Climate & securityExploring Arctic clues to secure future

Published 26 April 2018

The Arctic is undergoing rapid change, with sea ice melting and temperatures rising at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. Its changing environment affects global security, politics, the economy and the climate. Understanding these changes is crucial for shaping and safeguarding U.S. security in the future, Sandia scientists say.

The Arctic is undergoing rapid change, with sea ice melting and temperatures rising at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. Its changing environment affects global security, politics, the economy and the climate.

Understanding these changes is crucial for shaping and safeguarding U.S. security in the future, Sandia scientists say.

Sandia and the University of Alaska Fairbanks recently signed an umbrella Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to study these changes and partner on basic science, energy and security research in the Arctic.

“For the last 40 to 50 years, the Arctic environment has been changing at twice the pace of what’s happening globally, and during the last 20 years, it’s accelerated to three times the pace,” Joe Hardesty, a Sandia earth sciences engineer, said. “Those changes don’t stop in the Arctic. Historically, when we’ve had more opening of ocean systems in the Atlantic and the Pacific, major change and shifts in socio-economic and political power have happened around the globe, and we wouldn’t necessarily expect the Arctic to be different.”

Sandia says that the agreement runs the gamut of projects, from working toward a comprehensive multi-agency research facility that tackles overarching Arctic issues, supporting Alaskan resilience against natural disasters and the harsh environment, studying the suitability of renewable energy and microgrids for the Arctic environment, flying tethered balloons and drones to measure atmospheric temperatures and collaborating on satellite sensing, detection and nonproliferation work.

“There are a lot of concerns in science, security and energy stability where Sandia’s capabilities are complementary or distinct from the university’s, and this partnership is an opportunity for us to help the U.S. manage the risks and responsibilities that come with the changes in the Arctic,” said Lori Parrott, a Sandia atmospheric sciences manager. “The opening up of sea ice is going to lead to concerns for border security. As a country, we must consider how to ensure that our fourth coast is as secure as our other coasts.”