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Category: News & Press Releases

Arctic Cup starts in St. Petersburg

The Arctic Cup starts today with exciting matches in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Arctic Cup is an International Ice Hockey tournament of Arctic Countries the Arctic states.

Russia hosts the event and invited the seven countries to participate in the tournament, where the men have to be at least 40 years old to participate. The tournament is meant for amateurs as well as for former professional sportsmen.

The Arctic Cup tournament’s idea was arisen during the scientific conferences and oil-and-gas exhibitions, as a way to strengthen the friendship between the counties of the Arctic Council.

The purpose of the Arctic Cup is to draw attention to the problem of development of Arctic natural resources on the basis of peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation.

The boundaries of the Arctic shelf are being claimed by five Arctic states, Russia, USA, Denmark, Norway and Canada. Although in September 2010 Russia and Norway reached an agreement on this issue, it’s still far from being settled.

All expenses and travel is paid by Russia.

Three rounds are played before the semi-final.

Today’s matches:
USA-Denmark (3-6)
Canada-Iceland
Sweden-Finland
Russia-Norway

December 8, 2011
Symposium in Rovaniemi calls for abstracts
The venue for the 5^th Polar Law symposium will be Rovaniemi in Finland. The symposium is held in September 2012.

The Symposium – the home which is in Akureyri Iceland – brings together internationally renowned scholars, partaking in both Antarctic and Arctic research, from different parts of the globe.

Previous symposia have proven to be extremely successful in promoting both scholarship and understanding of polar issues. Their outcomes were beneficial to scholars, students and academicians, government agencies, policy makers, jurists and various stakeholders alike.

The last symposium was hosted by the University of Greenland and held in Nuuk, Greenland, where, among others, the honorable President of the Republic of Iceland and the Premiere of Greenland participated in thelively discussions.

The theme for the symposium is quite open. It covers a wide variety of topics relating to the Arctic and the Antarctic.

These include:
- Human rights issues, such as autonomy and self-government vs self-determination, the rights of indigenous peoples to land and natural resources and cultural rights and cultural heritage, indigenous traditional knowledge.
- Local and national governance issues.
- Environmental law, climate change,security and environment implications of climate change, protected areas and species.
- Regulatory, governance and management agreements and arrangements for marine environments, marine mammals, fisheries conservation and other biological/mineral/oil resources.
- Law of the sea, the retreating sea ice, continental shelf claims.
- Territorial claims and border disputes on both land and at sea.
- Peace and security, dispute settlement.
- Jurisdictional and other issues re the exploration, exploitation and shipping of oil, gas and minerals, bioprospecting.
- Trade law, potential shipping lines through the northwest and northeast passages, maritime law and transportation law.
- The roles and actual involvement of international organizations in the Polar regions, such as the Arctic Council, the European Union, the International Whaling Commission, the Nordic Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the United Nations, as well as NGOs.
Researchers, faculty members, young scholars, jurists, post-graduate research students, policy makers, stakeholders and others interested to submit abstracts within the scope of the above mentioned theme. The abstract should contain no more than 200 words and should be sent to Kamrul Hossain (khossain@ulapland.fi) by 31. March 2012.

The symposium will be held in the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland from 6^th to 8^th of September.

Participants’ registration is from June 15^th – August 15^th, 2012. Registrations are sent to Raija Kivilahti
(raija.kivilahti@ulapland.fi).
December 7, 2011
Great retreat in French Alps

As reported here on Arctic Portal Icelandic glaciers are retreating fast, and now the BBC reports the same problem in France.

A new research has confirmed that in only 40 years the French glaciers have lost 25% of their area.

The area around Mont Blanc was calculated to be 375 sq km. in the late 1960´s/early 1970´s but by the late 2000´s it was only 275 sq. km.

The research has been presented at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, the world’s largest annual gathering of Earth scientists.

The same is happening in Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Germany, France, and Italy, even Iceland.

Source: BBC

December 7, 2011
Icelandic glaciers melting fast

Iceland could lose all its glaciers in a few hundred years. A glacier expert predicts a 6m rise of the sea.

DV newspaper reports that climate change is melting the glaciers and in about 200 years the glaciers could all be gone.

“Climate change has hit us with full force. This is very visible in the Arctic,” glacier expert Tómas Jóhannesson told DV.

It is only 6000-8000 years ago Iceland was glacier free.

Rise of sea levels will continue but in the 20^th century the levels rose of about 2mm each years, around 20cm the whole year.

“Now the rise if about 3mm a year,” Tómas said and this will continue to rise.

Naturally this is of great importance in Holland and the Dutch predict 1m rise of sea levels in the 21^st century.

If the Greenlandic glacier would melt it would raise the sea levels of about 6m. DV had expert draw maps of how towns in Iceland would look like if the sea levels rise the whole 6m.

Source: DV

December 5, 2011
Arctic Report Card 2011 released

The 2011 Arctic Report Card has been published. Amongst the results are significant changes in the atmosphere and the sea ice and the ocean.

The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) issues the Arctic Report Card annually The Arctic Report Card is a timely source for clear, reliable and concise environmental information on the state of the Arctic, relative to historical time series records.

Among the 2011 highlights are:

Atmosphere: In 2011, the average annual near-surface air temperatures over much of the Arctic Ocean were approximately 2.5° F (1.5° C) greater than the 1981-2010 baseline period.

Sea ice: Minimum Arctic sea ice area in September 2011 was the second lowest recorded by satellite since 1979.

Ocean: Arctic Ocean temperature and salinity may be stabilizing after a period of warming and freshening. Acidification of sea water (“ocean acidification”) as a result of carbon dioxide absorption has also been documented in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

Land: Arctic tundra vegetation continues to increase and is associated with higher air temperatures over most of the Arctic land mass.

Source: NOAA

December 2, 2011
Danish oil and gas until 2050?

Denmark will be self-sufficient with oil and gas, at least until 2050. These new numbers are much higher then anticipated.

This is the view of Peter Helmer Steen, director of the state oil company Nordsøenheden.

The Danish Energy Organization had already predicted that Denmark would be self sufficient until 2020, so if true this news is fantastic for the energy conscious country.

Steen states that with better technology this is possible and because new oil reserves are in Danish territory in the Arctic.

Denmark has great belief for oil in the Greenlandic ocean, and other areas as well.

Source: DRK

December 2, 2011
Greenpeace fools oil company executives

Greenpeace fooled oil company executives into a meeting to lecture them about exploration. A real meeting was held, but the executives were directed to another location.

Hoping to hear about oil exploration in Greenland in a seminar held by Greenland’s Raw Materials Directorate, 18 executives were fooled.

As they entered an elevator to go to the correct Directorate meeting on the fifth floor, friendly (Greenpeace) assistants advised them that the meeting had been moved to another room on the fourth floor – which Greenpeace had hired for the occasion.

For 15 minutes the executives listened to a Power-Point presentation on why environmental organisations are against exploration and extraction in Greenland.

Greenpeace even provided coffee, tea and croissants.

It was not until the final slide of the show that those listening became aware of the fact they had been duped by Greenpeace which also had activist outside the building protesting.

After the presentation, activists thanked the oil companies and left the building.

Oil companies attending the initial Greenland Raw Materials Directorate meeting were Shell, BP, Nuna Oil, GreenPex, Kogas, DCE, TBS, ComcaPhilips, Wintershell, Apwadarko and Statoil.

Source: Politiken

Greenpeace fooled oil company executives into a meeting to lecture them about exploration. A real meeting was held, but the executives were directed to another location.

Hoping to hear about oil exploration in Greenland in a seminar held by Greenland’s Raw Materials Directorate, 18 executives were fooled.

As they entered an elevator to go to the correct Directorate meeting on the fifth floor, friendly (Greenpeace) assistants advised them that the meeting had been moved to another room on the fourth floor – which Greenpeace had hired for the occasion.

For 15 minutes the executives listened to a Power-Point presentation on why environmental organisations are against exploration and extraction in Greenland.

Greenpeace even provided coffee, tea and croissants.

It was not until the final slide of the show that those listening became aware of the fact they had been duped by Greenpeace which also had activist outside the building protesting.

After the presentation, activists thanked the oil companies and left the building.

Oil companies attending the initial Greenland Raw Materials Directorate meeting were Shell, BP, Nuna Oil, GreenPex, Kogas, DCE, TBS, ComcaPhilips, Wintershell, Apwadarko and Statoil.

Source: Politiken

December 2, 2011
New website launched for PAGE21

A new website was launched today, PAGE21.eu. The EU funded project brings leading scientists together studying permafrost.

Permafrost is defined as ground that remains continuously at or below 0°C or at least two consecutive years; some 24% of the land surface in the northern Hemisphere is classified as permafrost.

The main research question is: What happens when the vast amounts of carbon in Arctic soils are released to the atmosphere?

Fieldresearchers, operators of long term observatories and modellers from 18 partner institutions in the EU intend to answer this question within the PAGE21 project.

By pooling expertise from various subjects, the scientists aim to deliver a valuable foundation for the United Nations 5th World Climate Report.

Arctic Portal designed, programed and hosts the website, which is indeed inspired by permafrost. Arctic Portal also works on data managment for the project.

Click here to visit the website.

December 1, 2011
A 750% increased shipping traffic in NSR

The Northern Sea Route was busier then ever this year. In total, 34 vessels used the route, a significant increase from only 4 in 2010.

The route was open for one month longer than last year, but this still shows that the route is becoming more feasible and more popular.

The number is for ships that sailed from Murmansk to another country, Russians being the leading shipping operators in the NRS.

The cargo in 2010 was 111.000 tons but in 2011 it went to 820.000.

15 of the 34 vessels transported liquid cargo (682.000 tons), three carried bulk (110.000 tons), four refrigerator ships transported salmon (27.500), two vessels transported general cargo and ten vessels sailed in ballast, according to the Barents Observer.

This year also saw the largest super tanker and the largest bulk carrier to go through the route.

The map illustrates a new route, which opened up in the summer.

Sources: Rosatomflot, RIA Novosti and BarentsObserver.

December 1, 2011
Antarctica day tomorrow – Online webinar
1. December is the Antarctica Day, a young tradition only first celebrated last year. It celebrates the signature of the Antarctic Treaty on 1 December 1959 and the worldwide significance of this landmark.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) are contributing to the celebrations with an Antarctica Day Webinar.

The online session, addressing both the Antarctic and Arctic Science Community and reflecting on past, present and future of polar science, will take place 1. December at 16 GMT.

The speakers and presentations will be:
- Jenny Baeseman (APECS), Volker Rachold (IASC), Mike Sparrow (SCAR) on “*Polar Science in a global context*”
- Allen Pope (APECS) on “*Antarctica Day and where it came from*”
- Tosca Ballerini (APECS) on “*Southern Ocean Marine food webs: engaging early carrier scientists in an international collaborative modeling community*”?
- Daniela Liggett (APECS) on “*Adding ‘value’ to Antarctic social science research*”
An open discussion will follow the presentations

The session will be conducted through an online meeting system (Adobe Acrobat Connect) hosted by the University of Canterbury.

Antarctica Day was initiated by the Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces as an annual event to build global awareness of this important institution, celebrating this milestone of peace in our civilization with hope and inspiration for future generations. The Antarctic Treaty was adopted “with the interests of science and the progress of all mankind” so that today there is a variety of activities around Antarctica Day such as the Virtual Peace’ Balloon Launch, classroom activities, life events and much more.

See more here on the Apecs website.
November 30, 2011