Tromsø, Norway 2007: Chosen Theme: Melting Ice – a Hot Topic
2007 was designated as International Polar Year (IPY) jointly by the International Council for Science and the International Meteorological Organisation. Their joint aim was to bring a focus to the environmental status of the polar regions, to deepen understanding of the changes occurring, and to assess the threates and opportunities posed by these changes.
As the home of the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø is located well within the Arctic Circle and was a natural choice to be host city for World Environment Day in 2007 to join forces with IPY, so that the work of all these agencies could be brought together to highlight the significant part the polar regions play in the global environment.
The theme: Melting Ice – a Hot Topic, was chosen to show that studying changes in polar ice can provide a strong indication of the way climate change has already affected the global environment, enabling better forecasting.
The polar regions are host to many research observatories across multiple scientific disciplines providing rich insight into environmental change.
A Brief Look at Tromsø in Norway
The Norwegian city of Tromsø is located inside the Arctic Circle. Boasting the planet’s most northerly university it is well known for its historical links with artic explorers. It relies on the warming of the Gulf Stream to maintain its way of life as the largest fishing port in Norway. You don’t have to travel far inland to find icy snowscapes with their very special ecosystem. Flooding and landslides are becoming major problems in the area.
With its rugged coast of fjords and islands, Tromsø is surrounded by small fishing communities clinging onto the sides of the fjords. Living in the cold arctic conditions with the midnight sun in summer and a few weeks without daylight in winter, communities are heavily reliant on the the Gulf Stream bringing warm water from the Caribbean creating its unique local climate. These unique conditions and its natural beauty place tourism alongside its fishing industry at the heart of the economic success.
Melting Ice
As global temperatures continue to rise, the Arctic ice caps will melt further causing sea level to rise. Communities living close to sea level risk losing both homes and important agricultural land, with small islands being worst affected. Loss of habitable land will increase population migration, often amongst poorest communities. Loss of the ice cap will warm the arctic air currents, changing the flow of the Jet Stream which has a major influence on weather patterns, and also alter the warm water of the Gulf stream and other major ocean currents. This will affect marine life and alter both the long-term climate and short-term weather events especially in countries like the UK. As the ice caps melt, the warmer seawater will release more dissolved carbon dioxide magnifying the warming effects. Water expands as it warms worsening further worsening coastal flooding. Threats from melting ice are not just restricted to polar regions – loss of glacier ice in mountain regions has many serious implications.
Ideas for Further Study
Read more about the 2007 World Environment Day theme from Tromsø’s University of the Arctic, and the findings of the International Polar year as erported by the United Nations Environment Programme and by the World Meteorological Organisation
- Why is this theme important to the host city/country?
- Why is the theme important in averting the climate crisis and supporting environmental sustainability?
- How did they raise awareness of its importance?
- What actions arose from this? Is the world in a better place because of it?
- What more might they have done with today’s knowledge?
