Arctic News

A collection of news items taken from the world's newspapers that relate to the Arctic. This site is updated as news items appear in the popular press. All links will take you to sites outside of the PRISM site. Use your back button to return.

• August 14, 2005 - Icy Greenland turns green - BBC
  Greenland's ice is melting rapidly. In some places, glacial levels have been falling by 10 metres a year and ultimately contributing to rising sea levels. Travelling to Greenland, Richard Hollingham sees the impact of climate change for himself.(Sidenote: Richard Alley who is mentioned in this article is part of the CReSIS team)
  


• August 2, 2005 - Researchers Say Arctic Teeming With Life - ENN
  The Canadian Arctic is teaming with life according a group of international scientists who just completed an expedition to study the Arctic ocean. They found several species not previously believed to exist in the Arctic.They were surprised by the diversity and quantity of life in this area.
  


• July 31, 2005 - N.W. T. Park Expanding - CBC
  Tuktut Nogait National Park in the Northwest Territories is being expanded by the Canadian government to ensure adequate protection for the animals that live there, especially the Bluenose Caribou herd. Map and photos from Canada's Aquatic Habitats site.
  


• July 30, 2005 - Canada, Denmark Bring Diplomatic Row To Internet - Taipei Times
  Citizens of both Canada and Denmark have taken the disputed ownership of Hans Island to the internet to argue the cases for their own country having sovereignty.
  


• July 29, 2005 - Passage At Hand For Energy Bill - The State (SC)
  It looks like President Bush's energy bill will pass, though it will NOT include oil exploration in the ANWR as part of the bill and will do nothing to lower gas prices anytime soon.
  


• July 29, 2005 - Denmark Asks Canada To Reopen Territorial Talks... - Yahoo!
  The Danish government has offered to reopen formal negotiations with Canada to resolve the dispute over Hans Island. As global warming opens the Arctic to shipping and mining it is important for the nations to determine who has sovereignty over this island.
  


• July 27, 2005 - Record Low for June Arctic Ice - TerraDaily
  Sea ice is at its seasonal minimum in September in the Arctic, but this year's June melt makes it probable that a new record may be set. The previous record was set in September, 2003, when sea ice was 15% below average. 2004 and 2005 also saw much lower than average sea ice extent in September. See similar story at CBC - July 29
  


• July 26, 2005 - Canada, Denmark Dispute Ownership of Tiny Arctic Island - Canoe
  Canada's defense minister recently visited Hans Island, an island just off Greenland, that has been claimed by both Denmark and Canada. His remarks indicating that the island is part of Canadian territory has set off a firestorm reaction in Denmark. Similar story from Canoe.
  


• July 25, 2005 - Majority of Canadians Oppose Drilling In Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - CNW
  A majority of Canadians oppose the U.S. government's plans to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, which borders Canada's Yukon Territory, according to a recent poll conducted by EKOS Research (www.ekos.com) on behalf of World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada).
  


• July 22, 2005 - Ice Mission Almost Set For Launch - BBC
  CryoSat, a satellite designed by the European Space Agency, has been tested and will be shipped to Russia next month. This satellite will give detailed information about how the world's ice sheets are changing.
  


• July 21, 2005 - Greenland Glacier Melting Rapidly, Slipping Into Sea - TerraDaily
  Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast has become one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world with a speed of almost 14 km/year. In 1988, its velocity was only 5 km a year. This could mean that the loss of ice from the Greenland ice sheet could be larger and faster than predicted in any current models. See photos and map of this glacier.
  


• July 19, 2005 - Canada Planes To Monitor Arctic For Ship Pollution - Reuters
  Canadian spotter planes will for the first time start monitoring Arctic waters for illegal discharges of waste by ships.
  


• July 17, 2005 - T-shirts On For Arctic Heatwave - Guardian Unlimited
  Ny-Alesund, the world's northernmost community, has had a record heatwave this summer. Temperatures have soared to 19.6C, a full degree and a half above the previous record, allowing researchers to sit around in t-shirts. This is only the latest change brought on by global warming in this area.
  


• July 15, 2005 - Polar Bears Thriving Off Newfoundland - CBC
  A population of polar bears in the Davis Strait, off of Labrador, seems to be thriving. The seal population there has been increasing, providing more food for the bears.
  


• July 15, 2005 - Birds Spread Pollutants In Arctic - ABC
  Seabird droppings are full of concentrated pollutants such as mercury and pesticides and are spreading those chemicals around the Arctic. The finding, published in the journal Science, has surprised experts, who presumed the chemicals were being spread only by atmospheric winds.
  


• July 7, 2005 - Bowhead Bones Probed For Clues To Climate Change - CBC
  Two researchers will soon be scouring central Nunavut for fossilized bowhead whalebones. They hope to study the bones for clues about the climate when the whales swam through the Northwest Passage about 8,000 years ago.
  


• July 6, 2005 - Dinosaur Track Found in Alaska's Denali Park - Yahoo!
  A dinosaur footprint estimated to be 70 million years old was found in Denali National Park. This is the first evidence found that dinosaurs of this era were inthe interior of Alaska.
  


• July 5, 2005 - Necropsy Does Not Reveal Why Bear Killed Two People - Seattle Post Intelligence
  The bear that killed two campers in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was examined by officials after it had been located and killed, but no anomalies were found to explain what triggered the bear attack. Additional tests are scheduled.
  


• July 4, 2005 - Rethink Polar Bear Quotas, Scientists Tell Nunavut Hunters - CBC
  Scientists from five circumpolar countries have boosted the status of polar bears to vulnerable on an international list signalling species at risk. They asked circumpolar countries to study the issue carefully before raising hunting quotas. Similar story from IOL
  


• June 28, 2005 - Senate Approves Energy Bill That Focuses On Production - USA Today
  The U.S. Senate passed a major energy bill, promising to boost supplies of oil, gas and solar power. It now remains for a joint House and Senate committee to work out the differences in the House and Senate bills. One difference is that the House bill, passed earlier this year, supports drilling in the ANWR. Similar story from Crosswalk
  


• June 28, 2005 - Saudi Schoolboys Set Out To Explore Arctic Islands - ArabNews
  Six young Saudi Arabian scholars will join four British students on an expedition to explore Svalbard archipelago off the northern coast of Norway.
  


• June 27, 2005 - Grizzly Bear Kills Couple At ANWR Campsite - Alaska Daily News
  A couple on a rafting trip were killed by a grizzly bear, even though it appeared they had taken proper precautions.
  


• June 24, 2005 - Solar Storms, Arctic Winds Swirl in A Double Dip Cone Of Ozone Loss - SpaceDaily
  Solar storms in late 2003 combined with Arctic winds in the 2004 spring to produce the largest decline ever recorded in upper stratospheric ozone over the Arctic and the northern areas of North America, Europe and Asia.
  


• June 22, 2005 - New Measurements of Arctic Ozone - TerraDaily
  The second-greatest measured ozone loss over the Arctic was recorded this past winter.
  


• June 21, 2005 - Telescope Recovery From Tundra Complete - CBC
  # The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimetre Telescope, or BLAST, has been recovered and the data copied and backed up. Several universities now can begin analysis of the data.
  


• June 17, 2005 - How Much Excess Fresh Water Was Added To North Atlantic In Recent Decades? - Terra Daily
  Large regions of the North Atlantic Ocean have been growing fresher since the late 1960s as melting glaciers and increased precipitation, both associated with greenhouse warming, have enhanced continental runoff into the Arctic and sub-Arctic seas.
  
  
• June 16, 2005 - Balloon-borne Telescope Touches Down Successfully In Arctic - CBC News
  A high-tech telescope that spent days floating from a balloon at the edge of space has landed safely in the Canadian Arctic. The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimetre Telescope, or BLAST, is designed to probe the birth of stars and planets billions of years ago.
  
  
• June 16, 2005 - Inuit to File Anti-U.S. Climate Petition - Planet Ark
  Inuit hunters threatened by a melting of the Arctic ice plan to file a petition accusing Washington of violating their human rights by fueling global warming, an Inuit leader said Wednesday.
  
  
• June 12, 2005 - Northwest Passage Redux - The Washington Times
  Steadily melting Arctic ice is not just exposing vast unexplored fishing stocks and mineral wealth. It's also rapidly making the Northwest Passage -- the passable sea route sought by Henry Hudson and other explorers of the 16th and 17th centuries -- fully navigable in the summer.
  
  
• June 5, 2005 - NASA Spacecraft Measures Unusual Arctic Ozone Conditions - Space Daily
  Despite near-record levels of chemical ozone destruction in the Arctic this winter, observations from NASA's Aura spacecraft showed that other atmospheric processes restored ozone amounts to near average and stopped high levels of harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth's surface.
  
  
• June 3, 2005 - Siberia's Arctic Lakes Drying Up -- Permafrost Apparently Melting - San Francisco Chronicle
  An accelerating Arctic warming trend over the past quarter century has dramatically dried up more than a thousand large lakes in Siberia, probably because the permafrost beneath them has begun to thaw, according to a paper published today in the journal Science.
  
  
• May 26, 2005 - Arctic Region To Get Advanced Broadband - TechWeb
  The Residents of Svaalbard, Norway will now have cutting edge broadband capability thanks to Nokia and Telnor. This area was the casting off place for many Arctic expeditions during the Golden Age of Arctic Exploration.
  
  
• May 26, 2005 - Tall Ships Guide Aims To Give Teachers Their Bearing - Canada.com (AP)
  The Victoria Tall Ships Association announces that their Teacher's Resource Guide is now available. It will feature the North Star, a ship used in the Arctic Ocean for scientific ventures and for fur trapping in the 1930s. Learn more at the official Victoria Tall Ships site.
  
  
• May 25, 2005 - Town Gets That Sinking Feeling - News24
  A town in Sweden is moving because it appears to be sinking as a consequence of extensive iron ore mining around the town. Learn more about Kiruna.
  
  
• May 26, 2005 - Arctic Leaders Appeal Over Global Warming - ENN (AP)
  Inuit leaders from Arctic regions around the world met with leaders of the European Union and asked them to do more about global warming and to consider giving aid to indigenous groups that are being harmed by it.
  
  
• May 24, 2005 - Russians Go Against The Floe - BBC
  The Russians have towed a huge iceberg to a new location to create space for oil and gas rigs in the Barents Sea.
  
  
• May 24, 2005 - All Quiet on the Arctic Schengen Border - Swiss Info
  The Swiss are taking a look at Kirkenes, Norway on the border of Russian territory. They are due to decide whether to become part of Schengen, a territory without borders, that crosses 15 European countries. The northernmost part of this territory is Kirkenes.
  
  
• May 20, 2005 - 'Climate Refugees' May Flock to Europe - IOL (Reuters)
  The middle of Europe could become crowded by "climate change refugees" escaping a thawing Arctic to the north and Mediterranean droughts to the south, the head of the European Environment Agency (EEA) said.
  
  
• May 20, 2005 - Smithsonian Opens A Greenland Exhibit - Seattle Post Intelligence
  An exhibit highlighting the culture and landscape of Greenland has opened at the National Museum of Natural History.
  
  
• May 13, 2005 - North Sea Fish On Move To Cooler Waters - Guardian-Observer
  There seems to be a change in the distribution of fish in the North Sea. Many fish such as cod and haddock are moving toward cooler waters, whereas some warm-water fish never before seen in the North Sea are now becoming more common.
  
  
• May 13, 2005 - Charity Trek Reaches Pole - Evening Standard
  Sixteen teams, trekking to raise money for a London cancer center, have reached the North Pole. They have raised over £10,000 for the charity.
  
  
• May 12, 2005 - Arctic Oil Search Moves To New Turf .... - ABC
  Proponents of Arctic oil drilling now are setting their eyes on Teshekpuk Lake and the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Teshekpuk is a large lake important to migratory waterfowl.
  
  
• May 11, 2005 - Norway Advocates Zero Emission For Arctic Oil - Reuters
  Norway believes its "zero emissions" policy for oil and gas activity in the Arctic should be adopted internationally
  
  
• May 10, 2005 - Russians Pay Tribute To Brave Scots Who Formed Arctic Lifeline - Scotsman
  Russia held a special ceremony to honor the Scottish veterans of World War II who risked their lives to get supplies to the Red Army.
  
  
• May 5, 2005 - North Slope's Vast Viscous-Oil Bounty Targeted - Swiss Info
  The Arctic's next great oil & gas fields may lie atop Prudoe Bay and Kuparak. Unfortunately, the oil is super-chilled and very thick, making it difficult to extract.
  
  
• May 5, 2005 - Nunavut Wants Federal Investment For Fishery - Canoe
  Nunavut has asked for help developing fisheries, but the government says that a massive investment in research, infrastructure and training is needed first.
  
  
• April 26, 2005 - North Pole Team Sets Explorer Apart - The State (SC)
  The 5-person team using sled dogs and wooden sledges reached the North Pole, completing the trek in an even shorter frame than that claimed by Robert E. Peary in 1909. Similar Story from IOL.
  
  
• April 26, 2005 - Norwegian Fleet Kills 25 Whales - ABC
  The first week of the Norwegian whaling season resulting in a catch of 25 whales. This year the Norwegians have the largest hunting quota for minke whales that has been allowed for 10 years.These whales are hunted for food, not for research purposes.
  
  
• April 25, 2005 - Forgotten Man of Adventure - Canberra Times
  George Hubert Wilkins was honored in a ceremony in Australia. He was the first to propose that the Antarctic had an important influence on climate and explored both the Arctic and Antarctic in the early 1900s.
  
  
• April 24, 2005 - Women Off On Delayed Polar Trek - BBC
  An all-women British team, competing in a race from Canada to the North Pole, were able to begin after a blizzard had delayed their start.
  
  
• April 24, 2005 - Alaskan Town's Inupiat Split on Drilling In Wildlife Refuge - Boston News
  Though many Inupiat favor drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and their support has played a key role in the U.S. House decision to allow the drilling, some residents are quite concerned about the impact on their traditions, especially if the drilling begins to expand offshore.
  
  
• April 22, 2005 - Celebs Join Inuits At Earth Day Event - Climate Ark
  Two Hollywood stars joined a group of Canadian Inuits on Earth Day to highlight how global temperature change is hurting the Inuit way of life.
  
  
• April 21, 2005 - House Paves Way For Oil Drilling In Alaska - Detroit News
  The House voted to allow oil drilling in the ANWR as part of a broad energy bill. Similar Story from STL Today
  
  
• April 12, 2005 - NASA Study Finds Earth's Auroras Are Not Mirror Images - Science Daily
  Scientists looking at the Earth's northern and southern auroras were surprised to find they are not mirror images of each other, as was once thought. The main cause behind the differences appears to be the interaction between the Sun's outer atmosphere and the Earth's magnetic field.
  
  
• April 2, 2005 - Tuberculosis Threat Cannot Be Ignored - Juneau Empire
  There appears to be a significant increase in tuberculosis in the remote Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska. TB had devastating effects on Alaska natives in the 1940s and 50s and health officials fear the resurgence of the disease. Map of the area from Alaskan Abroad.
  
  
• April 1, 2005 - Shots Fired As Sealers, Protesters Clash - CBC
  Protesters trying to stop the culling of baby harp seals scuffled with sealers who sent warning shots across the protesters' helicopters. Canada says the hunt is needed for economic reasons, while animal activists characterize the hunt as "barbaric."
  
  
• April 1, 2005 - Seal Found In Backyard in Suburban Mass. Is Recovering ... - Boston Herald
  A young harp seal which may have swum down to Massachusetts from the Arctic and then wandered 25 miles inland after becoming lost and ill, is being treated by the University of New England's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center.
  
  
• April 1, 2005 - Russians Freeze Explorer Out of Solo Polar Bid - Times Online (UK)
  The Russian government has ordered Ann Daniels, who hoped to be the first woman to trek solo to the North Pole, to return to Siberia. The weather was quite dangerous so the Russians ordered the evacuation of all polar expeditions for safety reasons.
  
  
• March 31, 2005 - Drill Rights Sold Offshore From Arctic Refuge - MSN
  The Royal Dutch/Shell Group, which has not been active in Alaska since the 1980s, bid over $44 million for rights to explore for oil and gas in the Beaufort Sea, mostly in an area offshore from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Shell denies any connection between the purchase and potential drilling in the ANWR.
  
  
• March 31, 2005 - Massive Decline in Plankton Stocks - IOL
  Scientific models show that the seaborne food chain that provides food for millions of people could collapse if global climate change and the resultant glacial melting in the Arctic leads to a significant depletion of North Atlantic plankton.
  
  
• March 28, 2005 - Soot Could Hasten Melting of Arctic Ice - Live Science
  There appear to be significant accumulations of black carbon soot in the Arctic region according to scientists. This soot comes from incomplete combustion in industrialized areas, especially Asia, and then accumulates in the Arctic. This soot may contribute to the melting of the polar ice cap.
  
  
• March 26, 2005 - Explorer's Daughter Seeks Arctic Record - Times Online (UK)
  The 15 year-old daughter of David Hempleman-Adams is making an attempt to become the youngest person to reach the North Pole on foot. Alicia Hempleman-Adams, plan is to trek across Baffin Island with her PE teacher and two others.
  
  
• March 25, 2005 - Scott Of The Arctic Eyes Ice Cap Feat - Scotsman
  Louise Scott, a woman from Scotland, hopes to be the first Scottish woman in 40 years to walk across Greenland, east to west. She is raising money to combat cancer.
  
  
• March 24, 2005 - Climate Change - CBC News Indepth
  A good overview of much that we know about climate change, with special emphasis on the Arctic. Be sure to take the links to get the full impact.
  
  
• March 24, 2005 - All-woman Team Joins Race To Pole - BBC
  A group of three British women are going to take part in an international race across the Polar ice next month. Eighteen teams will compete in the sledge-hauling, skiing race.
  
  
• March 16, 2005 - Senate Votes of ANWR Oil Drilling - MSNBC
  The Senate, by a 51-49 vote, kept a provision, in next year's budget, allowing drilling in the ANWR. If Congress agrees, drilling could start later this year.
  
  
• March 14, 2005 - Armed With Magnum and Floating Sledge, Ex-bank Manager Begins Her Lonely March - Guardian Unlimited
  An Arctic guide and mother of four is hoping to become the first woman to walk solo to the North Pole. She set out on this very challenging quest last week. (Photo from BBC; earlier story on her being delayed in Russia from The Scotsman )
  
  
• March 12 , 2005 - Hardy Adventurers Set Sites on Bering Strait Trek - Circles
  An American and a Belgian plan to ski, trek on foot, paddle and sail to complete a 112 mile round trip on the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia. The entire expedition is covered at this site - unfortunately the attempt failed on April 7.
  
  
• March 11, 2005 - Arctic Expeditions Stranded In Russia - Aftenposten
  Three groups that planned to trek to the North Pole this spring, including Liv Arnesen of Norway and Ann Bancroft of the U.S., have been stranded in Russia due to a problem with their papers.
  
  
• March 11, 2005 - Canada Calls US Oil Drilling Plan 'Big Mistake' - ENN
  Canada has vowed to keep pressuring the United States to drop its plans to drill in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, saying it will ruin the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou herd.
  
  
• March 10, 2005 - Grizzlies Spotted In Polar Bear Country - Washington Times
  Scientists have found evidence that the barren ground grizzly bear has been on Melville Island, north of the Arctic Circle. They had not been known to go that far north. (Photo of Barren Ground Grizzly from Wilderness Within)
  
  
• March 10, 2005 - Arctic Refuge Drilling Momentum Builds - MSNBC
  A Senate committee has moved to open the ANWR to oil drilling and democrats fear they may be unable to kill the plan.
  
  
• March 10, 2005 - Canada's Shrinking Ice Caps - TerraDaily
  Canada's Arctic ice cap is relatively small when compared to Greenland's, but NASA scientists have shown that these glaciers and ice caps have strong potential to contribute to sea level rise as they melt.
  
  
• March 9, 2005 - Polar History Shows Melting Ice-Cap May Be A Natural Cycle - Scotsman
  Scottish scientists who have examined the logs of Arctic explorers spanning the past 300 years have concluded that the outer edge of the sea ice expands and contracts over periods of 60-80 years and corresponds with a cyclical temperature change.
  
  
• March 9, 2005 - Bennett: Oil Rigs Won't Hurt Wildlife - Salt Lake Tribune
  A Republican Senator from Utah toured the northern Alaska coast and returned to tell his fellow Senate members that he is convinced that the small footprint of high-tech drilling rigs will not damage the ecosystem in the ANWR.
  
  
• March 8, 2005 - Fury At Arctic Convoy Emblem Plan - BBC
  Tony Blair plans to honor veterans who ferried vital supplies to Russia during World War II by providing them with a special emblem. Some feel they deserve campaign medals, rather than a badge which is not as prestigious.
  
  
• March 7, 2005 - Oil Majors Keep A Distance On Alaska - Climate Ark
  Major oil producers are taking a wait-and-see attitude as the U.S. government reopens debate about opening the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling.
  
  
• March 5, 2005 - False Hope In Arctic Refuge - Boston Globe
  This writer examines whether the oil from the ANWR will significantly affect oil reserves based on limits on pipeline volume.
  
  
• March 3, 2005 - Slicing Up Arctic History - Guardian Unlimited
  Climate change has warmed Arctic lakes so much over the past two centuries that life in them has changed dramatically. These were the findings of an international group of scientists studying sediment cores from the Arctic. Warmer water organisms have become more abundant as the climate has warmed over the past 200 years.
  
  
• Feb. 28, 2005 - Scientists Discover Why The North Pole Is Frozen - Terra Daily
  A Spanish and German scientist have announced that the sudden fall in average world temperatures 2.7 million years ago. They believe that the cause was a 7°C change in the difference between summer and winter temperatures due to stratification of ocean water as the fresh water increased.
  
  
• Feb. 25, 2005 - Tsunami Quake 'Nudges' Alaska Volcano - Alaska Science Outreach
  Mt. Wrangell, a volcano in Alaska, experienced 12 tiny earthquakes about one hour after the earthquake in Sumatra that triggered the tsunami. If these were indeed related, it would be a long-distance record. (See map and more information about Mt. Wrangell from AVO)
  
  
• Feb. 25, 2005 - Trucks Rumbling North As Mine Construction Begins - CBC North
  The Tahera Diamond Corporation is about to construct Nunavut's first diamond mine. Over 500 trucks will bring diesel fuel and building materials to the site. The trucks have begun traveling to the site.
  
  
• Feb. 21, 2005 - No Cuts to Bear Quotas, Promises Nunavut Minister - CBC North
  Nunuavut's environmental minister says he will not reconsider newly increased polar bear hunting quotas, even though the evidence shows some polar bear populations have declined.
  
  
• Feb. 18, 2005 - Scientists Brave Brutal Elements On Top Of The World - NOAA
  Scientists working at Summit Environmental Observatory in Greenland may have a chance to study an unusual thinning of the Arctic ozone layer just as sunlight begins to return to the area.The study will help answer questions about how the atmosphere reacts to extremes in temperature. PRISM was at Summit Camp this summer. View photos of the camp in our journals in Virtual PRISM.
  
  
• Feb. 18, 2005 - Norway Orders Shutdown of Drilling Rig - ENN
  Authorities have ordered the temporary shutdown of a drilling rig exploring for oil in the Barents sea because of two accidental spills into the Arctic waters.
  
  
• Feb. 18, 2005 - Hadow Opens University's "Unbelievable" Polar Lab - Yahoo
  Pen Hadow, the first man to make an unsupported trek from Canada to the North Pole was present as a guest of honor to open a new Polar lab at the University of Devon. The lab will study chemicals and algae in sediments and sea ice. (More about Steve Rowland, the scientist quoted in the article.)
  
  
• Feb. 18, 2005 - Norwegian, American Set Out To Be First Women To Ski Alone Across The Top of The World - The State (SC)
  Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen who thrilled classrooms across the world will be taking another ground-breaking expedition. They plan to ski across the top of the world. They left for their starting point on the 17th. You'll be able to follow their expedition on www.BancroftArnesenExplore.com. (Similar article from CNews.)
  
  
• Feb. 17, 2005 - Arctic Toxic Waste Dumping Catastrophe - Sky News
  The Arctic is becoming a toxic waste area with higher concentrations of illegal substances such as DDT than in the countries that produce these chemicals. These contaminants increasingly are making their way into the wildlife and indigenous people who subsist on them.
  
  
• Feb. 15, 2005 - Inuit To Charge U.S. for Climate Change Impacts - TIERRAMERICA
  The Inuit of the Arctic regions are preparing a lawsuit to charge the United States with human rights violations because they say the U.S. is the leading culprit in global warming.
  
  
• Feb. 13 , 2005 - Yukon Quest Begins - Yukon Quest
  Follow the Yukon Quest, a sled dog race, through the Yukon. The race lasts two weeks and began today.
  
  
• Feb. 9 , 2005 - Bear Study Sparks Climate Fears - BBC
  Scottish experts have conducted a large-scale polar bear count in Arctic Europe and have found far fewer bears than was previously estimated. This area is home to 12% of the world's polar bears.
  
  
• Feb. 7 , 2005 - Polar Bears Defy Extinction Threat - Scotsman
  Although it appeared that global warming was pushing the polar bear population toward extinction due to changes in the sea ice, current data show that the Canadian polar bear population seems to be on the increase.
  
  
• Feb. 4 , 2005 - Environmentalists Seek More Data on Arctic Pipeline - CNews
  It is reported that several different groups are finding the environmental studies done for the proposed Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline are inadequate and want the hearings delayed. Pipeline supporters say they are working to meet the demands for more information.
  
  
• Feb. 3 , 2005 - Changes in the Arctic: Consequences for the World - SpaceDaily
  Changes in the ice in the Arctic will have global consequences because heat is transported in the atmosphere and ocean from the equator to the poles to help balance energy throughout the globe. This article looks at a lot of the recent data and the implications.
  
  
• Feb. 2, 2005 - Scientist Warns of Vanishing Arctic Sea Ice - Scotsman
  An Oxford scientist says that over the past two decades the Arctic's sea ice has reduced about 15%. If the current warming trend continues, he feels that half of the sea ice will be gone in this region within 50 years.
  
  
• Feb. 1, 2005 - House To Move On Arctic Drilling Refuge - MSN
  A House committee is expected to vote next week to revive a broad energy bill that would allow oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
  
  
• Jan. 31, 2005 - Arctic Ozone Layer Is Thinning, Scientists Report - MSNBC
  Record low temperatures this winter over the North Pole are thinning the ozone layer in the Arctic. Scientists are monitoring the ozone closely because thinning could pose a risk to human health.
  
  
• Jan. 24, 2005 - Government To Allow Oil Exploration in Ecologically Sensitive Alaska Area - ENN
  The U.S. government plans to open thousands of acres of Alaska's North Slope, that were protected because of migratory birds and caribou, to oil and gas exploration because of a need for domestic energy.
  
  
• Jan. 24, 2005 - Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Labrador Inuit Association Sign Agreements to Establish Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve - CNW
  Agreements have been signed to establish Canada's 42nd National Park. This will be the first ever in Labrador and will protect northern Labrador's arctic wilderness.
  
  
• Jan. 20, 2005 - Arctic Rivers 'Flowing Faster' - BBC
  UK scientists report that there is an increase in the amount of fresh water entering the Arctic Ocean from rivers. This could change the global distribution of water and affect the climate system itself.
  
  
• Jan. 18, 2005 - The Arctic Goes Bush - SpaceDaily
  Arctic vegetation appears to be undergoing a transition with an increase in shrubby plants. This change is apparently driven by a warming climate.
  
  
• Jan. 18, 2005 - Explorer Achieves Dream Then Dies In Crevasse Fall - Guardian Unlimited
  Stephen Thomas, a British explorer, died from falling through a hidden ice crevasse near the British base of Port Lockroy in Antarctica. He had recently sailed his yacht from the Arctic to the Antarctic. (Photo of Point Lockroy from British Antarctic Survey)
  
  
• Jan. 15, 2005 - Ravens' lnteraction With Oil Rigs Studied - SiliconValley
  Ravens survive in Alaska's North Slope by scavenging scrap from oil fields and watching humans in the area closely . They are being studied by a doctoral student from the University of Alaska Fairbanks to see how they interact with the oil field workers and structures.
  
  
• Jan. 7, 2005 - In Melting Arctic, Warming Is Now - USA Today
  The Arctic area currently is undergoing a clear ecological change according to scientists and the Inuit who live there.
  
  
• Jan. 7, 2005 - Nunavut Polar Bear Hunting To Increase ... - Yahoo!
  Growing numbers of polar bears coming into Arctic communities has caused the territorial officials to allow Inuit hunters to hunt more of the animals this year. See later story in CVT.
  
  
• Jan. 6, 2005 - Oil Giant Leaves Arctic Refuge Lobby Group - MSNBC
  ConocoPhillips will no longer be part of a lobbying group that wants to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. They want to focus their attention toward other fields in Alaska.
  
  
• Jan. 5, 2005 - Climate: The Debate Is Changing - Space Daily
  There is now a scientific concensus that global warming is real and it is being caused by humans. This is is the conclusion of a researcher who reviewed over 1000 technical papers in peer-reviewed scientific literature.
  
  
• Jan. 4, 2005 - Arctic Environmentalists Map ... Impacts of Mackenzie Valley Pipeline - Yahoo!
  A Canadian conservation group has developed data to show the possible environmental impact of a Mackenzie Valley pipeline..
  
  
• Jan. 4, 2005 - Akita Drilling Ready for Beufort Job. - Edmonton Journal
  Akita Drilling Company is encouraged by the news that Devon Energy has pledged $60 million for exploration of drilling sites in the Beaufort Sea.