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Alaska's mysterious orange goo actually just another fungus among us

18 August 2011     Craig Medred, Alaska Dispatch

More than a week after a so-called "orange goo" hit beaches near the village of Kivalina in Northwest Alaska, causing an Internet stir, scientists have concluded it wasn't really a goo after all. It just sort of looked that way.

The substance in question is a fungal spore of the type that usually causes plant rust, a disease that causes a rust-like appearance on leaves and stems.     For complete article, please visit here.

 

Russia's Arctic 'sea grab'

14 August 2011     By Fred Weir,  The Christian Science Monitor

Russia is expected within months to claim to the United Nations its right to annex about 380,000 square miles of the Arctic.     For complete article, please visit here.

Arctic Sea Routes Opening Up For China

21 July 2011     China Briefing

The use of Arctic shipping routes is doubling this year as global warming makes it more convenient to traverse the Arctic Ocean when servicing Russia, Europe and Eastern China.     For complete article, please visit here.

 

Long-distance swims may cause polar bear problems

20 July 2011     By Dan Joling, Associated Press

Polar bears forced to swim longer distances because of diminished sea ice off Alaska's coast may be paying a price in lost cubs or precious calories, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey.     For complete article, please visit here.

Collapsing Coastlines

16 July 2011   By Daniel Strain, Science News

How Arctic shores are pulled a-sea.  For complete article, visit here.

 

Arctic may be ice-free within 30 years

11 July 2011   By John Vidal, The Guardian

Sea ice in the Arctic is melting at a record pace this year, suggesting warming at the north pole is speeding up and a largely ice-free Arctic can be expected in summer months within 30 years.  For complete article, please visit here.

Rush for Arctic's resources provokes territorial tussles

6 July 2011   By Terry Macalister,  Guardian

US, Canada, Russia, Denmark and Norway are becoming embroiled in disputes over boundaries on land and at sea.

Two nations on opposite sides of the Nato military alliance divide –Russia and no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Norway – have signed a deal over who owns what in the Barents Sea. But there are plenty of other territorial tussles going on – some between good friends.

For full article, please visit here.

Cryosat mission delivers first sea-ice map

21 June 2011 By Jonathan Amos, BBC News

This is the best view we have yet had of the thickness of sea-ice across the entire Arctic Ocean basin.

It is the first fully processed map from Europe's new Cryosat spacecraft.

It only covers the months of January and February, but the UK team behind the data says it can now roll out the information on a continuous basis.

The extent of Arctic sea-ice has become a major issue in recent years, with summer melting appearing to outstrip what many climate models had predicted.

But a proper assessment of the status of the sea-ice requires knowledge also about its thickness - something scientists have only recently had the tools to measure from space.

To view map and complete article, please visit here.

 

Arctic warming to boost rise of sea levels

3 May 2011 By Alister Doyle, Washington Post

OSLO — Global sea levels will rise faster than expected this century, partly because of quickening climate change in the Arctic and a thaw of Greenland’s ice, an international report said Tuesday.

The rise would add to threats to coasts from Bangladesh to Florida, low-lying Pacific islands and cities from London to Shanghai. It would also raise the cost of building tsunami barriers in Japan.

Record temperatures in the Arctic will add to factors raising world sea levels by up to 5.2 feet by 2100, according to a report by the Oslo-based Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), which is backed by the eight-nation Arctic Council.

For complete article, please visit here.