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Very Short Introductions #687
The Arctic: A Very Short Introduction
Very Short Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring
The Arctic is demanding global attention. It is warming, melting, and thawing in a manner that threatens fundamental state-change. For communities that call the Arctic 'home' this is unwelcome. A warming Arctic brings with it the spectre of costly disruption and interference in indigenous lives and communal welfare. For others, the disappearance of sea ice makes the Arctic appear more accessible and less remote. This also brings with it dangers such as the prospect of a new era of great power rivalries involving China, Russia, and the United States. Submarine and long-range bomber patrolling are now commonplace. New terms such as 'global Arctic' are being used to capture the dynamic of change while others muse about the 'return of a Cold War'.
The reality is inevitably more complex. The physical geography of the Arctic is highly varied and variable. Environmental change brings opportunities for indigenous and non-indigenous life-forms to survive and even thrive. The Arctic's four million people are not helpless pawns in a game of global geopolitics. The Arctic is not only a resource hotspot but also a place where sustainable energy systems are being introduced. A warming Arctic with less ice and permafrost is not unique in the longer history of the Earth either.
The Arctic is a complex space. In this Very Short Introduction , Klaus Dodds and Jamie Woodward consider the major dimensions of the region and the linkages beyond - from the geopolitical to the environmental. They examine the causes, drivers, and effects of cultural, physical, political, and economic change, and ponder the future of the Arctic. As they show, it is a future which will affect us all.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
The Arctic is demanding global attention. It is warming, melting, and thawing in a manner that threatens fundamental state-change. For communities that call the Arctic 'home' this is unwelcome. A warming Arctic brings with it the spectre of costly disruption and interference in indigenous lives and communal welfare. For others, the disappearance of sea ice makes the Arctic appear more accessible and less remote. This also brings with it dangers such as the prospect of a new era of great power rivalries involving China, Russia, and the United States. Submarine and long-range bomber patrolling are now commonplace. New terms such as 'global Arctic' are being used to capture the dynamic of change while others muse about the 'return of a Cold War'.
The reality is inevitably more complex. The physical geography of the Arctic is highly varied and variable. Environmental change brings opportunities for indigenous and non-indigenous life-forms to survive and even thrive. The Arctic's four million people are not helpless pawns in a game of global geopolitics. The Arctic is not only a resource hotspot but also a place where sustainable energy systems are being introduced. A warming Arctic with less ice and permafrost is not unique in the longer history of the Earth either.
The Arctic is a complex space. In this Very Short Introduction , Klaus Dodds and Jamie Woodward consider the major dimensions of the region and the linkages beyond - from the geopolitical to the environmental. They examine the causes, drivers, and effects of cultural, physical, political, and economic change, and ponder the future of the Arctic. As they show, it is a future which will affect us all.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
192 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2022
9 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Klaus Dodds
34 books40 followersKlaus Dodds is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London. He was educated at Wellington College and the University of Bristol where he completed degrees in geography and political science. After taking up a position at the University of Edinburgh, he was appointed to a lectureship at Royal Holloway in 1994.
In 2005 Klaus Doods was awarded the annual Philip Leverhulme Prize by the Leverhulme Trust for "an outstanding contribution to political geography and ‘critical geopolitics'"
In 2005 Klaus Doods was awarded the annual Philip Leverhulme Prize by the Leverhulme Trust for "an outstanding contribution to political geography and ‘critical geopolitics'"
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 4, 2022
Lots of interesting facts about the Arctic: its physical environment, ecosystem, people, exploration & exploitation, and the carbon locked in the permafrost. Some examples:
• For much of the Quaternary ice age the shelves extended parts of the Arctic tundra ecosystem by up to 10° of latitude. Even as close as the 1960s and 1970s, sea ice thickness was about 5-7 m. Today it is about 2-3 m.
• Even though only 1% of biome is in the arctic, there are interesting cases. Arctic tern breeds in the Arctic and flies south to spend a second summer on the Antarctic coast-tine longest migration known in the animal kingdom. This little bird sees more daylight than any other animal. In its lifetime it may travel over 2.4 million km. A GPS tagged female fox trekked from Svalbard to Ellesmere Islands in northern Canada in just seventy-six days, a cumulative distance of 4,415 km a staggering 155 km per day on the ice.
• Arctic soils account for only about 15% of soil area on Earth, yet the organic carbon stock in the upper 3 m is roughly half of the whole world. Soil carbon far outstrips the carbon storage of all biomass above ground. Warming can lead to decomposition of this organic matter, which releases CH4 and can trigger explosion and craters. Rapid release of CH4 may have caused Thermal Maximum 56Mya where the arctic is forested and much warmer than today.
• For much of the Quaternary ice age the shelves extended parts of the Arctic tundra ecosystem by up to 10° of latitude. Even as close as the 1960s and 1970s, sea ice thickness was about 5-7 m. Today it is about 2-3 m.
• Even though only 1% of biome is in the arctic, there are interesting cases. Arctic tern breeds in the Arctic and flies south to spend a second summer on the Antarctic coast-tine longest migration known in the animal kingdom. This little bird sees more daylight than any other animal. In its lifetime it may travel over 2.4 million km. A GPS tagged female fox trekked from Svalbard to Ellesmere Islands in northern Canada in just seventy-six days, a cumulative distance of 4,415 km a staggering 155 km per day on the ice.
• Arctic soils account for only about 15% of soil area on Earth, yet the organic carbon stock in the upper 3 m is roughly half of the whole world. Soil carbon far outstrips the carbon storage of all biomass above ground. Warming can lead to decomposition of this organic matter, which releases CH4 and can trigger explosion and craters. Rapid release of CH4 may have caused Thermal Maximum 56Mya where the arctic is forested and much warmer than today.
August 28, 2022
Very well written and presented well. Depressing. Sobering. Also a very necessary read for people who think global warming is a hoax. It is not.
Pardon my language, but the planet is rapidly self-destructing to save itself. I think it matters that the planet is losing remarkable plants and animals, and for what, more high rises and new cars. This book was brief but it hits like a sucker punch to the gut.
I thank the author for writing such an important book. Highly recommended.
So glad my library had this!
Pardon my language, but the planet is rapidly self-destructing to save itself. I think it matters that the planet is losing remarkable plants and animals, and for what, more high rises and new cars. This book was brief but it hits like a sucker punch to the gut.
I thank the author for writing such an important book. Highly recommended.
So glad my library had this!
March 25, 2025
3.5
Well written, lots of interesting information. Attempts to offer some streams of optimism but the actual facts and current state of international politics suggest that the optimism about fishing, polar transit and renewables providing benefit, are massively overwhelmed by the myriad feedback loops accelerating sea ice melting, permafrost destruction and methane venting. As well as the impacts these all have on longstanding indigenous communities.
Truly a bleak picture painted, but certainly illuminated and fleshed out some concerns that were vaguely on my radar. Which sucks.
Well written, lots of interesting information. Attempts to offer some streams of optimism but the actual facts and current state of international politics suggest that the optimism about fishing, polar transit and renewables providing benefit, are massively overwhelmed by the myriad feedback loops accelerating sea ice melting, permafrost destruction and methane venting. As well as the impacts these all have on longstanding indigenous communities.
Truly a bleak picture painted, but certainly illuminated and fleshed out some concerns that were vaguely on my radar. Which sucks.
May 31, 2024
Pod względem informacyjnym jest bardzo kompleksowa. Porusza wiele aspektów z różnych dziedzin nauki, które pozwalają na lepsze zrozumienie sytuacji tego regionu.
Zdecydowanie dowiedziałam się nowych rzeczy, ale jednocześnie ciekawiły mnie nie te kwestie, które podjęli autorzy. Dużo tu geopolityki - bardzo dużo. Uważam, że bez niej nie dałoby się zaznaczyć pozycji Arktyki i jej obrazu w sposób realistyczny, jednak z drugiej strony, nie miałam potrzeby na aż takie zgłębianie tego aspektu.
Chętnie sięgnę po inne książki z serii „Krótkie wprowadzenie”, bo sam koncept wydaje mi się się świetnym krokiem do poszerzenia swojej wiedzy.
Zdecydowanie dowiedziałam się nowych rzeczy, ale jednocześnie ciekawiły mnie nie te kwestie, które podjęli autorzy. Dużo tu geopolityki - bardzo dużo. Uważam, że bez niej nie dałoby się zaznaczyć pozycji Arktyki i jej obrazu w sposób realistyczny, jednak z drugiej strony, nie miałam potrzeby na aż takie zgłębianie tego aspektu.
Chętnie sięgnę po inne książki z serii „Krótkie wprowadzenie”, bo sam koncept wydaje mi się się świetnym krokiem do poszerzenia swojej wiedzy.
July 11, 2023
im in love with the VSI series omfg!! this was such an interesting read. It was perfect for someone like myself, who has some background knowledge in environmental science, but isn't polished on the subject. its a perfect academic middle ground. it was concise, engaging, and full of fun facts. i ordered 3 more books from the VSI series after getting halfway through this one :)
January 18, 2025
I think it was alright as some introduction into the topic.
August 22, 2024
The British Geopolitics Professor Klaus Dodds and the British Physical Geographer Jamie Woodward published The Arctic: A Very Short Introduction in 2021. Dodds and Woodward write, “if you want to trace this latitude on a map, then the easiest place to begin is Iceland since the Arctic Circle lies just north of the main island and continues after that for some 16,000 kilometers (9,900 miles) to encompass vast areas of Canada, Russia, and Greenland” (Dodds & Woodward 3). The book includes maps. I read the book on the Kindle. Climate Change is a significant part of the book. Even though the book was only from 2021, I feel like the book is maybe a little dated since the climate change in the Arctic changed so much from year to year. The book has illustrations, a reference section, and an index. Chapter 1 is on defining the Arctic region. Chapter 2 is “the physical environment” (Dodds & Woodward 13-37). Chapter 3 is on the “Arctic ecosystems” (Dodds & Woodward 38-61). Chapter 4 is on the “peoples of the Arctic” (Dodds & Woodward 62-106). Chapter 5 is on exploration and extracting natural resources from the Arctic region. Chapter 6 is on governance in the Arctic region. Chapter 7 is on carbon in the Arctic region. Chapter 8 includes thoughts on future trends in the Arctic region. I feel like Dodds and Woodward provide a solid, short introduction to the Arctic region and to the effects of climate change on the region.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews