Geology News
Arctic Current Events

“Last July, something unprecedented in the 34-year satellite record happened: 98 percent of the Greenland Ice Sheet’s surface melted, compared to roughly 50 percent during an average summer.” Quoted from the CIRES press release.

The government of Alberta is looking into the possibility of shipping tar sand crude to foreign markets on tankers through the increasingly ice-free Arctic Ocean.

Royal Dutch Shell has made major investments in developing conventional and unconventional natural gas resources in several parts of the world, building LNG terminals to prepare it for distant markets, develop the first floating LNG facility and develop new methods to convert natural gas into liquid fuels.

BBC.com has an article about the first satellite maps of the Arctic and Antarctic, produced in the 1960s and now providing useful information about polar ice change.

“Clouds over the central Greenland Ice Sheet last July were “just right” for driving surface temperatures there above the melting point, according to a new study by scientists funded by the National Science Foundation and at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

“Although they live in similarly extreme ecosystems at opposite ends of the world, Antarctic insects appear to employ entirely different methods at the genetic level to cope with extremely dry conditions than their counterparts that live north of the Arctic Circle.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

A gallery on the Discovery.com website illustrates how warming climates in many parts of the world are pushing plant species

“Clouds are a critical element of the climate system, especially in the Arctic where surface energy budgets and precipitation can have dramatic impacts on the fate of sea ice and ice sheets.” Quoted from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences press release.

“With data from 73 ice and sediment core monitoring sites around the world, scientists have reconstructed Earth’s temperature history back to the end of the last Ice Age.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

“A century after Western explorers first crossed the dangerous landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic, researchers [...] have successfully deployed a self-guided robot that uses ground-penetrating radar to map deadly crevasses hidden in ice-covered terrains.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

“The robustness of food webs of Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems has been compared for the first time, revealing that global warming can affect the biodiversity of these ecosystems in different ways despite the similarities between them.” Quoted from the University of Western Australia press release.

The Brossier Family has spent the past eight winters living on a yacht in the Arctic and collecting scientific data. Pack ice, icebergs, glaciers, Arctic wildlife and the Aurora are daily experiences.

Ernst & Young has released a report titled: The Future of Russian Oil Exploration.

It has interesting information on: reserve life of major companies, a forecast of declining oil production, drilling success rates, time between discovery and first oil, prospective oil areas map of the Arctic Ocean, foreign investment rates and more.

The National Science Foundation [...] has successfully launched the R/V Sikuliaq, a “next-generation” global class research vessel. The University of Alaska, Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences will operate the ship as part of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet.

“The International North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling project results indicate that melting of the Antarctic ice sheet may have contributed more to sea level rise than melting of the Greeland ice sheet some 100,000 years ago.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

The edge of the Greenland ice sheet, near Kangerlussuaq. Peter West, NSF.

“Climate change is already affecting the American people. Certain types of weather events have become more frequent and/or intense, including heat waves, heavy downpours, and, in some regions, floods and droughts. Sea level is rising, oceans are becoming more acidic, and glaciers and arctic sea ice are melting. These changes are part of the pattern of global climate change, which is primarily driven by human activity.” Quoted from the Executive Summary of the Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report

Princeton researchers have developed a method of measuring changes in Earth’s surface from satellite data. One of their applications was a cumulative map of Greenland’s ice loss between 2003 and 2012.

“A team of scientists supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) has identified for the first time a clear 1,500-year cycle in the far North’s surface atmosphere pressure pattern. Called the Arctic Oscillation (AO), the cycle greatly influences weather in the Northern Hemisphere.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

About 24% of the land in the Northern Hemisphere is underlain by permafrost. As it warms it can release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into Earth’s atmosphere. The United Nations has released a report titled: Policy Implications of Warming Permafrost.

Related: What is Methane Hydrate?

As Shell begins to explore for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas a challenge bigger than finding oil might be getting the crude to a refinery.

Related: Arctic Ocean Seafloor Features Map

An article in the Alaska Dispatch reports on the first crew to sail from Greenland to Alaska through the Northwest Passage in a 31-foot sailboat with an unreinforced fiberglass hull.

A CNN.com article explores how low levels of sea ice can accelerate thawing of Arctic tundra and result in the release of enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and methane that are stored in the frozen soil.

NASA has a webpage that is updated each month with several graphs related to climate change. These include…

* Global Annual Mean Surface Air Temperature Change

* Annual Mean Temperature Change for Three Latitude Bands

* Annual Mean Temperature Change for Hemispheres

* Global Monthly Mean Surface Temperature Change

* Annual Mean Temperature Change in the United States

* Seasonal Mean Temperature Change

Popigai: The World’s Largest Diamond Deposit

2012 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum – Lowest Ever

Methane Hydrates: The World’s Largest Natural Gas Resource

The World’s Most Effective Road Sign?

Gold-Bearing Garnet Sands

Eruption Brewing at El Hierro?

NOAA Submarine Volcano Expedition

Metamorphic Rocks of the Bancroft Area

The impact occurred where Archean graphite-garnet gneiss basement rock was overlain by about 1.5 kilometers of sedimentary cover. [...] Diamonds formed and survived in a thin zone of rock located about 12 to 13.6 kilometers out from the point of impact.

“Arctic sea ice cover likely melted to its minimum extent for the year on September 16, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Sea ice extent fell to 3.41 million square kilometers, now the lowest summer minimum extent in the satellite record.” Quoted from the National Snow & Ice Data Center.

ExxonMobil CEO, Rex Tillerson and Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin discuss a partnership that could invest as much as $500 billion in developing oil and natural gas resources in the Russian Arctic, the Russian portion of the Arctic Ocean and the Black Sea. One of their first projects in the Arctic is expected to be on the Kara Shelf in an extension of the West Siberian Basin.

On Saturday Shell started drilling the first well in the Chukchi Sea since the early 1990′s.

Related: Arctic Ocean Seafloor Features Map

An article on the FuelFix.com website explains why half of the jobs created from Arctic exploration and development will be in the 48 states.

“The Arctic Ocean is one of the most vulnerable places on the planet for acidification, yet it is the least-explored ocean. Acidification can disturb the balance of marine life in the world’s oceans, and consequently affect humans and animals that rely on those food resources.” Quoted from the USGS press release.