The Polar Retrospective – A volcano under pressure, an Inuit village exposed to PFAS and a discovery below the ice

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we look at a quaking volcano in Alaska, a serious health issue in Ittoqqortoormiit and an ecosystem uncovered by a calving iceberg.

The Polar Retrospective is a collaborative effort by the editorial team of polarjournal.net. Each writer chooses a topic they found interesting and important in the past week. The initials at the end of each section indicate the author. We hope you enjoy it.

Alaska’s Mount Spurr could erupt soon, scientists warn

For almost a year, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has been recording seismic activity beneath the snow-covered stratovolcano Mount Spurr, located around 130 kilometers west of Anchorage — and the signs of an imminent eruption are increasing.

Over 3,400 small earthquakes have already been measured in the region since April 2024. Recent overflights by the AVO team also revealed significantly elevated sulphur dioxide emissions and reactivated fumaroles in the crater area. Melting snow and ice around the summit further suggest that magma is moving beneath the surface.

During an overflight on March 17, the AVO measured a sulphur dioxide emission rate of around 450 tons per day from the summit vent of Mt. Spurr, confirming that new magma has intruded into the earth’s crust beneath the volcano. This suggests that an eruption could occur within the coming weeks or months. However, the exact timing is impossible to predict, which is why the AVO is continuously monitoring the situation using satellites, seismographs, and aerial surveys.

According to the AVO, the most likely scenario involves one or more explosive eruptions, which — as in 1953 and 1992 — could generate ash clouds that would be carried hundreds of kilometers by the wind. In addition, pyroclastic flows and ballistic projectiles could impact the flanks of the volcano. The Chakachatna River valley could be inundated by mudflows, known as lahars.

For the people of south-central Alaska, the volcano’s unrest means one thing above all: stay alert. Even though Mount Spurr lies in a largely uninhabited area, ash emissions and potential air pollution could significantly affect the region — including air traffic. J.H.

PFAS on the menu for Ittoqqortoormiit residents

Levels of PFAS 13 times higher than the risk threshold. This is what Greenlandic hunters in Ittoqqortoormiit are exposed to, according to a study published on March 10 in the scientific journal Cell. It’s as high as the levels found in firefighters, factory workers and in cases of direct groundwater contamination in Sweden and Italy. 

To reach these conclusions, the researchers estimated the weekly exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) of the inhabitants of this East Greenland community, based on their consumption of ringed seals and polar bears. PFASs travel long distances by air and sea and accumulate in the organisms of these animals.

Researchers expect these levels to remain high in Inuit bodies until 2090. This is a health concern, as PFAS can have harmful effects on the immune, endocrine and reproductive systems. High levels of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have also been found in the bodies of Ittoqqortoormiit residents.

While advising people to diversify their diets, the study’s authors call for stricter regulation of PFAS. Widely used in industry, PFAS, along with PCBs, are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Considered persistent pollutants, they persist in the environment and contaminate the food chain. M.B.

One small turn of propeller for a ROV, a ‘giant leap’ for antarctic science

A giant jellyfish measuring one metre in diameter and 10 metres long passes in front of the astonished eyes of scientists from the research vessel Flakor. In a press release published on March 20, the Schmidt Ocean Institute announced that it had discovered an inhabited reef under the George VI ice shelf in Antarctica.

“The science team was originally in this remote region to study the seafloor and ecosystem at the interface between ice and sea,” said Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director, Dr. Jyotika Virmani. “Being right there when this iceberg calved from the ice shelf presented a rare scientific opportunity.”

A-84 had the size of Chicago when it broke away from the platform on January 19, so the Flakor tacked alone in the Bellingshausen Sea, toward the space left vacant. Taking advantage of it, she stayed between the remaining pieces of ice to submerge the ROV SuBastian.

Eight days at the end of January enabled them to observe the seabed from 1,300 metres to the surface. At 1,150 metres, an octopus was photographed in the rock. Giant sea spider, coral and fish were also seen in the vehicle’s searchlights. At 230 metres, a community of anemones and sponges, “active for decades, perhaps even hundreds of years,” according to the press release, were leading their lives.

“The team was surprised by the significant biomass and biodiversity of the ecosystems and suspects they have discovered several new species,” the report states. Under the 150 metre-thick floating ice terminations of the Antarctic, life may be richer than expected. The mechanism that fuels this ecosystem is still unknown, but currents and the flow of nutrients may play their part. C.L.

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