Arctic Dreams
During Greenland’s summer melt season, Arctic coastal fog is common. Its increasing frequency, however, is an important environmental indicator of how the region is changing as our planet’s oceans warm.
This creates a body of humid air that eventually collides with the cold, dry air of Greenland’s interior - 80% of which is covered by a massive central ice cap.
The result of this collision is the formation of enormous banks of dense fog over Greenland’s coastlines.
The fog begins in the summer when the sea ice starts to break apart. This allows the warm ocean water carried north by the Gulf Stream to begin to evaporate.
The fog can last for weeks and, though it is a natural phenomenon, it can have major implications for Greenlandic communities.
Dense fog is hazardous and can disrupt marine and air transportation and make it too dangerous for hunters to travel by boat or dog sled by putting them at risk of losing their way or not seeing hazards in time to adjust course.
In addition to creating local problems, the fog can also trap heat close to the surface of the ice, thereby increasing melting in a region already plagued by a warming climate.
As our climate continues to warm, the beautiful but eerie phenomenon of Arctic coastal fog is likely to occur more frequently. Although magical to witness, the fog serves as a visible reminder of the subtle changes taking place on our planet.