Arctic Climate: From Knowledge to Action

N.Soreide1, J. Overland1, J. Calder2

1NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Seattle, WA, USA;

2NOAA Arctic Research Program, Silver Spring, MD, USA

Warm Arctic temperatures continue…

Five-Year average Global temperature anomaly for 2011

relative to base period 1951-1980

2˚C warmer in Arctic

1˚C warmer

reducing sea ice extent and thickness…

Sea ice age in March (1988 and 2011)

September 2011 sea ice minimum 30 year average

Impacting ecosystems…

Impacting shellfish

Phytoplankton bloom off Iceland, June 24, 2010

Snow crab recently established in the Barents Sea

Changes in Arctic benthic biodiversity

Arctic species shifting(some thriving, some threatened)

Impacting the globe…

Greenland ice sheet mass

Loss of ice from glaciers and ice

sheets impacts sea level

Sea ice loss affects the earth’s heat

balance

NOAA provides Arctic information and data from reputable scientific sources

Top-ranking websites

andYouTube videos

www.arctic.noaa.gov

• Comprehensive Resource• Photos, maps, northern lights, ships• FAQ, essays for the public

• Featured news updates• Educational links• North Pole web cam

Comprehensive resource for a wide audience Educators, students, decision makers, scientists, public

www.arctic.noaa.gov

www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard

Peer-reviewed Arctic Information for the Public, Decision Makers, Scientists, Educational Community

www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard

YouTube Videos embedded in websites

YouTube Channel and Mobile Devices

Arctic Report Card 2011 YouTube video

Summarizes recent Arctic Science Results for a Broader Audience

www.arctic.noaa.gov/future

International community summary of September Arctic sea ice minimum

Estimates for September 2011 arctic sea ice extent based on May data.

www.arcus.org/search/seaiceoutlook

From Knowledge to Action

Easy to find by searching the internet

Results frequently appear in the media

Influence on Policy

• Affected Policy on Endangered Species Act decisions for– Marine mammals

– Arctic shipping• Affected global environmental

change information and policy– by NOAA– the International Polar Year – the World Wildlife Fund

• Cited by state and local legislators and government officials

Testimonials “I use and promote the Report Card often. I showed it in my talk at AGU (the one on Science and Policy). I showed it to WCRP [World Climate Research Program] as an example of a good outreach product. Last week, during a planning meeting for AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program) we looked at the Report Card as an example of something that program might do to boost its profile. I know that several teachers in the IPY network know about and use the Report Card …. I can recite all these examples of strong communication impact.”

Dr. David CarlsonDirector of the International Polar Year (IPY) International Programme Office (2005-2010)

“colleagues around the world and myself are using the Arctic Report Card for up to date reference whenever we communicate the state of the Arctic and climate change. We communicate … arctic climate change, locally and globally, to a wide range of stakeholders, the public, companies, organizations, and political decision makers. Having an authoritative and up to date assessment like the arctic report card available for this task is invaluable for us, as we are often communicating and commenting at the interface of the fast media world and the slower world of scientific publications, yet have to remain credible at all times.”

Dr. Martin Sommerkorn, Senior Climate Change AdvisorWWF International Arctic Programme

Emails to webmaster• "I'm a regular visitor and fan of your Arctic animals page ... received a "Teacher of the Month"

award from our school administration for distributing that link to other faculty members“

• "I have been trying to educate myself on climate change, the Arctic and sea ice. I have been reading through the various NOAA website. I am really finding it fascinating. “

• "Is it possible to use three images from NOAA web cam … in a publication submission to J. Geophys. Res. “

• "We are preparing a book with the title: Oxygen and the Evolution of Life… to be published by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg … requesting permission to use the material described below from your publication(s) “

• "I'm a teaching assistant and have been using your page with helpful Native American references as a guide for my professor's class ...It's a great page, I'm glad you made it! “

• "NAUSICAÄ - French National Sea Experience Center … is a Science Center … We would like to include a free link to your web site http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/future/ “

• "I am a published freelance journalist doing an article for Transworld Features, Kolkata, India on the Artic and climate change. I woulkd like to request permission to use information from your site … also … quote the experts on "Essay on the Artic" page with due credit."

www.arctic.noaa.gov