Myxomycetes (Protista - Amoebozoa) are worldwide distributed organisms, but still poorly known from the Antarctic. While working on fungi and similar organisms found in Stinker Point, Elephant Island - Antarctica in January/February 2018 we found 24 sporangia of Dianema nivale, which is cited for the first time to the Antarctica.

Aerosols and clouds play important roles in the Arctic climate. Conversely, aerosol emissions and cloud formation are affected by changes in the Arctic climate. This paper reviews studies of aerosols and clouds performed during the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) project carried out by the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) in Japan and collaborating institutions. The ArCS project

The aim of the present study is to assess the full effect on the albedo of both sea ice extent decrease and snowline retreat in the Arctic during the last three decades. Averaged over the globe, the overall warming effect due to Arctic land and ocean albedo change corresponds to adding about 44% to the direct effect of human CO2 emissions during the same period. In fact, the area and thickness of Arctic

The paper examines the approaches to the formation of compensation funds for the indigenous peoples during Arctic industrial development. The key challenge is the technical problem-solving of reconciling the rights of indigenous peoples and the interests of the mining company. The compensation fund allows harmonizing the interests of stakeholders. In 2020, Russia adopted the Arctic Development Strategy

We summarized our recently-published papers on greenhouse gas exchanges at two important boreal regions underlain by permafrost: eastern Siberia and interior Alaska. Relevant literatures were also referred to, and future research directions on the high-latitude terrestrial processes were suggested. Long-term monitoring of CO2 fluxes at the boreal forests revealed that anomalous weather and disturbances

Polar cap patches are known as islands of enhanced electron density in the polar cap F region ionosphere. To observe the airglow signature of polar cap patches continuously at a fixed point near the center of the MLAT/MLT coordinate system, we started operating an all-sky imager in Eureka, Canada since 2015, where the magnetic latitude is ∼87°. By statistically analyzing the 630-nm airglow images from

We collected snow samples from two pits with depths of 4.02 and 3.18 m at the East Greenland Ice Core Project camp (75°37′N, 35°59′W), Greenland in the summer of 2016 to estimate recent annual snow deposition and examine seasonal variation in major ion species, stable isotopes of water and microparticles (dust). Dating based on clear seasonal variation in chemical components indicated that the 4.02-

This paper summarizes the achievements of one of the themes in the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) project. Consisting mainly of researchers of human and social sciences, the theme was designed to connect the achievements of other themes to stakeholders and policymakers. According to our research method, this paper proceeds the discussion in three research areas. First, economic development

Temporal and spatial changes of GPS total electron content (TEC) and phase variation, called phase scintillation, during auroral substorms and breakups are investigated in the context of horizontal equivalent ionospheric currents and estimated vertical current amplitudes derived from ground magnetometer network using the spherical elementary current method. GPS phase scintillation is computed for sampling

Taking advantage of a unique configuration of upper-atmospheric observing stations, we used enhanced radiosonde observations acquired during the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) at Ice Base Cape Baranova in 2018 to quantify the observational bias of a nearby station, i.e., GMO IM. E. K. Fedorova located 184 km to the southeast. Radiosonde observations from Fedorova are transmitted to the Global Telecommunications

Mineral dust plays a key role in both local and global climates. At high latitudes, atmospheric dust can affect ice-nuclei formation, and surface dust can reduce the albedo as well as increase subsequent ice melting. As a proxy for past climate, mineral dust is preserved in ice cores, but few studies have examined deposited dust in ice cores during the Anthropocene, especially after 2000. We measured

This study uses satellite microwave observations to examine the spatiotemporal variations of melting ice sheets on the slopes of Antarctica. These observations were focused on the coastal marginal zone and inland traverse route near Syowa Station. Melting was detected using a 36 GHz vertical polarization diurnal amplitude variation (DAV). Data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS

Lightning events could cause ionospheric disturbance on performance of radio signals which could lead to errors. The objective of the study is to investigate the response of vertical total electron content (VTEC) during lightning activity over the Antarctic Peninsula for the year 2017. The lightning data were obtained from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) while the lightning flash

An all-digital agile dual auroral radar network (AgileDARN) was developed by the National Space Science Center, Chinese Academic of Sciences (NSSC, CAS). AgileDARN can achieve higher performance and greater flexibility based on highly digitized hardware and its distributed digital signal processing system. Multiple receiving beams can be created within the transmitting beam pattern better to determine

We quantified the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of fungi associated with dead moss tissues and conifer needles in a forest-tundra ecotone in a sub-arctic region, Quebec, Canada. We detected 615 operational taxonomic units, in total, of fungi in 84 families with 97% sequence similarity by metabarcoding the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Saprotrophs

The Sandow Group in the Denman Glacier area consists of low-grade supracrustal (post-cratonic) strata. Such rocks are scarce and poorly studied in East Antarctica, but are significant for a better understanding of the geological history and tectonic evolution of the Precambrian supercontinents. We report U–Pb (LA-ICP-MS) detrital zircon ages which mostly fall into two groups of ca 1350−900 Ma and ca

The significant reduction of the sea-ice extent in the western Arctic has been observed by the sustained satellite observations since 1979. The opening ocean is now allowing waves to evolve and propagate under the presence of the Arctic sea-ice. A better understanding of the wave-ice interaction is necessary for the safe shipping over the sea-ice covered Arctic Ocean and for the better future Arctic

Atmospheric CH4 mole fractions were observed aboard the R/V Mirai sailing in waters off Alaska in the Arctic Ocean in September 2012–2017 to investigate the CH4 emissions from the surrounding region, especially from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS). The synoptic-scale increases of CH4 were compared with simulated increases based on a Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Model and monthly CH4 flux maps

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which constitutes the northeastern parts of Siberia, holds the largest area of forest coverage among all the Russian federal subjects, and forest fires in its land exert significant impacts on the global environment. This paper aims to offer a local perspective for the globally important problem of Siberian forest fires, discussing the general patterns and trends of

Calibration of optical instruments is important for accurate measurement of the absolute emission intensity of aurora and airglow. The National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Japan, has been operating a facility for the optical calibration which consists of three independent calibration systems to share with collaborating researchers. This paper introduces an outline of the facility and specifications

Temporal variability in surface mass balance (SMB) on the Greenland ice sheet is important for understanding the mass balance of the ice sheet. Additionally, knowledge of the spatial variability in SMB at ice core drilling sites helps to interpret the spatial representativeness of SMB data obtained from a single ice core. In this study, to investigate the spatiotemporal variability in recent SMB in

Scientific achievements of ArCS Theme 5 (AT5), whose goal is to assess the predictability of Arctic-related climate variations, are reviewed. AT5 clarified some important roles played by the responses of the Arctic stratosphere and land surface to the Arctic sea ice variations in the predictability of the Arctic climate and its remote influence to lower latitudes. AT5 demonstrated that some climatic

Spatial and temporal variations of shipping along Russia's Northern Sea Route (NSR) were investigated to better understand the possible drivers of traffic levels and future trends. Daily information for ships sailing along the NSR were collected, and voyage-based analyses were conducted for a period from March 2013 to December 2018. Annual total dead weight tonnage (DWT) increased significantly from

This study created a regional budget for methane (CH4) for Northern Europe, Siberia, and northern North America, based on a mission inventories, biogeochemical models, and land-surface satellite data. Natural sink and sources (wetlands, termites, wildfires, soil oxidation, and geological sources) and anthropogenic sources (fossil fuel extraction, industry and transportation, waste, agriculture, and

An isolate of a novel fungus and an isolate of a novel fungus-like microbe were obtained during field research conducted in Kuujjuarapik-Whapmagoostui, Quebec, in subarctic Canada, located on the southeastern coast of Hudson Bay, from August to September 2016. The isolates were identified as a Typhula sp. and Globisporangium sp. (syn. Pythium sp.), respectively. Mycelia with clamps connections were

Black carbon (BC) is one of the light-absorbing particles that reduce the albedo of snow surfaces. Snow samples were taken from the surface of three glaciers in the Alaska Range in mid-April 2017. The BC size distribution and concentration were analyzed with a laser-induced incandescence (LII) method. The BC concentration of the snow samples was 1–6 μg L−1 and 0.5–3.1 μg L−1 at a depth of 0–2 cm (surface)

Shrub encroachment and soil respiration (SR) are predicted to increase in the tundra ecosystem under climate warming, but little is known regarding potential causal relationships between shrubs and SR at a local scale. Multiple and complex belowground processes exist between the two phenomena, and consolidation is logistically difficult. Our study aimed to identify and integrate multiple belowground

This study presents the detailed surveys of the NE outlet of Eyjabakkajökull glacier, East Iceland, from the combination of low-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and GNSS measurements. Data analyses reveal the complex subglacial topography with a prominent, up to 45-m-deep longitudinal trough in the central part of the outlet that serves as the main trunk for the

Assessing impacts of environmental change on Arctic-breeding seabirds requires a better understanding of their year-round movement and foraging ecology. Here we examined the post-breeding movements and diving behavior of thick-billed (Uria lomvia) and common murres (U. aalge) breeding on St. Lawrence Island, northern Bering Sea, by using geolocators deployed in 2016 (n = 3, per species). During 2016–2019

CM chondrites (CMs) are the most abundant group of carbonaceous chondrites. CMs experienced varying degrees of secondary aqueous alteration and heating that modified or destroyed their primitive features. We have studied three chondrites, Asuka (A) 12085, A 12169, and A 12236. Their modal compositions, chondrule size distributions, and bulk composition indicate that they are CMs. However, the common

We review major scientific results from Subtheme (1) Variability of the Greenland Ice Sheet and climate under Research Theme 2 Variations in the ice sheet, glaciers, and the environment in the Greenland region of the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) project. We participated in the international East Greenland Ice Core Project (EGRIP) led by Denmark, conducted snow pit observations near the

The author reconstructed in-situ volume transport (VT) through the Bering Strait using the NNW wind component, the gradient of dynamic ocean topography (DOT) across the strait and DOT in the East Siberian Sea (RMSE = 0.2 Sv). The difference between in-situ VT and reconstructed VT (diffVT) was correlated with DOT in the northern Bering Sea shelf (DOTBER) during fall and winter. DOTBER was then introduced

To understand the spatio-temporal variations of the atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Arctic region, we have conducted systematic observations and numerical model simulations. Long-term observations for CO2, CH4 and related constituents at Ny-Ålesund helped in separating the oceanic and terrestrial uptake rates of CO2 and revealed the importance of biogenic CH4 emissions to atmospheric CH4 variations

The substantial loss of Arctic sea ice will alter marine ecosystems in many ways. Recent studies have reported a distributional shift in benthic macrofaunal biomass in the Pacific Arctic, likely caused by changes in food availability for benthic organisms. Here, we assessed the influence of differences in post-bloom supply of phytoplankton to the sediment on the growth of a common Pacific Arctic bivalve

This study aims to deepen the understanding of the impact of climate change on human societies in arctic areas, and to consider their adaptation. Previous studies focus on local perceptions, which should be a key to finding the process and solutions, by taking into consideration all stakeholders in order to integrate with scientific knowledge. We aim to discern the appropriate quality of perception:

Under global warming due to anthropogenic increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, the surface air temperature in the Arctic is increasing with a speed that is more than double the global average, called “Arctic amplification (AA).” To grasp these changes in the Arctic, to understand the mechanism, to know the global influences, and to contribute to future climate projection, we conducted

From observations in a High Arctic valley and ice-free fjord in Svalbard during March and April 2013 we show that, while some caution needs to be applied, ordinary slow-response instruments placed over a snow-water-snow surface can be effectively used as a proxy for more sophisticated measuring techniques at complex sites such as leads or a polynyas. The turbulent fluxes of momentum, sensible and latent

In the northern Bering Sea, ice coverage and retreat timing were low and early, respectively, in the 2017–2018 winter. To evaluate the effect of these anomalous ice conditions, we quantified various environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, mixed-layer depth, nutrients) and the standing stocks of various planktonic taxa (phytoplankton counts, meso- and macrozooplankton mass, jellyfish abundance)