27.06.06 Huskies might soon be out of a job as Norway's frozen fjords turn to mush
THE huskies that transported David Cameron, the Tory party leader, to a melting glacier this year will soon be redundant unless global warming can be slowed.
Huskies are a common means of transport during the winter on the Norwegian-owned Svalbard islands, 500 miles south of the North Pole, but the dog teams need fjords to be frozen for them to be able to pull sledges. more information
26.06.06 Polar bears are left high and dry by shrinking Arctic ice
POLAR bears are being forced to change their behaviour and natural habitat because of the retreating Arctic ice.
On Svalbard, a group of islands 350 miles (560km) north of the Norwegian mainland, and the starting point for many polar explorers, the bears are showing signs of becoming island dwellers instead of living on the ice sheets.
As the Arctic sea ice contracts, retreating farther each summer and returning thinner and less extensively each winter, the bears have to choose between remaining on Svalbard or swimming after the ice. Recent observations by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) suggest that they increasingly prefer the former. more information
19.06.06 International Polar Year Data Management Report Released
A report that compiles recommendations from a data management workshop for the International Polar Year (IPY) is now available read more
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15.06.06 "Shelf-Basin Exchange at the Margins of the Arctic: IPY and Beyond"
4th Shelf-Basin Interactions Pan-Arctic Meeting
26-29 September 2006
Sopot, Poland
For further information, please contact:
Jackie Grebmeier, Director
SBI Project Office
E-mail: jgrebmei@utk.edu
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21.06.06 Alex Hartley’s unknown island in Svalbard
The Name Committee for Norwegian Polar Regions has decided that the ”island” that was discovered by Alex Hartley last year is to be called Nyskjeret more information
13.06.06 Russia ready to strengthen scientific presence in the Arctic
Russia will strengthen its scientific presence in the Arctic, says Vladimir Sokolov, head of the Russian Arctic Expedition. The researcher confirms that the number of personnel working at the next Arctic drifting will be doubled compared with the previous similar project. The next drifting research station will be in operation from the end of March 2007, Sokolov says.
A total of 10-12 highly qualified researchers will be working at the next drifting research station in the Arctic. The Russian research vessel "Akademik Fyodorov" will ship the experts and their equipment to the chosen site.
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