Arctic Tundra is Turning Green

Can anything be done about this? I just keep hearing so many stories about this happening.

Sunrise on the Shumagin Islands. This was taken around 6am one spring morning in 1994 from the aft of the USCGC Yocona (now decommissioned). This morning was on the heels of about 3 weeks of tossing and turning and storms in the Bering sea, we left the Bering Sea and entered the Gulf of Alaska and the skies started clearing and the waters were calm.. after the Bering it was like entering heaven.

There's a good salmon fishing spot not far from here.

CodyP has contributed a photo to this story.

On a farm in Salem County NJ large flocks of snow geese often gather as part of their migration. At times they will fill the sky.

ewan traveler has contributed a photo to this story.

I started the trip on the lower fork of the Canning river. We walked for 8 days, across the continental divide towards the Arctic Ocean. The 24 hour sunlight, scale of the landscape, the numerous unnamed peaks and lakes we climbed have etched lasting images on my mind.

There were a lot of signs of warming in this part of the world. The willows they say have gotten 2-4 inches taller. The caribou that crossed over to the American Arctic now stays on the Canadian side. We did not see any bears. We saw one Caribou that had gotten seperated from the herd.

The most fascinating experience, of sight and smell was the blooming of the Indian potato. On day four its stayed sunny for a few hours in the late evening and the blooming pink with an overwhelming fragrance was everywhere. It happened in a moment but will remain in my memory for ever.

madpai has contributed a photo to this story.

Tundra in Adventdalen on Svalbard, arctic group of islands north or Norway

Ditte Strebel has contributed a photo to this story.

Driving north on Highway 4 in Alaska. This was taken during the last week in August 2007. I highly recommend this drive to anyone who might be in the area during summer or fall, as this is one of the most beautiful drives in the world! You can also see the Alaska Pipeline in the picture.

PhysicsGirl74 has contributed a photo to this story.

This photo was taken through the aeroplane window during a flight from the UK to Bermuda. The airline was new at the time and it's full licence had not yet been obtained, so it was restricted to staying within a certain distance from land. Preumably as some kind of insurance against crashes until the licence was fully granted. Although, I'm not sure what kind of *assurance* this is if you crash near Greenland!

Forkie has contributed a photo to this story.

This picture was taken on my first trip back to Barrow Alaska. I was going there to find my heritage. This is an actual photo of approximately where I own some land. This land is approx 1/4 mile from the Arctic Ocean and just west of Barrow Alaska. The air temp was around 50 degrees in late July 2007.  To be fair - all of the Tundra in Alaska looks just like this.  The house that you see is built on stilts to protect the permafrost just below the Tundra.

troy_deubler has contributed a photo to this story.

Dalton Highway-@ Arctic Circle. View is looking West. Black Spruce, rarely more than 8 ft high, dot the Tundra. Northern Tree Line is still 75 miles away. Photo taken sometime in Spring.

AkOdin has contributed a photo to this story.

Climate change is as natural as sunrise and sunset .  But when climate changes rapidly in an era when billions of human beings occupy the planet (merely an eye-blink in geologic time), a psychology of panic sets in.  And the extreme arctic climate, exquisitely sensitive to minor climatic fluctuations, is the first undergo obvious change.  Indeed, some geologists claim we have already left the geologic era known as the Holocene, which began about 10,000 years ago, and entered the "Anthropocene".  This period is supposedly characterized by significant human influence on the late Holocene climate and geologic process such as:  rapid sea level change, increasing global temperature, higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, increased soil erosion, vegetative denudation, and huge increase in human population.   My images are from the far western edge of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) near Atigun Gorge just off the Alaska's Dalton Highway.  ANWR is an exceptional large, pristine, remote American wilderness with priceless wildlife resources and millions of acres of untouched mountains, tundra, and rivers that provide the visitor a look at Earth completely without human influences.  Such experiences and places are almost gone today.  Let's not become a nation so desperate and greedy for cheap energy that we invade and despoil ANWR and other precious places for short-term economic gain and dubious energy advantages.  Let's make a stand at ANWR by keeping it forever wild.    

These were taken on a touring holiday in Norway. Basically we drove the Arctic Highway right round to the Russian Border. These photos were taken on a detour to visit Nordkapp (North Cape). The desolation of the place in the mist and rain was interesting but it was green!

Geoff Harrison has contributed a photo to this story.

I lived in Barrow, Alaska, a.k.a. "Top of the World" for 8 years. I was mesmerized by the wildlife and took hundreds of photos; possibly thousands. And it was not difficult to find a photo op everyday. I watched the Snowy Owls outside my dining room window and waited for the perfect opportunity to catch them hunting or nesting. This particular photo was taken on a snowdrift out on the tundra. I sat with the owl for quite some time before she flew away. They also love sitting on the cemetery crosses in order to hunt.

Arctic Dancer has contributed a photo to this story.

This is a slice of preserved arctic tundra on the rooftop of Gros Morne, a National Park on the western shores of Newfoundland. Climbing 500m above sea level, Gros Morne protects a slice of arctic terrain found hundreds of kilometres south, and features an ecosystem of exteme sensitivity.

Spatial Mongrel has contributed a photo to this story.