Posts tagged arctic.

Ponds on the Ocean by NASA Goddard Photo and Video on Flickr. HIGH RES

Ponds on the Ocean by NASA Goddard Photo and Video on Flickr.

#nasa  #ocean  #glaciers  #arctic  #sea ice  #science  #climate change  
∞  05/24/12 at 09:57am via vanished
11,151 notes
Defending Frozen Planet: So What If ‘Frozen Planet’ Didn’t Talk About the Causes of Climate Change? Solid. HIGH RES

Defending Frozen Planet: So What If ‘Frozen Planet’ Didn’t Talk About the Causes of Climate Change?

Solid.

(via onearth)

#climate change  #discovery  #whiney  #environmentalists  #education  #sea level rise  #ice  #arctic  #frozen planet  #onearth  #askjerves  #nrdc  
∞  05/03/12 at 11:29am via onearth.org
53 notes

One of the big deals that ExxonMobil has announced in the past year involves access to the Russian Arctic, where it is partnered with a Russian firm to access many billions of dollars worth of reserves involving big investments ExxonMobil would make north of the Arctic Circle. Why is that oil accessible? It’s because sea ice is melting in the Arctic. Global warming may, in fact, unlock enormous opportunities for oil companies.

As ExxonMobil attacked global warming publicly, geologists working within ExxonMobil were examining how a warmer Earth — resulting from global warming — could create new business opportunities for ExxonMobil. (via nprfreshair)

(via nprfreshair)

#energy  #oil  #exxon  #exxonmobil  #greed  #arctic  #security  #climate change  #transportation  #economic development  #drilling  
∞  05/02/12 at 03:21pm via NPR
400 notes
revkin: Arctic sea ice extent nearly at 30-year average for this time in April. As I wrote in 2007, don’t be surprised by variations up and down even as greenhouse heating builds. HIGH RES

revkin:

Arctic sea ice extent nearly at 30-year average for this time in April. As I wrote in 2007, don’t be surprised by variations up and down even as greenhouse heating builds.

#arctic  #sea ice  #extent  #climate change  #sea level rise  
∞  04/27/12 at 08:39pm via revkin
18 notes

Polar bear does a handstand. You’re welcome.

#polar bear  #cute  #video  #animals  #oceans  #habitat  #feeding  #ecosystems  #arctic  #video  #one world  #one ocean  
∞  04/23/12 at 01:03pm
316 notes

discoverynews:

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Frozen Planet

#polar bear  #frozen planet  #discovery channel  #habitat  #ecosystems  #climate change  #arctic  #antarctica  #seals  #david attenborough  
∞  04/19/12 at 04:35pm via discovery.com
35 notes

“Mark Dumas, 60, is the only man in the world who can touch a polar bear. And as these incredible pictures show the fearless bear handler from Abbotsford, British Columbia, even goes for dip in his swimming pool where he and 16-year-old polar bear Agee enjoy a watery cuddle together. Mark and wife Dawn, 60, train the 60-stone (800lb) friendly beast - the world’s largest land predator - to star in high-budget TV adverts. She has even performed in movies like ‘Alaska’ in 1995 when she was just a few weeks old. With his incredibly intimate bond Mark wrestles on the grass with Agee, kisses her, puts his head in her huge jaws, and even bear hugs her as she rears up on her hind legs to over seven feet. Mark and Dawn have owned Agee since she was six weeks old and the colossal mammal even lived in their home as a cub where she played with the family dogs and was bottle fed.”

Barcroft Media

#polar bear  #animal  #trainer  #zoos  #education  #conservation  #habitat  #alaska  #arctic  
∞  04/16/12 at 08:01am
72 notes

The Arctic Likely To Attract $100 Billion Investments In Coming Decade-Report ›

foucaultscat:

By Christina Zander and Alexis Flynn, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

STOCKHOLM -(Dow Jones)- The Arctic region is likely to attract investment of $100 billion or more over the coming decade, according to a report by independent policy institute Chatham House and the Lloyd’s of London insurance market.

Interest in the Arctic region has intensified in recent years as a boom in commodities has seen companies scramble for precious resources to satisfy growing demand from China, among others.

A melting ice cap hasn’t only opened up new shipping routes that significantly cut transport times and distances between Europe and Asia, it has also made the region’s estimated rich deposits of oil, gas and minerals more accessible.

The report, published Thursday, notes that oil and gas, mining and the shipping industries will be the biggest drivers and beneficiaries of Arctic economic development in the coming years, but it says the Arctic’s economic future depends principally on local investment conditions and global commodity prices.

#arctic  #minerals  #shipping  #drilling  #oil  #gas  #coal  #copper  #commodities  #sea level rise  
∞  04/14/12 at 02:33pm via foucaultscat
44 notes

Arctic Sea Ice Volume: PIOMAS, Prediction, and the Perils of Extrapolation ›

Now reading:

We have just passed the annual maximum in Arctic sea ice extent which always occurs sometime in March. Within a month we will reach the annual maximum in Arctic sea ice volume. After that, the sea ice will begin its course towards its annual minimum of both extent and volume in mid-September. This marks the beginning of the ritual of the annual sea ice watch that includes predictions of the extent and rank of this year’s sea ice minimum, as well as discussion about the timing of its eventual demise. One of the inputs into that discussion is the “PIOMAS” ice-ocean model output of ice volume – and in particular, some high-profile extrapolations. This is worth looking at in some detail.

Prediction methods for the sea ice minima range from ad-hoc guesses to model predictions, from statistical analyses to water-cooler speculation in the blogosphere. Many of these predictions are compiled in the SEARCH-sponsored “sea ice outlook“.

This year’s discussions however will be without the input of the father of modern sea ice physics, Norbert Untersteiner, who recently died at the age of 86. Much of the physics in PIOMAS and global climate models can be traced to Norbert’s influence. Norbert was sober-minded and skeptical about the prospects of skillful short-term sea ice predictions, but even he couldn’t help but be drawn into the dubious excitement around the precipitous decline of arctic sea ice and regularly added his own guestimate to the sea ice outlook. Norbert’s legacy challenges those of us who engage in predictions to prove our skill and to understand and explain the limitations of our techniques so they are not used erroneously to misinform the public or to influence policy…more about that later and…

Read the rest at Real Climate

#arctic  #sea ice  #sea level rise  #climate change  #prediction  
∞  04/11/12 at 08:54pm
11 notes

Enlightening video on elephant seals. Gets a bit violent at the end.

skeptv:

Life in the Freezer- Elephant Seals

Elephant seals gather on a breeding beach, and the beachmaster starts to fight off rival males. Amazing clip from BBC One’s Life in the Freezer, with David Attenborough.

#elephant seals  #david attenborough  #bbc  #environment  #arctic  #seals  #animals  
∞  04/11/12 at 06:17pm via youtube.com
10 notes
Such sawweeett sweet sentences! Now following the excellent scribes at roadsandkingdoms: When the ground is frozen, there can be no fresh produce. A lot of Russian food is born of this frequent deprivation, as they are forced to abuse what ingredients they do have—pickled cabbage, hog fat, mayonnaise, dill. Small wonder that vodka is a constant companion to food. There is, however, at least one beautiful offspring of all this wintry want: Stroganina, frozen ribbons of fresh-water whitefish, a staple of the Russian arctic. Read Simon Shuster’s dispatch from the Arctic city of Salekhard, only on Roads & Kingdoms HIGH RES

Such sawweeett sweet sentences! Now following the excellent scribes at roadsandkingdoms:

When the ground is frozen, there can be no fresh produce. A lot of Russian food is born of this frequent deprivation, as they are forced to abuse what ingredients they do have—pickled cabbage, hog fat, mayonnaise, dill. Small wonder that vodka is a constant companion to food. There is, however, at least one beautiful offspring of all this wintry want: Stroganina, frozen ribbons of fresh-water whitefish, a staple of the Russian arctic.

Read Simon Shuster’s dispatch from the Arctic city of Salekhard, only on Roads & Kingdoms

#who are you?  #roads and kingdoms  #russia  #fish  #arctic  #food  #salekhard  
∞  04/04/12 at 07:02pm via roadsandkingdoms.com
72 notes

skeptv:

Wild: Polar Bear Diary- Polar bear habits

Scientists are still learning new polar bear habits and are constantly surprised by their coping skills in a hostile habitat. Malcolm Ramsey, a scientist who has been researching these bears for the past 20 years, is still amazed by their internal GPS systems and their ability to return home in an ever changing landscape. Great clip from BBC’s natural history documentary, Wild: Polar Bear Diary.

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#polar bear  #arctic  #sea level rise  #science  #animal  #behavior  #environment  #habitat  #climate change  #adaptation  
∞  03/26/12 at 09:08am via youtube.com
11 notes
Background. Aug 2011 NYTimes: Shell Gets Tentative Approval to Drill in Arctic The Department of the Interior…granted Royal Dutch Shell conditional approval of its plan to begin drilling exploratory wells in the Arctic Ocean next summer, a strong sign that the Obama administration is easing a regulatory clampdown on offshore oil drilling that it imposed after last year’s deadly accident in the Gulf of Mexico. The move confirms a willingness by President Obama to approve expanded domestic oil and gas exploration in response to high gasoline prices and continuing high levels of unemployment. It comes as the issuing of drilling permits in the gulf is quickening, including the granting on Thursday of a permit for a Shell floating drill rig for a 4,000-foot-deep well. That means that that all five of its rigs there will be back to work after a long drilling halt. The decision to tentatively approve Shell’s plan to drill four exploratory wells in the Beaufort Sea off the North Slope of Alaska represents a major step in the company’s efforts to exploit the vast oil and gas resources under the Arctic Ocean, although some hurdles remain. The company has spent nearly $4 billion and more than five years trying to win the right to drill in the frigid waters, against the opposition of many environmental advocates and of Alaska natives who depend on the sea for their livelihoods.” Read the rest at NYTimes HIGH RES

Background. Aug 2011 NYTimes:

Shell Gets Tentative Approval to Drill in Arctic

The Department of the Interior…granted Royal Dutch Shell conditional approval of its plan to begin drilling exploratory wells in the Arctic Ocean next summer, a strong sign that the Obama administration is easing a regulatory clampdown on offshore oil drilling that it imposed after last year’s deadly accident in the Gulf of Mexico.

The move confirms a willingness by President Obama to approve expanded domestic oil and gas exploration in response to high gasoline prices and continuing high levels of unemployment. It comes as the issuing of drilling permits in the gulf is quickening, including the granting on Thursday of a permit for a Shell floating drill rig for a 4,000-foot-deep well. That means that that all five of its rigs there will be back to work after a long drilling halt.

The decision to tentatively approve Shell’s plan to drill four exploratory wells in the Beaufort Sea off the North Slope of Alaska represents a major step in the company’s efforts to exploit the vast oil and gas resources under the Arctic Ocean, although some hurdles remain.

The company has spent nearly $4 billion and more than five years trying to win the right to drill in the frigid waters, against the opposition of many environmental advocates and of Alaska natives who depend on the sea for their livelihoods.”

Read the rest at NYTimes

#shell  #oil  #obama  #arctic  #drilling  #environment  #alaska  #Chukchi Sea  #lawsuit  #energy  
∞  03/13/12 at 07:04pm
33 notes

President Obama has given approval to Shell to drill for oil this summer in the vulnerable Arctic. ›

#not a joke  #obama  #drilling  #oil  #deals  #republicans  #shell  #energy  #alaska  #arctic  #polar bears  #environment  
∞  03/13/12 at 06:58pm
291 notes

Shell Oil just sued the Center for Biological Diversity and 12 other environmental groups. ›

“It seems the oil giant thinks it can intimidate us with threats so that it can push through dangerous new drilling in the fragile Arctic ecosystem.

Please stand with the Center and help us defeat this obnoxious, anti-free-speech lawsuit.

A generous Center supporter has agreed to match all emergency donations if we can raise $50,000.

Shell Oil is suing the Center because we’ve stopped every offshore drilling proposal in the Arctic since 2007. Shell knows we’re effective, so it’s trying to take us out with its preemptive attack.

But we’re not leaving. We’re fighting back, and we need your generous support today.

The Shell game is all about intimidation and shutting down free speech. Please, help us take a stand against Shell’s strong-arm tactics with a gift to our Emergency Legal Defense Fund to save the Arctic.”

These guys are effective and GSD. Click here to donate a few bucks.

#cbd  #shell  #oil  #arctic  #drilling  #environment  #action alert  #ngos  #donate  #non profits  #big oil  #tactics  #lawsuit  #gsd  
∞  03/13/12 at 06:56pm
163 notes