Arctic polynya faces protection delay and ice paradox
A critical Arctic ecosystem known as the North Water polynya is undergoing rapid change, with warming causing potential ice increases.
Terry Noah collects ocean data from beneath the sea ice near Grise Fiord, Nunavut, a hamlet of 144 people. His work supports a scientific effort to understand the dramatic changes affecting a vital Arctic ecosystem known as the North Water polynya.
This area, spanning 85,000 square kilometers, is larger than Austria. It is a year-round stretch of open water far north that sustains immense biodiversity. The polynya's existence depends partly on a seasonal 'ice arch' that forms in the Nares Strait, blocking sea ice from the Arctic Ocean.
A unique ecosystem under pressure
The open water allows sunlight in, fueling algae blooms that feed an entire food web. Whales, seals, walruses, polar bears, and millions of seabirds rely on this ecosystem. For this reason, a 2017 commission report recommended creating an internationally protected area jointly managed by Greenland and Canada.
Canada acted in March of this year, designating the Sarvarjuaq marine protected area on its side of the zone. The protected area stretches 1,000 kilometers. Greenland, however, has not yet fulfilled its parallel promise, slowing the broader conservation initiative.
The warming paradox: more ice, not less
Climate change is altering the polynya's dynamics in a counterintuitive way. The critical Nares Strait ice arch now often fails to form. David Harning, a climate scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, explains the consequence. "I would say that at some point, when the ice bridge disappears, you’re probably going to have a drastic reduction in productivity - a collapse of the polynya," he says.
Without the arch, sea ice drifts south to cover the open water. This unusual effect of warming means more ice, not less, could ultimately smother the productive ecosystem. Researchers like Noah and his collaborator Andrew Hamilton are racing to gather data on these subsurface changes.
Indigenous rights and scientific collaboration
Sara Olsvig, 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.
Scientific plans are advancing despite political delays. Researchers met in Nuuk in autumn 2025 to discuss creating an 'observatory' to monitor the polynya from all sides. Hamilton stresses the need to combine scientific instruments with Inuit knowledge. "Being able to connect the knowledge of these communities between Canada and Greenland is super important in order to really understand how that environment is changing," he says.
Building a community monitoring network
Practical challenges exist, such as many Inuit lacking passports for cross-border collaboration. Noah is part of a new, connected generation sharing data and hunting stories online. He is in talks to become a trainer, building a community monitoring network across the High Arctic.
Noah uses smart glasses and portable satellite internet to share his work. For him, hunting and science are intertwined. "I get to take my friends out here," says Noah. "And while we’re hunting, we’re collecting data."
