VIDEO: Examining a rare colossal squid
Scientists have had the extremely rare chance to examine an intact colossal squid after it was accidentally caught in the Antarctic, as Mauricio Olmedo-Perez reports
Melt season ending
The end of this year’s Arctic sea ice melt season is imminent and the minimum extent will be slightly lower than last year’s, making it the sixth lowest extent in the satellite record. Earlier in the month, a small area … Continue reading →
Call for Abstracts: Arctic Science Summit Week 2015, Toyma, Japan
The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) is the annual gathering of the international organizations engaged in supporting and facilitating Arctic research. The purpose of the summit is to provide opportunities for coordination, collaboration and cooperation in all areas of Arctic science. The summit attracts scientists, students, policy makers and other professionals from all over the world. The ASSW 2015 will be held in Toyama (Japan) on April 23-30 and include business meetings of the participating organizations on April 23-25, excursions and a public lecture (in Japanese) on April 26 and a four day science symposium on April 27-30, combining the Fourth International Symposium on Arctic Research (ISAR‐4) and the Third International Conference on the Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III). Several sessions are directly linked to CliC activities and we encourage you to submit an abstract and attend the conference.
The Call for Abstracts for oral and poster presentations at the ISAR‐4 / ICARP III is now open. The Symposium will address the overarching themes “Rapid change of the Arctic climate system and its global influence” (ISAR-4) and “Integrating Arctic Research: a Roadmap for the Future” (ICARP III). Conference Organizers invite you to submit abstracts to one of the session listed below. Submissions can be made via the conference website at http://www.assw2015.org. The call for abstracts closes November 10, 2014. Download the 3rd circular for more information.
Full session descriptions can be found here: http://isar-4.jp/linkfile/session_list.pdf
Greenland Ice Sheet more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought
(University of Cambridge) A new study finds that the Greenland Ice Sheet, which covers 1.7 million square kilometers and contains enough ice to raise sea levels worldwide by seven meters, is less stable and more sensitive to climate change than previously thought.
A Rare Arctic Land Sale Stirs Concerns in Norway
A Chinese businessman with deep pockets is looking to buy land in Norway, creating a frenzy of speculation about moves by China to gain a permanent foothold in the Arctic.
With few data, Arctic carbon models lack consensus
As climate change grips the Arctic, how much carbon is leaving its thawing soil and adding to Earth's greenhouse effect? The question has long been debated by scientists. A new study conducted as part of NASA's Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) shows just how much work still needs to be done to reach a conclusion on this and other basic questions about the region where global warming is hitting hardest.
New Interdisciplinary Initiative to Study the Southern Ocean
A six-year, $21 million NSF-sponsored program to study the Southern Ocean and surrounding region was just launched. The SOCCOM (Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling) project is housed at Princeton University and brings together investigators from 11 institutions to study the role of the Southern Ocean in climate change and biogeochemistry through observations and modeling. Another goal for the program is to cultivate new scientists and conduct outreach to disseminate the results and broader impact. Furthermore, SOCCOM is deploying Argo floats with biogeochemical sensors that will increase monthly measurements by 10-30 times in the region. Visit their website for more information: http://soccom.princeton.edu/.
Geology of northern Alaska: Examining the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka microplate
(Geological Society of America) The tectonic evolution of the Arctic remains a subject of considerable uncertainty. The unknown Paleozoic and Mesozoic movements of a large block of continental crust, the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka microplate, contribute significantly to that uncertainty. Edited by Julie A. Dumoulin and Allison Till of the US Geological Survey, this eight-chapter volume addresses that uncertainty and demonstrates the power of modern research tools to penetrate the effects of orogenesis and to reconstruct pre-deformational tectonic and paleogeographic histories.
Nature in the Balance: Warming Temperatures Threaten Fragile Balance in Canadian Arctic
Hot summers are becoming more frequent, an ominous sign for the polar desert ecosystems that rely on stable ground ice.
