The Arctic This Week August 19 - 25, 2014
Statoil moves forward with Rosneft cooperation in Barents Sea
Statoil and Rosneft began exploratory drilling in the Barents Sea this week in spite of extensive western sanctions against Russia’s oil and gas industry (BO). The sanctions only apply to future contracts and projects and as such this current cooperation is technically licit within the current regime (FT). Statoil isn’t the only one getting in on the action, either. The Norwegian company North Atlantic Drilling concluded a far reaching deal with Rosneft this week that will give the Russian company access to Norwegian offshore technology and expertise (BO). While Norwegian companies continue to work with their Russian counterparts on both sides of the border, a lobbying group for the Norwegian oil and gas industry expressed its worry that the sanctions against Russia will eventually slow oil and gas exploration activity in Norway’s Arctic (Reuters).
SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
Climate
New publication: Climate change and primary industries (AJ).
Sunlight, not microbes, key to CO2 in Arctic (Phys.org).
Ice-Blog: Polar melt confirmed from space (EOTA).
NASA scientists watching, studying Arctic changes this summer (NASA).
An extended Arctic proxy temperature database for the past 2,000 years (Nature).
Here’s How Arctic Sea Ice Could Shrink Even More (CC).
Sunlight controls the fate of carbon released from thawing Arctic permafrost (R&D Mag).
Solving the polar climate conundrum (MIT).
Wildlife
Orphaned Yukon black bear cubs off to Calgary Zoo (CBC).
Life Found 800 Meters Down in Antarctic Subglacial Lake (Scientific American).
Expeditions, initiatives and blogs
Field Notes from Greenland: A Glacier Calves (Cryopolitics).
Narwhal Tagging 2014 – Polar Bear Watch (Vancouver Sun).
Rancho Palos Verdes teen returns from once-in-a-lifetime Arctic research expedition (Daily Breeze).
Russian Hydrographic Survey Vessel Leaves for Arctic (RIA).
Harper joins Arctic search for lost ships of Franklin expedition (CTV).
Technology
News: Coast Guard Research and Development Center deploys Unmanned Surface Vehicle during Arctic exercise (DVIDS).
News: Coast Guard Arctic Craft Project looks to older technologies to tackle new challenges in Arctic (DVIDS).
Miscellaneous
Heacox's compelling narrative tells how Alaska's glaciers moved John Muir (AD).
PM announces launch of the National Research Council Arctic Program (AJ).
Dancing in the Arctic (New Yorker).
PM launches construction of the new Canadian High Arctic Research Station (Prime Minister of Canada).