The break up of the Arctic ice sheet–now at record levels –might make an Arctic crossing much easier for a small group of previously untracked Right Whales. And that’s the problem. The Arctic ice-sheet break up is making the “Northwest Passage” across the Pole much easier for everyone–including commercial fishing ships. If this newly discovered group of whales decides to take this short cut (heading south for the Winter), scientists fear, they could swim headlong into the newly opened shipping lanes. It is estimated that collisions with ships cause one third of all Right Whale deaths world-wide.

In 2007 and 2008, marine researchers tracked over 2000 whale songs coming from the waters of Cape Farewell Ground (Just off Greenland’s Southwest coast). The songs are believed to be those of male Right Whales–a fairly rare baleen (mysticine) whale that was hunted to near extinction here back in the late 1800’s. They were named “right” whales because they were deemed the “right” whale to hunt for their prized oil and baleen content. Researchers studying the new group believe that there must be at least two of them, possibly three. Whales in general tend to be creatures of habit, returning seasonally to the same  “grounds” for eating or mating.

Normally, the few Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) sightings that there are (in the North Atlantic) have been largely off of Nova Scotia and the New England coasts during the Summer feeding months (the whales feed off off massive up-welling of plankton). Returning to this area (Cape Farewell Ground) is a bit of a surprise, for these were also the former “killing grounds” of these rarest of the large whales.  Dr. Mellinger, the research team’s lead scientist, believes that they are indeed a new group, and are either reoccupying this area, or possibly (despite all odds), may have always been here.

The Right whale “songs” were detected using a high-tech network of submerged listening posts. A version of the system was originally used for monitoring the Right whale population off Massachusetts Bay in 2006. Preliminary analysis of this singular, acoustical phenomenon–produced exclusively by younger male whales–indicates that there may be as many as three whales contributing to these songs.

No one knows, however, if there are any females that have joined the group–a factor crucial for the long-term survival of any would-be whale pod. Female Right whales do not sexually mature until 10 years or age, and they give birth to only one off-spring at a time (after a year long gestation). This possibility (of a pregnant female in the group) makes concern over the arctic ice break-up, and any accidental ship strike, all the more pressing. Right Whales have been under international protection since 1949, but the North Atlantic Right whale’s numbers have not seen the same population rebound as other groups of Rights.

Mellinger’s team reported its findings at the annual Acoustical Society of America meeting in Portland, Oregon.

photo: NOAA

A plethora of corroborative data shows that this year’s sea ice levels in the Arctic are the lowest seen in 800 years.

The new research, published in the journal Climate Dynamics, doesn’t specify a cause or reason for the retreat, but it does note that if sea ice melt continues at this level, it’s likely that the North Pole will be completely ice-free during the summer months within a few decades.

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Significantly for observers, commercial fleets are beginning to view the Northwest Passage as a viable option for getting from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

“The ice is more favourable than in past decades,” said Capt. Georges Tousignant of Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping, “It’s navigable, it’s not that high-risk.”

And it’s not just Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping that is interested in navigating the Northwest Passage, the Canadian Coast Guard has seen an increase in the number of ships that entered the Northwest Passage. The longer that good shipping conditions continue, the more companies that will view the Passage as a viable transit route.

Unfortunately for the polar bears and infrastructure built reliant on permanent ice in the north, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that ice melt rates have increased. In May of 2009, ice melted at a rate of about 54,000 square kilometers per day throughout the Arctic. Average May ice melt has traditionally been closer to 47,000 kilometers per day.

The implications of all this ice melt is that similar to the long-term melting of permafrost, there will be less of the dangerous multi-year ice that impedes shipping every year. And therefore every year there will be increased shipping, and increasing attention to the viability of the Northwest Passage.

With increasing attention being paid to the Northwest Passage, watch for its status under international law to become a point of contention along with other northern concerns such sovereignty and related territorial claims.

Image: ashatsea (Creative Commons)

One of the most important findings of this project is a confirmation of what many climate scientists have suspected for a couple of years now–that the impact of climate change on our environment is happening at a much faster rate than previous computer models predicted. This is true even for the four major reports released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the last of which was released in 2007).

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In response to the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice in the last thirty years, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has unanimously voted to prohibit fishing in nearly 200,000 square miles of Arctic waters.

The plan bans commercial fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which stretches from 3 miles offshore to 200 miles offshore, starting at the Bering Strait and extending north and east to the U.S.-Canada border.

No fishing of any considerable scale occurs in the Arctic, and the few surveys of fish stocks done there have not shown large populations. But some experts say it’s that commercially valuable seafood species such as pollock or crab populations could expand in the Arctic, especially as water warms and ice unlocks.

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It is estimated by scientists that nearly 25% of the world's undiscovered gas and oil reserves may be in the Arctic. With warming seas making the idea of a Northwest Passage for shipping lanes a reality, the enticement of setting up rigs and scooping resources is causing countries to get out and make claims. Canada, Russia, Denmark, and the United States are all shouting "Mine! Mine!". Oil aside, fishing companies are also eager to start tapping into the region, which could spell disaster for stocks in the region.

So, what does this mean? Well, to put it simply, in the face of climate change and environmental collapse, there's always a buck to be made. Opening up the Arctic, a pristine environmental area relatively untouched to human exploitation, could destroy a great deal of life. As the article states, "Apart from the risk of oil spills, more vessels could carry alien organisms into the Northwest Passage, posing a risk to indigenous life forms."

Let's also not forget the native people who actually live in these Arctic areas and depend on the natural environment for survival. Groups like the Inuits and the Sami may be directly affected in ways that could prove disastrous for their way of life. It's a sad fact that world governments may see the dollar signs of a possible ice-free Arctic, before they see the advantages of preventing such a loss. Hit the excellent article for an in-depth report on this particular situation.