Arctic's 'Place That Never Freezes' Faces Climate-Driven Ice

Terry Noah lowers a scientific instrument through a seal's breathing hole in the sea ice near Grise Fiord, Nunavut. The data he collects is beamed south to researcher Andrew Hamilton at the University of Alberta, part of an urgent effort to understand changes in a critical Arctic ecosystem known as the Pikialasorsuaq polynya.

This region of year-round open water, spanning 85,000 square kilometers north of Baffin Bay, is an ecological powerhouse. It supports vast blooms of algae, millions of seabirds, and migrating whales, seals, and polar bears. The polynya's persistence relies partly on a natural 'ice arch' that forms in the Nares Strait, blocking sea ice from drifting south from the Arctic Ocean.

A Warming Paradox: More Ice, Not Less

Climate change is disrupting this system. Nearly two decades ago, the Nares Strait ice arch failed to form for the first time. Now, its formation is often incomplete. In those years, sea ice drifts down to cover the polynya's surface. David Harning, a climate scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, warns this could lead to a collapse. "I would say that at some point, when the ice bridge disappears, you're probably going to have a drastic reduction in productivity," he says.

This creates a paradoxical effect of global heating: one of the Arctic's most important open-water areas could ultimately face a problem of more ice, not less.

The Stalled Path to International Protection

The ecological importance of the polynya led to a unique proposal for an Inuit-managed international protected area, jointly overseen by Greenland and Canada. A 2017 commission report recommended this action. Canada designated its portion, the Sarvarjuaq marine protected area, in March of this year. Greenland, however, has not yet fulfilled its parallel commitment.

Sara Olsvig, former chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, cautions that conservation must respect Indigenous rights. "Some of the very good initiatives within conservation and nature preservation, and so forth, have unfortunately also resulted in violations of the rights of Indigenous peoples," she says. As political negotiations slow, the physical changes to the region continue.

Building a Community-Based Observatory

Researchers met in Nuuk in autumn 2025 to discuss creating a comprehensive monitoring 'observatory' for the polynya. Andrew Hamilton emphasizes that combining scientific instruments with Inuit knowledge is important. "Being able to connect the knowledge of these communities between Canada and Greenland is super important," he says. "They're the ones that are there every day of the year."

Practical challenges exist, including travel restrictions for many Inuit who lack passports. Terry Noah, using satellite internet and smart glasses to share data, represents a new, connected generation. He is in talks to train others, building a network of monitors across the High Arctic. For him, the work is integral. "I get to take my friends out here," says Noah. "And while we're hunting, we're collecting data."

He sees this science as a first step for adaptation, beaming information from his mobile lab in a shipping container to help understand a rapidly changing homeland.