Residents Of Northernmost Japan Look To The Sea As Ice Declines, Water Warms - Japan Times

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Approximately 500 km northeast of the Group of Eight summit site of Toyako, Hokkaido, residents in Abashiri have taken center stage in witnessing the toll of global warming. Warning that the small, wintry city is not alone in being affected by a planet that is rapidly overheating, the amount and size of the ice floes have changed, "and the change came quickly in the last four to five years," Hori said.

According to statistics gathered by the Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory, Abashiri had ice floes for an average of 87 days annually between 1971 and 2000. The ice, which drifts over 1,000 km from around the Amur River in Russia, helps create a rich oceanic environment because it fosters ice algae that make up a primary link in the ocean food chain. But the amount of ice has dropped drastically in the last four years, and its presence declined to a mere 65 days on average between 2004 and 2007. Although there were six occasions since 1946 when floes were around for more than 110 days, this hasn't occurred in the last two decades.

A recent study by Hokkaido University also revealed that the water temperature in Okhotsk has risen sixth-tenths of a degree in the last 50 years.

Sakae Gorai, former mayor of the town of Shari in Abashiri, recalled his younger days, when there were "mountains" of drift ice that would cover the sea throughout winter. "This is still February, but it looks like the ocean in April compared with my (childhood)," the retired politician told reporters last month. Gorai, 71, who still resides in Shari, is amazed at the speed with which the climate and ice are changing. "Conditions have changed so quickly in the area. (Former Prime Minister) Shinzo Abe proposed a policy target to diminish carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, but that is (too far in the future). Prime Minister (Yasuo) Fukuda should set a clear goal and motive for Japan, and lead the country in fighting global warming," Gorai said.

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