Project by Sewon Min and Changseong Li
What is summer in the Arctic? The project started with this question. We think of summer as the hottest season of the year, when human energy consumption peaks, birds migrate to the Arctic, and people travel the most for vacations when ice melts. But the meaning of the season varies with latitude. This typical four-season definition comes from temperate mid-latitude cities. In the Arctic, seasons are distinctly different: the long, dark, and frozen winter lasts nine months, followed by a brief, intense summer of melting ice, continuous daylight, and a sudden burst of life for three months. Seasons need to be redefined—not just by time and temperature but also by region.
Bird migration is closely tied to this redefined concept of seasons. Birds actively reside in this regional summer. The cells in their eyes detect the Earth’s magnetic field, guiding them northward. Each bird can recognize the movements of up to seven other birds around themselves, forming flocks that travel north during the summer. Migratory birds from around the world are born in the Arctic during the summer and return every year.
The oil industry and melting sea ice due to climate change are also drawing people to the Arctic. Oil infrastructure built on permafrost accelerates permafrost thawing, which destabilizes the infrastructure. Melting Arctic Ocean ice increases shipping, which in turn accelerates ice melting. These vicious cycles will continue for some time. Thawing permafrost leads to an increase in polygon-shaped floodwaters and collapsing land, resulting in more unstable ground and higher incidents of oil leaks. The retreating coastline, taking on a polygonal shape due to melting permafrost, sees increased shipping, with port cities flourishing as hubs for human movement. Amid these changes, birds continue to arrive for breeding, relocating their nests to new places—over retreating coastlines, onto unsubmerged land, and even onto oil pipelines.
