November, 26 2007

25 years of research in polar seas aboard the research vessel Polarstern

PRESS RELEASE

Bremerhaven, November 22, 2007.

On December 9, 2007, the ice-breaking research vessel Polarstern will celebrate her 25th anniversary of service: since 1982, the world?s most powerful polar research vessel has been venturing to the Arctic and Antarctic on behalf of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, part of the Helmholtz Association. 7600 scientist from 36 nations have gained insights into the polar oceans aboard Polarstern, facilitating our current understanding of the earth as a system. Polarstern provides ideal working conditions for international and interdisciplinary research teams and offers safe transport in polar seas. Currently, Polarstern is on her way to the Antarctic as part of the International Polar Year 2007/08. The birthday celebration for Polarstern will take place on November 28 at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, and will include a special address by Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel

November, 21 2007 Conference Announcement

Russia and the North

28-29 November 2007

Centre for Russian Studies

Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)

Oslo, Norway

The conference includes keynote addresses and panel discussions on the

following themes:

- The North in foreign and security policy;

- The North in Russian bilateral and multilateral cooperation;

- The energy resources of the North;

- Climate policy and economic trends in the North; and

- Demography, Indigenous peoples, and federalism in the North.

Attendees are asked to confirm their participation no later than Monday,

26 November 2007, by contacting: seminar@nupi.no.

November, 20 2007 Global warming not to blame for warmer North Pole?

Recent dramatic changes in the Arctic climate - melting sea ice, warmer ocean, green fields in place of icy wilderness, etc - might not all be directly related to global warming.

The more clement Arctic climate of recent years could have been triggered by shorter term circulation changes in the oceans and atmosphere.

According to a team of NASA scientists, decade-long variations in ocean circulation, known as the Arctic Oscillation, have an effect on the oceans' salinity. A very salty sea is heavier and circulates differently than a less salty one, the team says. This can affect the temperature of the water in the region and thus the local climate.

November, 15 2007 Climate change becomes topic in Barents Cooperation

In a press release from the Norwegian ministry, new deputy minister Heidi Sorensen says climate changes will be the main issue in Norway's chairmanship period in the Barents Work Group for Environment.

-It is about time to get the dialogue started with our neighbouring countries [on the consequences of climate changes], Ms Sorensen says in a press release. The Norwegian Ministry of Environment confirms that it will make climate changes the main issue when Norway takes over the chairmanship.

Norway officially took over the chair of the working group in a meeting in Moscow last week.

source

November, 14 2007 Russian visa changes clarified

Foreigners in Russia will have to apply for visas in their home countries or in a country where they can stay 90 days or more, a Federal Migration service official said Monday.

Speaking at the AEB meeting, Alexander Aksyonov, head of the migration service's visa and registration department, said foreigners could now only receive a new visa in countries where they are legally entitled to stay for more than 90 days. This would essentially mean that many non-EU citizens could not get new visas in European countries and would have to return home, the Moscow Times reports.

Multiple-entry business visas received before Oct. 17, the day the decree was adopted, will not be affected by the new legislation. But multiple-entry business visas issued after that date will now only allow stays of up to 90 days at a time.

November, 13 2007 Sea Ice Index website update

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announces the redesign and

enhancement of its Sea Ice Index website with new data set updates.

The Sea Ice Index pages have been redesigned so that graphs and images

are easier to find. Thumbnails now take users to the Web Image

Spreadsheet Tool (WIST) where images from different time periods can be

quickly compared.

The website is available at: http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index

November, 9 2007 New service to improve ice monitoring in Europe

The Danish Meteorological Institute, the Finnish Institute of Marine Research and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (met.no) are to join forces in order to improve operational ice monitoring and forecasting in the Arctic Ocean and the Baltic Sea. Their new European Ice Service (EIS) is intended to complement the traditional national ice services that are already in place in the three countries involved.

Project partners want to increase public awareness of the ice-infested seas of Europe and their significance in understanding climate change processes at high latitudes, as well as their impact on climate change. They also hope to create a European service equivalent to the joint North American Ice Service, making a substantial contribution to international programmes in the European Polar areas and providing high-resolution data sets for the climate change community.

November, 5 2007 HAIS: Heads of Arctic and Antarctic IPY Secretariats

HAIS-4 meeting is held 5-6 November, 2007 at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.

The meeting to start at 9:15

Chair and local host: Dr. Sergey Priamikov, AARI