DAMOCLES - Understanding climate change in the Arctic

Arctic Shelf Leaking Potent Greenhouse Gas

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:53:50 PST

IPS: The frozen cap trapping billions of tonnes of methane under the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean is leaking and venting the powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, new research shows.

Methane bubbling out of Arctic Ocean – but is it new?

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:11:40 PST

New Scientist: A wide expanse of Arctic Ocean seabed is bubbling methane into the atmosphere. This is the first time that the ocean has been found to be releasing this powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere on this scale.

Double-dip Arctic Oscillation, and update on Antarctica

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:55:25 PST

NSIDC: In February, Arctic sea ice extent continued to track below the average, and near the levels observed for February 2007. Ice extent was unusually low in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic, and above normal in the Bering Sea. Meanwhile, Antarctic sea ice reached its summer minimum, near the average for 1979 to 2000.

Catlin Arctic team brave thin ice and polar bears to monitor acid oceans

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:22:29 PST

The Guardian: Scientists to set up ice base in northern Canada to examine impact of ocean acidification on the region's animals and plants.

ICESat's Notable Moments In Science

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:40:44 PST

Space Daily: Over the last decade, NASA has launched a series of satellites to monitor the health of our planet. One such satellite - the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) - has provided a sustained, big-picture look at ice thickness at Earth's polar regions.

Climate change could be accelerated by 'methane time bomb'

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:12:57 PST

The Daily Telegraph: Climate change could be accelerated dramatically by rising levels of methane in the Earth’s atmosphere, scientists will warn today.

Methane levels may see 'runaway' rise, scientists warn

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:09:12 PST

The Independent: A rapid acceleration may have begun in levels of a gas far more harmful than CO2.

Missing Ice Arches Contributed to 2007 Arctic Ice Loss

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:44:23 PST

In 2007, the Arctic lost a massive amount of thick, multiyear sea ice, contributing to that year's record-low extent of Arctic sea ice. A new NASA-led study has found that the record loss that year was due in part to the absence of "ice arches," naturally-forming, curved ice structures that span the openings between two land points.

Inuit, Iceland irked at exclusion from Arctic talks

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:11:01 PST

National Post: Facing criticism from northern aboriginal leaders and Iceland's top diplomat over their exclusion from a five-nation "Arctic Summit" to be hosted by Canada next month, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon has pledged to meet with a full spectrum of circumpolar stakeholders ahead of the controversial March 29 gathering of Arctic foreign ministers in Chelsea, Que.

Greenland ice loss driven by warming seas: study

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:21:32 PST

AFP: Greenland's continent-sized icesheet is being significantly eroded by winds and currents that drive warmer water into fjords, where it carves out the base of coastal glaciers, according to studies released Sunday.

Arctic Could be Ice-Free in future Summers

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:15:28 PST

ENN: Are warming conditions in the Arctic unprecedented in Earth’s history? It turns out that they are not. The Earth’s climate has gone through warming and cooling times in the past as can be seen in the fossil record that shows tropical species in regions now too cool to support them.

China seeks a seat at the Arctic table

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:13:49 PST

Guardian Weekly: Just how welcome is Beijing’s increased interest in the far north? Le Monde's Olivier Truc reports on a region under threat from maritime traffic and growing interest in potential oil and gas reserves.

Arctic climate changing fast

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:21:14 PST

ENN: Climate change is transforming the Arctic environment faster than expected and accelerating the disappearance of sea ice, scientists said on Friday in giving their early findings from the biggest-ever study of Canada's changing north.

Arctic melting to cost $24 trillion by 2050

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:20:20 PST

The Economic Times: Arctic ice melting could cost global agriculture, real estate and insurance anywhere from $2.4 trillion to $24 trillion by 2050 in
damage from rising sea levels, floods and heat waves, according to a report released on Friday.

Despite cool temperatures, ice extent remains low

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:52:59 PST

NSIDC: Despite cool temperatures over most of the Arctic Ocean in January, Arctic sea ice extent continued to track below normal. By the end of January, ice extent dropped below the extent observed in January 2007. Ice extent was unusually low in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic, the one major area of the Arctic where temperatures remained warmer than normal.

To cool global meltdown, G7 heads deep into Arctic

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:50:29 PST

Yahoo News/AFP: IQALUIT, Nunavut – This Canadian Arctic capital has no stop lights and didn't start naming its streets until a decade ago. Blizzards can last a week or more, and they tend to come very suddenly. So when the financial chiefs of the seven big industrial democracies meet here Friday and Saturday, they'd better have a quick way out.

Melting Arctic Ice: What Satellite Images Don't See

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:20:34 PST

Time: For scientists studying the health of Arctic sea ice, satellite observations are absolutely essential for providing the big picture.

Global warming threatens the Arctic charr

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:00:21 PST

Planet Earth: Arctic charr populations are falling throughout Britain and although part of the decline is due to specific local factors, scientists are now suggesting that global warming may also play a role. This is the first time that climate change has been linked to the decline of a fish species in Britain.

Polar science - global impact

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:51:34 PST

The IPY Oslo Science Conference will demonstrate, strengthen, and extend the International Polar Year's accomplishments in science and outreach. The international and interdisciplinary science conference will in particular highlight the global impact of the changes that have been observed in the polar regions.

Climate change opens up Arctic for undersea cable

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:57:01 PST

The Salt Lake Tribune: Climate change warming has melted so much Arctic ice that a telecommunication group is moving forward with a project that was unthinkable just a few years ago -- laying underwater fiber-optic cable between Tokyo and London by way of the Northwest Passage.