“Polar bears spend much of their lives in and around water, and they are well adapted for swimming. But recent findings of USGS scientists demonstrate that they are even better swimmers than many imagined: In years of extreme sea-ice retreat in the southern Beaufort Sea region of Alaska, polar bears have been documented taking very long swims, in excess of 30 miles.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
“A plume of smoke stretched across the Bering Sea on May 11, 2012, just off of far eastern Russia. [...] The smoke may have arisen from wildfires in the region around Lake Baikal, where numerous wildfires burned in early May.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Coast Guard have produced new synoptic data from samples collected in the ArcticOcean and insights into the patterns and extent of ocean acidification. This framework of foundational geochemical information will help inform our understanding of potential risks to Arctic resources due to ocean acidification.”
Information about the topography of the ArcticOcean seafloor is becoming more important as the area’s energy resources attract attention and countries prepare their exclusive economic zone claims.
The map above shows global temperature anomalies for March 2012. [...] For the month, the eastern two-thirds of the United States, as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba, saw temperatures [...] approaching as much as 10 degrees Celisius above normal (deepest reds on the map). Temperatures were similarly extreme in the Arctic Ocean around Svalbard, the Barents Sea, and the Kara Sea. Far eastern Siberia, Alaska, and northwestern North America were significantly colder, while much of Europe and western Russia were warmer than normal.
“News stories and web postings have raised concerns that climate warming will release large volumes of methane from gas hydrates, kicking off a chain reaction of warming and methane releases. But recent research indicates that most of the world’s gas hydrate deposits should remain stable for the next few thousand years. Of the hydrates likely to become unstable, few are likely to release methane that could reach the atmosphere and intensify global warming.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
“Drastic reductions in Arctic sea ice in the last decade may be intensifying the chemical release of bromine into the atmosphere, resulting in ground-level ozone depletion and the deposit of toxic mercury in the Arctic.”
“A new NASA study revealed that the oldest and thickest Arctic sea ice is disappearing at a faster rate than the younger and thinner ice at the edges of the Arctic Ocean’s floating ice cap.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
The United States Geological Survey determined that shales in the North Slope region of Alaska hold an enormous technically-recoverable shale oil and shale gas resource. These rock units could contain as much as 80 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas and as much as 2 billion barrels of oil.
New clues as to how the Earth’s remote ecosystems have been influenced by the industrial revolution are locked, frozen in the ice of glaciers. “We are finding this human derived signature in a corner of the U.S. that is traditionally viewed as being exceptionally pristine.”
“Despite brutal cold and lingering darkness, life in the frigid waters off Alaska does not grind to a halt in the winter as scientists previously suspected. According to preliminary results from a National Science Foundation-funded research cruise, microscopic creatures at the base of the Arctic food chain are not dormant as expected.”
“This video begins as the International Space Station is passing over the dark waters of the North Pacific Ocean northeast towards Vancouver Island. The Aurora Borealis can be seen far north, where both the under side and top of the aurora are visible. The pass continues over Canada until the sun begins to come up in the east while over Quebec.” Quoted from the NASA video release.
“The goal of this project is to define, plan, and conduct a field trial of a methane hydrate production methodology whereby carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules are exchanged in situ for the methane (CH4) molecules within a hydrate structure, releasing the methane for production.” Quote from the DOE press release.
The area above the Arctic Circle is underlain by sedimentary basins and continental shelves that hold enormous oil and natural gas resources. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic contains approximately 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil resources and about 30 percent of its undiscovered conventional natural gas resources.
“In the first comprehensive satellite study of its kind, a University of Colorado at Boulder-led team used NASA data to calculate how much Earth’s melting land ice is adding to global sea level rise.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
“A tiny mountainous region in southern Siberia may have been the genetic source of the earliest Native Americans, according to new research by a University of Pennsylvania-led team of anthropologists.” Quoted from the NSF press release.
High latitude areas around the Earth are seeing spectacular aurora displays in response to an intense solar storm that occurred last week. These displays are expected to be very frequent over the next two years as the sun goes through a period of frequent activity.
Did you know that different populations of killer whales specialize on particular types of prey and that some will prey on baleen whales that are over twice their own size?
“ESA satellites show that a large dome of fresh water has been building up in the ArcticOcean over the last 15 years. A change in wind direction could cause the water to spill into the north Atlantic, cooling Europe.” Quote from the ESA website.
“The bottom of a glacier is not the most hospitable place on Earth, but at least two types of bacteria happily live there.” Quoted from the Penn State press release.
“A new NASA and University of Washington study allays concerns that melting Arctic sea ice could be increasing the amount of freshwater in the Arctic enough to have an impact on the global ocean conveyor belt’ that redistributes heat around our planet.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
“As the Arctic warms, greenhouse gases will be released from thawing permafrost faster and at significantly higher levels than previous estimates. This thawing will release approximately the same amount of carbon as deforestation. However, the effect of thawing permafrost on climate will be 2.5 times greater because emissions include methane.” Quoted from the University of Alaska Fairbanks press release.
Throughout the 20th century most people would never have thought about Canada being an important producer of diamonds. But in 1991 two geologists found evidence of kimberlite pipes about 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Soon Canada became one of the world’s leading diamond producers.
“According to the Arctic Report Card, ice mass loss from Greenland in 2011 was about 430 gigatons—enough ice to raise global sea level by just over 1 millimeter.” Quoted from NASA’s Earth Observatory.
* Data for 2011 is available before the end of the calendar year because the melt season is over.
Depending on the data analysis approach, 2011 was either the third most extensive or the sixth most extensive melting year since satellite records began in 1979.
* Data for 2011 is available before the end of the calendar year because the melt season is over.
Most maps are drawn with north at the top. The main exception is polar maps where the north pole (or south pole) is near the center of the map. A new article on the About.com Geography site explores why north is at the top of most maps.
Businessweek has an article that traces the history of the icebreaker from the first steam-powered vessel built to clear Philadelphia’s harbor to the new polar-class vessels that will be needed as activity in the Arctic escalates.
The Law of the Sea Treaty is an agreement that allocates the seafloor resources under the Arctic Ocean. A debate in the Wall Street Journal has arguments in favor and against.
Researchers from the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science have described a new species of horned dinosaur, Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum, recovered from the Prince Creek Formation of Alaska’s North Slope. This article at ArtDaily had a link to the formal paper at the bottom of the page.
Researchers at City College of New York have discovered that the Greenland ice sheet can experience cycles of extreme melting even when temperatures are not hitting record highs.
An article on the FuelFix.com website describes some of the current activity, ideas and plans related to oil exploration on the Arctic continental shelves.
NOAA has in interesting animation that shows the motion of multi-year ice in the ArcticOcean. Increasing summer melting has severely reduced the amount of ice that survives in any given year.
Explore the number of daylight hours at any latitude for any day of the year using the sliders on this interesting interactive. “Shows the hours of daylight received during the year for an observer at a given latitude. This is an important factor contributing to the seasons.”
“According to new research from MIT, the most recent global climate report fails to capture trends in Arctic sea-ice thinning and drift, and in some cases substantially underestimates these trends.” Quoted from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology news release.
“The images came from daily observations made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA’s Aura satellite. This week, a new paper in Nature uses a companion instrument on Aura, the Microwave Limb Sounder, to help describe why the ozone hole formed.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“In September 2011, sea ice covering the ArcticOcean declined to the second-lowest extent on record. Satellite data from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center showed that the summertime ice cover narrowly avoided a new record low.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“A NASA-led study has documented an unprecedented depletion of Earth’s protective ozone layer above the Arctic last winter and spring caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
The blanket of sea ice that floats on the ArcticOcean appears to have reached its lowest extent for 2011, the second lowest recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979. Quoted from the University of Colorado at Boulder press release.
James Balog, professional ice photographer gives a TED.com talk titled: “Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss”.
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