Group items tagged

"The State of the Arctic Conference: "At the Forefront of Global Change"... The main goal of the conference is to review our understanding of the arctic system in a time of rapid environmental change. Sessions will be streaming and open to all. It will provide an open international forum for discussion of future research directions aimed toward a better understanding of the arctic system and its trajectory. Topics will range from basic understanding of the Arctic and system-wide change to developing response strategies to adapt and mitigate change."

Polar Science News

"By showing that Arctic climate change is no longer just a problem for the polar bear, a new study may finally dispel the view that what happens in the Arctic, stays in the Arctic."

Arctic sea ice extent for December 2012 remained far below average, driven by anomalously low ice conditions in the Kara, Barents, and Labrador seas. Thus far, the winter has been dominated by the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, bringing colder than average conditions to Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska, and Canada.

"One of the most striking changes that has taken place in the Arctic since the start of satellite monitoring in 1979 is the rapid decline of the perennial sea ice cover. This ice is the sea ice that survives the summer melt season, and is typically the thickest part of the sea ice cover, sometimes spanning several years. Sea ice extent has declined as the globe has warmed, but the ice cover has thinned as well. Thinner sea ice melts more easily, and as multiyear sea ice is lost, Arctic sea ice has declined more rapidly."

"In its most recent assessment of global climate change, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences concluded, "A strong body of scientific evidence shows that climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems." Impacts and rates of change are greatest in the Arctic, where temperatures have been increasing at about twice the global rate over the past four decades. The rapid decline in summer sea ice cover in the past decade has outpaced scientific projections and is drawing international attention to emerging commercial development and transport opportunities previously blocked by the frozen sea. The Arctic is therefore a bellwether for how climate change may reshape geopolitics in the post-Cold War era."

"The mission of the Arctic Circle is to facilitate dialogue and build relationships to confront the Arctic's greatest challenges. We aim to strengthen the decision-making process by bringing together as many Arctic and international partners as possible under one large "open tent."

The Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat is a support Secretariat for the International Indigenous Peoples' Organizations that have Permanent Participant status in the Arctic Council . IPS assists with creating opportunities for the Indigenous Peoples' Organizations to present their causes, and helps provide them with necessary information and materials.

"Science: Methane Gas Release from Arctic Permafrost is Far Larger Than Expected Ancient permafrost submerged in the Arctic Ocean is releasing methane gas into the atmosphere at rates comparable to previous estimates for all the world's oceans combined, researchers say. This underwater permafrost represents a large but previously overlooked source of methane, and experts say that similar but more widespread emissions of the gas could have dramatic effects on global warming in the future."

Polar Science News

"The Arctic experienced an extended period of warm temperatures about 3.6 million years ago - before the onset of the ice ages - at a time when the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere was not much higher than the levels being recorded today, a new study finds."

The [US} Interior Department on Tuesday opened an urgent review of Arctic offshore drilling operations after a series of blunders and accidents involving Shell Oil's drill ships and support equipment, culminating in the grounding of one of its drilling vessels last week off the coast of Alaska.

"NASA scientist Thorsten Markus shares his expertise on polar ice in a lecture at the Library of Congress. In his lecture, Markus summarizes recent observations and findings-together with pictures from Arctic and Antarctic research campaigns-and puts those results into the bigger climate-system picture. He focuses on recent changes in the Arctic and in Antarctica. Markus explains why the two hemispheres react differently to climate change, and concludes his lecture by discussing current and future efforts to address the uncertainties and contradictions of the ice conditions."

videos and related media

This is an animation of sea ice volume change over the past 3 decades. It uses PIOMAS modeling data (Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System) from the University of Washington. Data is very hard to understand and visualize - these folks did a nice job making it more accessible through this animation.

This site came about as a result of the friendship between three people - Peter Lourie, Paul and Jody Shepson. Their passionate concern about climate change and love for the natural environment, and a grant from the National Science Foundation to Paul, created the opportunity to capture, in the form of "Video Storytelling," the voices of the Arctic, and the scientists who study it.

"Methane Releases From Arctic Shelf May Be Much Larger and Faster Than Anticipated"

Polar Science

Just for fun: Northernmost Tribute to Michael Jackson, Toolik Field Station, North Slope, Alaska The 'guests' appearances by the mosquitoes are a high point of this video! A fun way to introduce or talk about various aspects of life in the Arctic.

polar odds and ends

Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. The education link on this page throws you to PolarTREC, but if you are looking for more in-depth work, there are plenty of opportunities here. Especially useful are the myriad links under the 'Hot Links' menu selection. Much is targeted to adult/advanced student audiences.

some resources about life on an Arctic Expedition to the Geographic North Pole via Microsoft Partners in Learning. I'd be delighted if people might like to use it :0) You'll find photo's, HD video, Power point presentation with teaching notes and a expedition life exercise book. from Antony Jinman, Polar Educator

Thanks Kathy! Great classroom resource.

Indigenous observations of Arctic environment change. an excellent read. Not an ebook, but you can read it online.

"The Polar Science Center (PSC) is a unit of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington. Polar Science Center researchers observe and model the physical processes that control the nature and distribution of sea ice and polar ice sheets, the structure and movement of high-latitude oceans, and the interactions between air, sea, ice and biota. The Center has made major contributions to the understanding of how the arctic system has undergone important changes during the past four decades."

Polar Science

The planes with skis and the unit that flies them: "The United States Air Force's 109th Airlift Wing (109 AW) is an Air Mobility Command (AMC) gained tactical airlift unit of the New York Air National Guard. The unit is located at Stratton ANGB/Schenectady County Airport, New York and operates both conventional C-130 Hercules aircraft and specially modified LC-130s used for Arctic and Antarctic transport and support missions."

polar odds and ends