August, 4, 2006 The biggest barque in the world – “Sedov” will go on a round-the-world voyage. The crew is getting ready for the unique adventure.
The barque will halt at the German city of Kiel where the vessel was built in 1921. Then “Sedov” will sail to Reykjavik in Iceland, Tromso in Norway, Barentsburg in Svalbard, Archangelsk and finally to the home port of Murmansk, where it is expected on 18 September.
14.08.06 Every Year is a Polar Year
The world has changed dramatically in the 125 years since Karl Weyprecht's death in 1881, and I often wonder what he would make of the global change. Alternating current has electrified the world. Radio communication, which didn't exist at the time, lead to television, GPS and wireless technologies. Internal combustion engines, then in their infancy, have revolutionized transportation and industry and contributed to altering the climate system. The world's population has grown sixfold. And our understanding of the Earth as a system has made leaps and bounds through diligent, scientific study and collaboration. Throughout this period-- a few short generations but beyond the span of all but the most robust lifespans-- the International Polar Years have provided vision and leadership, fostering international scientific cooperation and understanding, transcending nationalistic agendas with the goal of sharing observations, data, and insights into the polar regions and their global linkages.
15.08.06 The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) publishes a quarterly
newsletter, NSIDC Notes
The newsletter is intended to keep the polar
research community informed about current research and available data
and services provided by NSIDC. The summer issue (Number 56) was
released this month and can be accessed as a pdf file at:
15.08.06 Ancient Arctic water cycles are red flags to future global warming
Ancient plant life recovered in recent Arctic Ocean sampling cores shows that at the time of the last major global warming, humidity, precipitation levels and salinity of the ocean water altered drastically, along with the elevated temperatures and levels of greenhouse gases, according to a report in the August 10 issue of Nature
August, 23, 2006 The Kapitan Dranitsyn (KD) is at 74deg21.7N and 47deg37.3E. With good weather, the ship is sailing toward the Laptev Sea
August, 21, 2006 K-12 and NABOS Expedition read letters from participants aboard Kapitan Dranitsyn
August, 24, 2006 Bush names Treadwell Chairman of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission
President George W. Bush has designated a new Chair and appointed two new members to the US Arctic Research Commission (http://www.arctic.gov).
Mead Treadwell of Anchorage, Alaska, has been named Chair. Originally appointed to the Commission in 2001, Treadwell is joined by new members Vera Kingeekuk Metcalf of Nome, Alaska, and Charles J. Vorosmarty, of Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Treadwell, whose term continues through February 2009, is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of the North and is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Venture Ad Astra, an Anchorage-based firm developing geospatial positioning and imaging technologies. He succeeds George B. Newton, Jr. who served on the Commission since 1992, and as Chair since 1996.
Metcalf is a Program Director with the Eskimo Walrus Commission, created by Kawerak, Inc. to help Alaska's coastal walrus hunting communities co-manage walrus with the federal government. She will serve as the indigenous representative through February 2009 and succeeds Mary Jane Fate of Rampart and Fairbanks, who served on the Commission since 1991.
Vorosmarty, a Professor at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire and the Director of the Water Systems Analysis Group, will serve through February 2008.
August, 28, 2006 The Sami Research and Project Database RÁDJU (16.8.2006)
New Database contains information from over 200 completed or on-going projects.
The Arctic Indigenous Peoples and Sami Research Office and the Information Service of the Arctic Centre have together colleted RADJU- The Sami Research and Project Database.
RADJU includes data from over 200 completed or on-going projects. All of the projects comment on Sami people or the Sami areas and topics include for example scientific research, culture and development projects. The projects are carried out by different institutions and researchers. Their contact information is included in the database.
RADJU database will later be developed to include information on other indigenous peoples in the Arctic. It is maintained by the Arctic Indigenous Peoples and Sami Research Office and the Information Service of the Arctic Centre.
August, 29, 2006 RUSALCA expedition 2006 has successfully
retrieved all three moorings in the Russian waters of the Bering
Strait. The scientists and crew onboard the Russian vessel SEVER have
also deployed three new moorings in the same locations. These three
moorings complete the 2006 chain of moorings which span across the
entire strait in both U.S. and Russian waters.
August, 31, 2006 Russians plan to open eco-town at Spitsbergen
The Russian coal company Trust Arktikugol plans to turn the Barentsburg mining town at Spitsbergen into a unique eco-town. The environmently friendly town will have a gas power plant, from where there will be no emissions of climate gases more inormation
August, 30, 2006 Preliminary announcement
The official German IPY opening ceremony "Deutschland im Internationalen Polarjahr (2007-2008)"
will be held on 1st of March 2007 in the "Langenbeck-Virchow-Haus" in Berlin
August, 31, 2006 Russian scientist predicts global cooling, a cooling of the Earth which could involve glaciation.
Global cooling could develop on Earth in 50 years and have serious consequences before it is replaced by a period of warming in the early 22nd century, a Russian scientist said Friday.
Global cooling - though never widely supported - is a theory postulating an overwhelming cooling of the Earth which could involve glaciation more information
