Latest Arctic Stories
The oldest human remains ever discovered in sub-Arctic North America have been unearthed in a newly excavated archaeological site in Alaska, scientists said on Thursday.The skeletal remains appear to be those of a 3-year-old child buried some 11,500 years ago, and could provide rare insight into the burial practices of Ice Age peoples and the lives of early settlers who crossed from Asia to the New World, the scientists said.The remains were discovered in an ancient fire pit within an equally...
Tiny organisms preserved in marine sediments hold clues about Arctic climate variation during an ancient episode of greenhouse warming.Based on reconstructions of Arctic climate variability in the greenhouse world of the Late Cretaceous, Southampton scientists have concluded that man-made global warming probably would not greatly change the climatic influence associated with natural modes of inter-annual climate variability such as the El Niño "“ Southern Oscillation (ENSO) or the...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday that the Pacific walrus needs additional protection from the threat of climate warming but cannot be added to the threatened or endangered list because other species have higher priority. Agency spokesman Bruce Wood said the walrus will be added to the "warranted but precluded" list, which is a designation under the Endangered Species Act that allows delays in listing if the agency is making progress listing other species and does not...
A Russian-led expedition aims to make the first crossing from Russia's Arctic shore into Canada over the North Pole after a months-long voyage over precarious shifting ice flows. The expedition will serve for some of the first tests of Russia's GLONASS satellite navigation technology, which is Moscow's attempt to challenge the dominant U.S. global positioning system (GPS). Russia, the U.S., Norway, Greenland and Canada share territorial claims on the Arctic. However, recent Russian moves...
University of Alberta researchers Péter Molnár, Andrew Derocher and Mark Lewis studied the reproductive ecology of polar bears in Hudson Bay and have linked declining litter sizes with loss of sea ice.The researchers say projected reductions in the number of newborn cubs is a significant threat to the western Hudson Bay polar-bear population, and if climate change continues unabated the viability of the species across much of the Arctic will be in question.Using data collected since...
Researchers at the University of British Columbia, reporting in a new study, found that the amount of fish caught in the Arctic has been severely under-reported for more than 50 years, making the northern ocean environment appear far more pristine than it really is. The study estimates that fishery catches in the Arctic totaled 1 million tons between 1950 and 2006, almost 75 times more than the actual amount reported to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), according to...
University of British Columbia researchers estimate that fisheries catches in the Arctic totaled 950,000 tons from 1950 to 2006, almost 75 times the amount reported to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) during this period.Led by Prof. Daniel Pauly, the research team from UBC's Fisheries Centre and Dept. of Earth and Ocean Sciences reconstructed fisheries catch data from various sources "“ including limited governmental reports and anthropological records of...
Temperatures of North Atlantic Ocean currents flowing north into the Arctic Ocean are at their highest levels in nearly 2,000 years, and could ultimately lead to summers that are ice-free in the North Pole region, researchers claim in a new study.The waters of the Fram Strait, which is located at the northern end of the Gulf Stream near Greenland, have gotten approximately 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer over the past century, study leader Robert Spielhagen of the Academy of Sciences,...
Changes within the seawater beneath the floating sea ice may be accelerating change in the Arctic and beyond London (PRWeb UK) January 26, 2011 A "˜thin blue line' of fresh water immediately beneath the Arctic sea ice may hold the key to understanding changes in ocean current s that influence the prevailing climate of Europe and the East Coast of North America. The Catlin Arctic Survey announced today that its team of polar explorers and scientists will be heading to the Arctic in...
Scientists and explorers will shortly set off on an expedition aiming to discover how Arctic sea ice melts. This year's Catlin Arctic Survey is focused on the thin layer of water immediately under the floating ice. Arctic ice is melting faster in the summer than many computer models have predicted. Survey data could improve forecasts of the region's future, and show how likely it is that the flow of warm water in the North Atlantic will switch off. This would bring colder weather to the U.K....
Latest Arctic Reference Libraries
The Arctic Ocean which is located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the shallowest and smallest of the world’s five major oceanic divisions. The International Hydrographic Organization recognizes it as an ocean, although, some oceanographers consider it as the Arctic Mediterranean Sea or simply, the Arctic Sea, classifying it a Mediterranean sea or an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. Alternatively, the Arctic Ocean can be considered as the northernmost...
Continental arctic air mass is known for its very frigid and dry air. The most common place in the United States to find this air mass is in Alaska. However, in the coldest parts of the winter such as December and January along with early February it is not uncommon for this air mass to invade the Northern part of the United States. This air mass is responsible for bringing with it temps that drop well below zero. Along with the cold temps the air is very dry and if people stay outside in...
Arctic haze is a phenomenon that occurs in the atmosphere at high latitudes in the Arctic due to air pollution. What distinguishes Arctic haze from haze found elsewhere, is the ability of its chemical ingredients to endure in the atmosphere for a longer period of time compared to other pollutants. Due to limited snowfall, rain, or turbulent air to displace pollutants from the polar air in the spring, Arctic haze can continue for more than a month in the northern atmosphere. Arctic haze...
The Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea), is a species in the finch family. It breeds throughout northern North America and Eurasia. Subspecies of the Common Redpoll include the Arctic Redpoll and Mealy Redpoll. These are common too in the Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, and Baffin Island. They all migrate south into southern Canada, northern United States and most of Eurasia. These birds are remarkably resistant to cold temperatures and winter migration is mainly due to lack of food rather...
The Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), also known as the polar fox, is a small fox native to cold Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is common in all three tundra biomes. Although some authorities have suggested placing it in the genus Vulpes, it has long been considered the sole member of the genus Alopex. The Arctic fox has smaller, more rounded ears, a more rounded braincase. It has a slightly shorter and broader muzzle than the red fox. Its feet are furrier than those of other...
