Sailing on top of the world – Part 2

In the last column, I wrote about the physical changes occurring in and around the Arctic Ocean. Those changes are occurring due to climate change. Shipping lanes are being used for commerce, significantly cutting travel time and saving fuel. Other transformations are happening as a direct result of climate change in that part of the world as well.

The geopolitics of the Arctic is affected as much as the physical body of the region. Several nations are looking at the region and envisioning various options. Russia has already laid claim to vast regions of the Arctic. Other nations that are potential players in the Arctic are the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, all of which have territory that lies within the Arctic Circle.

Yet other countries beyond these would like some Arctic action, arguing that the Arctic belongs to nobody and that it is a “global commons.” China, which lacks any territory near the Arctic, declared itself a “polar superpower” in 2014. All these nations will have to abide by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This goes into great detail on delineating territorial seas, economic zones, and the right of transit passage. Then again, treaties, especially treaties formulated by the U.N., have been ignored.

The United States has addressed climate change in the recent past. In 2010, “The Quadrennial Defense Review” addressed issues of national security as related to climate change. The current administration has differing opinions about the subject, though. Yet, still standing are concerns about the Arctic Ocean.

I haven’t seen any modifications to the above-mentioned document. Here’s what it states regarding the Arctic Ocean: The report advises that “the United States maintain a watchful presence in the region due to the possible tensions that could flare up given the value of the resources being contested.” It further says, “Despite being an Arctic nation, the United States currently lacks the operational assets that will be needed to deal with the surge in commercial (and possibly military) vessels traversing northern waters. While naval submarine units are experienced in Arctic operations, the U.S. military’s surface and air forces are not as seasoned. The United States has only a single, aged icebreaker in operation, compared to 27 ocean-going icebreakers under the Russian flag.”

So, we have another region of the world, albeit cold, that could very well become a hot zone.

The Climate Prediction Center, CPC, is still showing above normal temperatures for our region into January. Precipitation is predicted to be below normal into January as well. The National Drought Monitor is still showing our region to be in “D0” condition – abnormally dry. The spat of rain we recently had should help somewhat.

October brought us some long-overdue rain. Yes, precipitation was good. I measured 1.43 inches of rain at the home weather station. The October mean precipitation is 0.77 inches. So, we saw nearly double the mean. The maximum precipitation for the month was just a few years ago in 2016 with 3.98 inches. Do you remember that wet October? Our high temperature was 70.1˚F and the low was 33.5˚F — all measured at my home weather station. The mean for the month was 49˚F. The all-time high was 90˚F in 1935, while the all-time low was 10˚F in 1984. The all-time mean temperature for October is 51.0˚F.

We’ll have a full Moon on the 23rd of the month. Our friends at EarthSky tell us, “In November 2018, Mercury and Jupiter might be possible to spot in the glow of evening twilight. Mars and Saturn shine each evening, all month. Venus beams mightily in the east before daybreak.”