Eli Kintisch | Vox

Why Atlantic fish are invading the Arctic

2018-05-04T15:54:36-04:00

Scientists are witnessing the upending of large parts of the Arctic ocean. As the sea ice recedes and temperatures rise, the warmer waters of the Atlantic are moving north and bringing with them new competitors that vie for the same rich resources. Journalist Eli Kintisch explores an ecosystem undergoing profound change.

This is the final part of a three video series on the changing Arctic. Thanks to the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting for supporting Thaw.

Watch part one about the changing light as the ice disappears and part two about how warmer Arctic waters are slowing the jet stream and weather farther south. You can find this video and all of Vox’s videos on YouTube. Subscribe and stay tuned for more.

Footage and story made possible by Interdependent Pictures’ documentary film Into the Dark, coming 2019.

How a warmer Arctic could intensify extreme weather

2018-04-17T10:41:45-04:00

Is there a link between the vanishing Arctic sea ice and extreme weather?

Some prominent climate researchers think so. That’s because warming temperatures in the Arctic are altering the behavior of the polar jet stream, a high-altitude river of air that drives weather patterns across the globe. As the winds that propel the jet stream weaken, storms, droughts, and extreme heat and cold move over continents at slower rates, meaning bad weather can stick around for longer.

Eli Kintisch reports aboard the Norwegian research vessel Helmer Hanssen about how changing conditions at the top of the world could be impacting weather far away.

To learn more, watch the video above.

This video is part of a three-part series on the changing Arctic. Thanks to the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting for supporting Thaw. You can find part one and all of Vox’s videos on YouTube. Subscribe and stay tuned for more.

Footage and story made possible by Interdependent Pictures’ documentary film Into the Dark, coming 2019.

What melting sea ice means for life in the Arctic

2018-06-06T13:26:45-04:00

Light is flooding into the Arctic. There will be winners and losers.

That’s what brought an international group of scientists to the Barents Sea to investigate how plant and animal life will adapt to the new normal.

Two key factors that govern the Arctic ecosystem are rapidly changing: ice and light. The Arctic is the fastest-warming place on earth, and ice that used to form on the surface of the ocean is vanishing. That’s threatening species large and small that rely on it, but it’s also created an opportunity. Less ice means more light reaches the underwater ecosystem, benefiting the algae that anchor it as well as apex predators like whales and seals.

(To learn more, watch the video above.)

This video is part of a three-part series on the changing Arctic. Thanks to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting for supporting Thaw. You can find this video and all of Vox’s videos on YouTube. Subscribe and stay tuned for more.

Footage and story made possible by Interdependent Pictures’ documentary film Into the Dark, coming in 2019.