Arctic News Archive - The environment

A collection of older (2004-2005) news items that relate to the environment of Arctic and surrounding regions. All links will take you to sites outside of the PRISM site. Use your back button to return.

Return to Archive Topic List

December, 2005

December 12, 2005 - Arctic orcas highly contaminated - BBC
Norwegian scientists have found that killer whales - or orcas, as they are sometimes known - have overtaken polar bears at the head of the toxic table. No other arctic mammals have ingested such a high concentration of hazardous man-made chemicals.
December 8, 2005 - Earth's Magnetic Pole Drifting Quickly - USA Today
Earth's north magnetic pole is drifting away from North America and toward Siberia at such a clip that Alaska might lose its spectacular Northern Lights in the next 50 years, according to scientists from Oregon State.
December 8, 2005 - Greenland Glacier Races Toward Ocean - BBC
Scientists are closely monitoring Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on the east coast of Greenland. This glacier is moving fast and is losing mass. A map of Greenland with Kangerdlugssuaq marked along with older (1960s) satellite images of the glacier. Similar story from CNN.
December 6, 2005 - Scientists Discover New Hydrothermal Vents - ENN
Deep-sea thermal vents were once thought to only exist in the Pacific near volcanoes, but now scientists have discovered new vents belching mineral-rich residue including gold in the southern Atlantic, Arctic and Indian oceans. The one in the Arctic Ocean are on the Mohns Ridge between Greenland and Iceland. Diagram of tectonic plates related to Mohns Ridge. Nice satellite photo of Mohns Ridge and other parts of the Arctic Ridge system.

November, 2005

November 22, 2005 - Snow Fails To Fall In Arctic Tundra - CNN
A representative to the indigenous peoples of Norway and Russia says that snows have failed to fall as normal across the Arctic tundra. This is having a negative impact on animals, plants and
November 19, 2005 - Yukon Feels The Heat - The Standard (China)
A steady rise in river temperatures is affecting everything from vegetation to the health of the salmon in a pristine part of the world.

October, 2005

October 31, 2005 - Focus on Arctic's Climate Changes - CBS News (Christian Science Monitor)
Thirteen years ago, correspondant Larry Hinzman recalls that trick-or-treaters in Fairbanks, AL endured temperatures that were 30 degrees below zero (F), but this year the predicted temperature is -8 (F). This is part of a extremely warm October in the area.
October 28, 2005 - Study: Arctic Undergoing Holistic Climate-Change Response - Space Daily
From glaciers to caribou, rivers to roads, Arctic climate change is having a broad effect on almost every aspect of life in the North. That's the conclusion University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers and others outline in a paper to be published in the October 2005 issue of the journal "Climatic Change."
October 27, 2005 - Arctic Meltdown Is Inevitable - Detroit News
Scientists conclude human-caused warming, has put the icecap past the point of no return.
October 26, 2005 - Minister Warns About Radioactive River and Ocean Pollution - Novosti
Russia's emergency situations minister has proposed setting up a government commission to deal with the radioactive dumping in the Techa River in the Chelyabinsk region, southern Urals, to prevent the pollution of the Ob River and the Arctic Ocean.
October 21, 2005 - Polar Ice Cap Thickens Despite Global Warming - IOL
Greenland's ice-cap has thickened slightly in recent years. A team of scientists said satellite measurements showed that more snow was falling and thickening the ice-cap, especially at high altitudes. the scientists noted that the thickening was consistent with theories of global warming as warm air can carry more moisture.

September, 2005

September 29, 2005 - Sea Ice Decline Intensifies - NSIDC
Summer Arctic sea ice falls far below average for fourth year, winter ice sees sharp decline, spring melt starts earlier.Similar story from ENN.
September 6, 2005 - Vegetation Growth May Quickly Raise Arctic Warming - Red Nova
Warming in the Arctic is stimulating the growth of vegetation and could affect the delicate energy balance there, causing an additional climate warming of several degrees over the next few decades.

August, 2005

August 22, 2005 - Icy Wonder of the World Is Melting Away - IOL
The Ilulissat glacier in Greenland, one of the wonders of the modern world, has shrunk dramatically in the past 2-3 years after 40 years of stability. Similar story with photo from TerraDaily.
August 21, 2005 - Warming Threatens Nunavut Ice Shelf - Canada.com
The Ward Ice Shelf, split in half in 2003, but now scientists say that global warming is causing further breakdown in this Canadian ice shelf. Map and story from 2003 from BBC.
August 14, 2005 - Icy Greenland Turns Green - BBC
Greenland's ice is melting rapidly. A reporter talks about the changes wrought across this country by climate change. NOTE: Richard Alley who took the reporter on the tour is a member of CReSIS team
August 11, 2005 - Views On Warming Hard To Thaw - Seattle PI
Hilary Clinton and three GOP colleagues flew across Alaska to see what global warming is doing to the Arctic. They saw where polar ice and glaciers had retreated, where permafrost had melted and the devastation caused by bug invasions. Clinton says "The changes are signs of things coming elsewhere on the globe." Similar story about Senator Graham's conclusions after visit from SC STATE.
August 11, 2005 - Siberia's Rapid Thaw Causes Concern - BBC
A huge expanse of a western Siberian peat bog is thawing for the first time in 11,000 years and scientists fear that the thaw may cause the release of billions of tons of greenhouse gases, causing global warming to spiral further out of control.
August 7, 2005 - Alaskan People Tell of Climate Change -
Scientists are tapping the knowledge of Alaskan natives to learn more about changes in the climate. Most tell stories of reduced hunting, changes in sea ice, warming temperatures and changes in plant and animal life.

July, 2005

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'sJune melt makes it probable that a new record may be set. The previous recordwas set in September, 2003, when sea ice was 15% below average. 2004 and 2005also saw much lower than average sea ice extent in September. See similar storyat CBC
July 21, 2005 - Greenland Glacier Melting Rapidly, Slipping Into Sea - TerraDaily
Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast has become one of the fastestmoving glaciers in the world with a speed of almost 14 km/year. In 1988, itsvelocity was only 5 km a year. This could mean that the loss of ice from theGreenland ice sheet could be larger and faster than predicted in any currentmodels. See photosand map of this glacier.
July 19, 2005 - Canada Planes To Monitor Arctic For Ship Pollution - ENN
Canadian spotter planes will for the first time start monitoring Arctic watersfor 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 thissummer. Temperatures have soared to 19.6C, a full degree and a half above theprevious record, allowing researchers to sit around in t-shirts. This is onlythe latest change brought on by global warming in this area.

June, 2005

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
The greatest measured ozone loss over the Arctic was recorded this past winter.
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 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, 2005

May 31, 2005 - North Pole Ice Pack Dwindles - CBS
Each April, scientists funded by the National Science Foundation go to the North Pole to probe the polar ice pack. The ice pack that has been thinning and retreating for several decades now. Less ice means more areas of warm water and pockets of warm air that appear to affect global temperatures and wind patterns.
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.

April, 2005

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.

March, 2005

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 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 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 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.

February, 2005

February 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.
February 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)
February 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.
February 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.
February 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.
February 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.

January, 2005

January 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.
January 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.
January 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.
January 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.
January 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.
January 5, 2005 - Arctic Environmentalists Map ... Impacts of Mackenzie Valley Pipeline - Calgary Herald
A Canadian conservation group has developed data to show the possible environmental impact of a Mackenzie Valley pipeline..
January 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.


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Home>Polar News>Arctic News Archive
			Arctic News Archive - The environment A collection of older (2004-2005) news items that relate to the environment of Arctic and surrounding regions. All links will take you to sites outside of the PRISM site. Use your back button to return. Return to Archive Topic List December, 2005 December 12, 2005 - Arctic orcas highly contaminated - BBC Norwegian scientists have found that killer whales - or orcas, as they are sometimes known - have overtaken polar bears at the head of the toxic table. No other arctic mammals have ingested such a high concentration of hazardous man-made chemicals. December 8, 2005 - Earth's Magnetic Pole Drifting Quickly - USA Today Earth's north magnetic pole is drifting away from North America and toward Siberia at such a clip that Alaska might lose its spectacular Northern Lights in the next 50 years, according to scientists from Oregon State. December 8, 2005 - Greenland Glacier Races Toward Ocean - BBC Scientists are closely monitoring Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on the east coast of Greenland. This glacier is moving fast and is losing mass. A map of Greenland with Kangerdlugssuaq marked along with older (1960s) satellite images of the glacier. Similar story from CNN. December 6, 2005 - Scientists Discover New Hydrothermal Vents - ENN Deep-sea thermal vents were once thought to only exist in the Pacific near volcanoes, but now scientists have discovered new vents belching mineral-rich residue including gold in the southern Atlantic, Arctic and Indian oceans. The one in the Arctic Ocean are on the Mohns Ridge between Greenland and Iceland. Diagram of tectonic plates related to Mohns Ridge. Nice satellite photo of Mohns Ridge and other parts of the Arctic Ridge system. November, 2005 November 22, 2005 - Snow Fails To Fall In Arctic Tundra - CNN A representative to the indigenous peoples of Norway and Russia says that snows have failed to fall as normal across the Arctic tundra. This is having a negative impact on animals, plants and November 19, 2005 - Yukon Feels The Heat - The Standard (China) A steady rise in river temperatures is affecting everything from vegetation to the health of the salmon in a pristine part of the world. October, 2005 October 31, 2005 - Focus on Arctic's Climate Changes - CBS News (Christian Science Monitor) Thirteen years ago, correspondant Larry Hinzman recalls that trick-or-treaters in Fairbanks, AL endured temperatures that were 30 degrees below zero (F), but this year the predicted temperature is -8 (F). This is part of a extremely warm October in the area. October 28, 2005 - Study: Arctic Undergoing Holistic Climate-Change Response - Space Daily From glaciers to caribou, rivers to roads, Arctic climate change is having a broad effect on almost every aspect of life in the North. That's the conclusion University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers and others outline in a paper to be published in the October 2005 issue of the journal "Climatic Change." October 27, 2005 - Arctic Meltdown Is Inevitable - Detroit News Scientists conclude human-caused warming, has put the icecap past the point of no return. October 26, 2005 - Minister Warns About Radioactive River and Ocean Pollution - Novosti Russia's emergency situations minister has proposed setting up a government commission to deal with the radioactive dumping in the Techa River in the Chelyabinsk region, southern Urals, to prevent the pollution of the Ob River and the Arctic Ocean. October 21, 2005 - Polar Ice Cap Thickens Despite Global Warming - IOL Greenland's ice-cap has thickened slightly in recent years. A team of scientists said satellite measurements showed that more snow was falling and thickening the ice-cap, especially at high altitudes. the scientists noted that the thickening was consistent with theories of global warming as warm air can carry more moisture. September, 2005 September 29, 2005 - Sea Ice Decline Intensifies - NSIDC Summer Arctic sea ice falls far below average for fourth year, winter ice sees sharp decline, spring melt starts earlier.Similar story from ENN. September 6, 2005 - Vegetation Growth May Quickly Raise Arctic Warming - Red Nova Warming in the Arctic is stimulating the growth of vegetation and could affect the delicate energy balance there, causing an additional climate warming of several degrees over the next few decades. August, 2005 August 22, 2005 - Icy Wonder of the World Is Melting Away - IOL The Ilulissat glacier in Greenland, one of the wonders of the modern world, has shrunk dramatically in the past 2-3 years after 40 years of stability. Similar story with photo from TerraDaily. August 21, 2005 - Warming Threatens Nunavut Ice Shelf - Canada.com The Ward Ice Shelf, split in half in 2003, but now scientists say that global warming is causing further breakdown in this Canadian ice shelf. Map and story from 2003 from BBC. August 14, 2005 - Icy Greenland Turns Green - BBC Greenland's ice is melting rapidly. A reporter talks about the changes wrought across this country by climate change. NOTE: Richard Alley who took the reporter on the tour is a member of CReSIS team August 11, 2005 - Views On Warming Hard To Thaw - Seattle PI Hilary Clinton and three GOP colleagues flew across Alaska to see what global warming is doing to the Arctic. They saw where polar ice and glaciers had retreated, where permafrost had melted and the devastation caused by bug invasions. Clinton says "The changes are signs of things coming elsewhere on the globe." Similar story about Senator Graham's conclusions after visit from SC STATE. August 11, 2005 - Siberia's Rapid Thaw Causes Concern - BBC A huge expanse of a western Siberian peat bog is thawing for the first time in 11,000 years and scientists fear that the thaw may cause the release of billions of tons of greenhouse gases, causing global warming to spiral further out of control. August 7, 2005 - Alaskan People Tell of Climate Change - Scientists are tapping the knowledge of Alaskan natives to learn more about changes in the climate. Most tell stories of reduced hunting, changes in sea ice, warming temperatures and changes in plant and animal life. July, 2005 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'sJune melt makes it probable that a new record may be set. The previous recordwas set in September, 2003, when sea ice was 15% below average. 2004 and 2005also saw much lower than average sea ice extent in September. See similar storyat CBC July 21, 2005 - Greenland Glacier Melting Rapidly, Slipping Into Sea - TerraDaily Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast has become one of the fastestmoving glaciers in the world with a speed of almost 14 km/year. In 1988, itsvelocity was only 5 km a year. This could mean that the loss of ice from theGreenland ice sheet could be larger and faster than predicted in any currentmodels. See photosand map of this glacier. July 19, 2005 - Canada Planes To Monitor Arctic For Ship Pollution - ENN Canadian spotter planes will for the first time start monitoring Arctic watersfor 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 thissummer. Temperatures have soared to 19.6C, a full degree and a half above theprevious record, allowing researchers to sit around in t-shirts. This is onlythe latest change brought on by global warming in this area. June, 2005 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 The greatest measured ozone loss over the Arctic was recorded this past winter. 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 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, 2005 May 31, 2005 - North Pole Ice Pack Dwindles - CBS Each April, scientists funded by the National Science Foundation go to the North Pole to probe the polar ice pack. The ice pack that has been thinning and retreating for several decades now. Less ice means more areas of warm water and pockets of warm air that appear to affect global temperatures and wind patterns. 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. April, 2005 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. March, 2005 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 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 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 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. February, 2005 February 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. February 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) February 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. February 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. February 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. February 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. January, 2005 January 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. January 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. January 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. January 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. January 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. January 5, 2005 - Arctic Environmentalists Map ... Impacts of Mackenzie Valley Pipeline - Calgary Herald A Canadian conservation group has developed data to show the possible environmental impact of a Mackenzie Valley pipeline.. January 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.