Polar research sheds light on climate impact in tropics

Thailand, which is not typically thought of as a ‘polar’ country, is seeing a boom in polar science. According to Thai specialists, researching the polar regions has significant ramifications for tropical coastal and environmental resilience as well as the effects of climate change.

Some critics in Thailand question why Thai scientists need to do research in remote and icy locations in the Antarctic, over 11,000 km away from tropical Thailand, which is located close to the equator.

However, Professor Suchana Chavanich of the Department of Marine Science at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, described research in the Arctic and Antarctic as “a kind of frontier research”.

“What we learnt from that (Arctic research) is that when the sea ice melts, it does not just have an impact in the polar regions but could have an impact on a tropical country like Thailand,” she told University World News.

“In the past 10 years, we see more coastal erosion occurring in Thailand. Not only that, but we see more frequent flooding along the coastline, and that is not just because of climate change but because of the sea level rise. Now we know the problem occurs because of sea ice melting,” she noted.

“Many scientists from other countries want to go there (to polar regions) as well, because we cannot see the real impacts if we stay in our own countries in the tropics,” she added.

Chavanich pointed out that polar regions are the carbon sinks of the world. Carbon dioxide emissions are “blown away” by prevailing winds and the earth’s rotations towards the poles and melt the ice there.

“The majority of carbon dioxide is now accumulated in those two (polar) areas, and because of the high accumulation, it has caused tremendous effects on those two regions,” she said.

“We cannot say that this matter is irrelevant to us or that the Poles are too far away,” she noted, saying it is important for people in Thailand to be aware of the extent of global warming and help change lifestyles to reduce gas emissions to the atmosphere.

Chavanich has previously said that participation in Thailand’s Polar Research Project, under a royal initiative of Thai Princess Royal Maha Chakri Sirindhorm, “shows that Thailand gives high priority to global warming, which is a worldwide problem.

A study by a team of Thai researchers will be like a piece of the jigsaw puzzle that, when combined with research from other countries, will provide us with a bigger picture of the situation’s impact on the world at the moment. This will be beneficial in preparing ourselves for the impending climate change”.

Collaboration with China

Thai scientists are collaborating with China, which considers itself a ‘near-Arctic state’ despite its distance from the Arctic circle and is one of five Asian countries that are permanent observers to the intergovernmental Arctic Council, participating in some council activities and contributing to scientific research. Other Asian countries are India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.

Meanwhile, the Antarctic Treaty that came into force in 1961 now has 58 member countries. Since Thailand is not a signatory to the treaty, it had to partner with a treaty member – China – to take part in research in the southern polar region.

In the north, China has research bases in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and the China-Iceland Arctic Observatory in northern Iceland. In the south, it has five research stations in Antarctica. China operates four icebreaker research vessels to support these research stations.

“By going there and working with the Chinese and other international scientists, we have gained valuable scientific knowledge to raise awareness in Thailand (about the impact of melting ice) on the rising sea levels here,” Chavanich said,

China’s Antarctic research stations are supported by its research vessel Xue Long 2, its 13,990 tonne-jewel in the crown of polar research exploration, notable for its ability to break ice both forward and backward, navigating through ice up to 1.5 meters thick.

Xue Long 2 most recently docked at Chonburi Pier near Bangkok in May, coinciding with an international scientific symposium on polar research held at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, jointly organised by the university, the Polar Science Consortium of Thailand (PSCT), and the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC).

Sun Shuxian, China’s vice-minister of Natural Resources, addressing the Bangkok symposium, warned that ice was melting at an alarming velocity in the Arctic, and this phenomenon needed urgent international scrutiny and committed action in order to limit it.

“The Arctic’s icy heart is melting away,” he said in an impassioned plea. “It is imperative that our nations unite against this warming world.

“Our collaboration (with Thailand) continues to expand into new frontiers, with joint research now prioritising polar environmental changes and global impacts, atmospheric sciences, oceanographic studies, and astronomical observations,” he noted.

Work at Chinese research stations

The collaboration between China and Thailand began in 2013 when Thai Princess Royal Maha Chakri Sirindhorn envisaged Thai scientists making a foray into polar research with international partners, including China.

By 2016, this was crystallised with an MOU signed between China’s Arctic and Antarctic Administration and a coalition of five Thai universities, including Chulalongkorn, Burapha University, the National Institute of Development Administration, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, and the Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency.

The princess was the first person from Thailand to visit Antarctica in November 1993 to observe research conducted at New Zealand’s Scott Base.

She initiated the Polar Research Project, setting up the Polar Research Team of Thailand, which has sent 19 Thai scientists to Antarctica and 15 to the Arctic to conduct research on climate change and other issues.

Thai-China research efforts are led by two female marine scientists from Chulalongkorn University.

In 2013, Chavanich became the first diver at the 30-year-old Chinese research station to dive into the icy waters to observe marine life around the station. As it was a dangerous undertaking, China had assistance from South Korean and Chilean missions close by to help monitor the dive.

Chavanich’s colleague at Chulalongkorn’s Marine Science Department, Assistant Professor Sujaree Bureekul, pointed to the challenges of doing research at the frigid North Pole.

“Every icy gust taught me anew,” Bureekul told the May symposium, reflecting on her experience conducting water sampling, sea ice monitoring, and volcanism studies in the Arctic. “These experiences broadened my perspective on polar systems and multidisciplinary science,” she said.

She added: “the Arctic holds keys to mysteries yet to unfold.”

Bureekul, who joined a previous Xue Long 2 research expedition to the Arctic in 2023, told China Daily: “without such collaboration with China, we would never be able to do such remarkable polar trips, which allow us to have firsthand information about the icy continents”.

The Thai scientists’ most recent trip to the South Pole was in January this year, when Chavanich joined the Chinese Antarctic expedition team along with Bureekul and Nipat Pinpradet, assistant researcher, Department of Marine Science, Burapha University, staying at China’s Great Wall Station for a month.

Microplastics pollution

Research by Thai and Chinese scientists in the Antarctic included investigating extremely strong winds and the impacts of global warming, how melting ice led to emerging diseases in marine animals, and declining penguin populations due to disrupted food chains.

Another area of research is microplastic pollution. The discovery by researchers of microplastics trapped in sea ice indicated that Antarctica is becoming a global waste sink. Sun told the May symposium that marine pollution, such as the accumulation of microplastics contaminating seawater and the air in the Arctic Ocean, needed to be closely monitored.

Another key concern is the link between global warming and emerging infectious diseases.

“Global warming affects marine ecosystems. Fish behaviour changes as the ice melts. The water temperature rises, and their eating habits change. They’ve become more insatiable in their hunger and keep eating more and more, resulting in more parasites in their bodies,” said Chavanich.

“This indicates that when the earth’s temperature rises, new diseases emerge, that is, an increased number of parasites in fishes. This results in the higher death rate of penguin chicks and seal pups whose survival rate is only at 10%,” she reported after the January-February trip.

She added: “The (microplastics) waste that fish eat will stick in the stomach, causing cancer and affecting the growth of the fish.”

Noting the growing recognition of polar science in Thailand and its link to coastal and environmental resilience, Chavanich said: “The cooperation promotes capacity building through shared research, exchange programmes, and marine ecosystem studies.

“The China-Thailand partnership aims to be a model of international scientific collaboration and address urgent planetary concerns.”

Chavanich stressed: “Our journey has just begun; together we can carve pathways to sustainability.”