Resource Opportunity?

As ice masses retreat all over the world, is it possible that availability of some of the scarcest, most valuable resources on the planet will increase?

Take the example of rare earth elements (REE). China currently enjoys a near complete monopoly on such elements, controlling 85-95% of the supply (Forbes). The uses for these metals is endless, and demand is only set to increase. 

They are necessary in the construction of everyday objects such as batteries, phones, DVD's, but also as catalysts for industrial scale manufacturing. As society tries to move away from internal combustion, batteries and the like are only going to get more important to us. 

However, they're called 'Rare' earth elements for a reason. There just isn't all that much of them around.

Now, Greenland is one of the most resource laden islands on the planet. Along with diamonds, gold, uranium, hydrocarbons and many other natural resources, Greenland has a particularly large abundancy of these REE's. The only problem is that lots of them are buried under ice.

Not for long.

Estimates suggest that Greenland will soon produce upwards of to 20% of global REE supply (Foreign Affairs), mainly due to a single (ice free) mining site in Southern Greenland, near Narsarsuaq. 

As we've previously seen, the Greenlandic ice sheet is retreating, thereby uncovering more and more of these potential deposits. This isn't only a boon for you and me as it aids supply of our electronics for the foreseeable future, but also for the Greenlandic people, who will hopefully be able to gain their independence from Denmark with the considerable proceeds from all this mineral wealth. This dependence of Denmark is due to the fact that they are reliant upon Danish subsidies, imports and exports (Denmark accounts for 60 and 65% of total Greelandic imports and exports respectively). When Greenland can make enough revenue to make these subsidies obsolete, the their wishes of independence are far more likely to be realised.

Examples such as this can be found all over the world where ice exists: Melting permafrost aids with natural gas extraction, and several mining companies are exploring the possibilities of mining in Antarctic shelf (no extractions are yet taking place), to name but two examples. This is interesting because it's an example of how melting ice might actually be considered a positive rather than a negative one, a point of view which is rare!

Changing Weather Patterns

A topic that hasn't been mentioned yet is the potential impacts upon weather patterns across the world as a result of ice loss. This video, whilst basic provides a good summary of some of the potential impacts associated with ice loss in the Arctic, particularly towards the end of the clip.

Glacial Decline (ii)

Many areas of the world are partially or even wholly dependent on glacial melt for their water sources, especially during the dry season. However, it's not just a problem of shortages of water - exacerbated flooding is also a common symptom of the worlds melting glaciers. This is as a result of the fact that in the absence of glaciers, precipitation is not stored in the high altitude areas as ice and snow, but is discharged rapidly downstream, thereby causing the floods. 

An example of this in the Himalayas, and the surrounding countries. The glaciers there are sometimes termed as Earth's 'Third Pole' due to their magnitude in terms of the volumes of fresh water stored there (Climate etc). Almost 1/3 of global population is at least in part affected by glacial melt water of the Himalayas. Immerzeel et al. 2013 suggest that overall discharge is expected to increase at least until 2100 due to losses in the mass balance of the glaciers.


Source: RedOrbit

However whilst this seems like a good thing, this is not taking into account the temporal dimension of when this discharge is taking place. Most of this discharge is during the wet months, and then there is very little during the dry months, as the constant 'baseflow' outputs from glacial melt declines. Hence, there is predicted to be increased levels of flooding during the wet seasons, whilst drought is likely to become more of an issue during the summer months. This will likely have a significant impact on agricultural production, as water resources will become more scarce, whilst damage due to inundation is set to rise in tandem. 

Glacial Decline (i)

Another problem that I haven't really mentioned yet is one that is very difficult to quantify in terms of its magnitude: the impacts on tourism and general aesthetics when glaciers retreat.

The Mer de Glace (what's left of it), Mont Blanc, Chamonix. Note the steep sided rock walls of the valley. This shows how deep the glacier was as recently as the Little Ice Age. Source: Family holidays...

How does one value the loss in aesthetic beauty as glaciers retreat, leaving only unsightly tills and moraines? Does this loss equate to fewer people visiting such areas, and hence less tourism with all the associated benefits (and negatives) that come with it?

The ice itself is more attractive than bare rock, especially as it is a novelty for many tourists, or even why they come in the first place (e.g. myself). Fewer people will make the effort to get to such places if there is no glacier to go to see, climb or even ski on.

Family mountaineering - why we went to the area in the first place.

At present, many glaciers worldwide are still significant attractions for sightseers and Alpinists alike. However, with current melting trends set to continue, for how long will we be able to benefit from such natural phenomena?

Disappearing Wildlife

All this melting seems to have caused problems for humans from all over the world. This time, I'm going to have a look at how wildlife is also on the receiving end of some of these shifts in the cryosphere.

Source: WWF

Walrus' are just one example of a species which is threatened due to the retreat of Arctic sea ice. They use floating ice as a platform from which they can dive for the clams that they rely on for food. As the ice retreats away from the continental shelves to deeper areas, the availability of clams decreases due to the depth. This is coupled with the fact that walrus' use the ice as a resting point, and often use it to travel long distances. In its absence, the walrus have to swim further, with less rest to move from one feeding ground to another,  (Smetacek and Nicol (2005), and once there, food availability has declined in comparison to previous seasons. Furthermore, being based on floating ice for much of the year gives them some protection and isolation from potential predators (USGS). Again, this is a benefit that they will no longer be able to utilise as sea ice levels decline.

Polar bears are (perhaps for good reason) the most iconic of the species that we think of when discussing climate change (and indeed, ice loss). They hunt and give birth on sea ice, and they need it to travel between regions. The survival of the cubs is dependent on the hunting successes of their mothers, which in turn depends on the stability and extent of sea ice (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), (2004).

Source: Endangered Polar Bear

However, it's not just animals which are dependent on sea ice that are under pressure from the disappearing cryosphere, there are plenty of examples of animals which are dependent on other forms of ice. 

The shrinking/disappearance of permafrost also has its impacts on wildlife. Many closed basin lake systems have disappeared as water can now much more readily percolate into the ground surface when that surface is not frozen.

Source: All about birds

 As a result, there is a reduction in the habitat available for the wildlife which such as waterfowl and shorebirds such as rare pied-billed grebes. This evidently has further impacts on those whose livelihoods depend on such birds.

Source: US Environmental Protection Agency

The examples illustrated are diverse but not exhaustive. The same processes are happening in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres (think penguins). It seems that the only form of melting ice that has little impact on animal life is the mountain glaciers such as those of the Himalaya. This is because the wildlife in such areas is not dependent on the glaciers themselves - they source their food an shelter elsewhere so the retreat of the glaciers does not deprive them of a vital resource such as in the examples illustrated above.