Arctic News

[ombugge]

The Greenlanders will be trying their luck in an 11. March Parliamentary election:

Greenland's ruling IA party cautious about swift independence vote - ArcticToday

Renewed interest in Greenland from the United States has invigorated the country’s independence movement, sparking calls for swift secession discussions with Denmark, its former colonial ruler.
“I will not be triggered by the heat of the moment to make decisions in a rush,” Naaja Nathanielsen, resources minister in the previous government, said in a recent Reuters interview.
Polls suggest that while most Greenlanders oppose joining the U.S., a majority favour eventual independence, but differ on the timeline due to potential living standards impacts.

[ombugge]

Surprising discovery about Svalbard's largest glacier

According to researchers, the situation with global warming on Svalbard is a vicious circle in which one process exacerbates the other.

The Bråsvellbreen (Austfonna) glacier front has retreated considerably since 1936.
svalbardkartet.npolar.no

“The Barents Sea is warming faster because there is less sea ice than before. Sea ice reflects a lot of solar radiation. When the sea ice disappears, the ocean is darker. So it absorbs more solar light,” Moholdt told the Barents Observer, adding that inflow of warm Atlantic water also contributes to the increased warming of the waters around Svalbard.

As sea levels rise, some cities in Asia, for example, are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
BO: What can we, ordinary people, do in our daily lives to improve the situation?
“We can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2 and methane,” says Geir Moholdt.

[ombugge]

U.S. Marine Corps joins large exercise in northern Norway amid Trump turmoil

Troops with the U.S. Marine Corps have since January conducted unit-level cold weather training in the area in preparation for the exercise. Now, they make ready for a war games scenario to protect northern parts of Norway from Russian aggression.
The Norwegian Armed Forces makes clear that NATO is “the foundation of Norway’s defence.”
The exercise will allow the Marine Corps to rehearse the rapid force generation and trans-Atlantic deployment of a regimental-sized element to respond to a crisis.

Joint Viking takes place a short week after Donald Trump hinted that the US may abandon its obligation to defend European allies in case of trouble.
The marines contradict this and underline a press statement that their participation highlights the strategic importance of the U.S. Marine Corps in reinforcing NATO’s northern flank and ensuring seamless integration with Norwegian forces.

A key deal in NATO is the Article 5 which says any member of the Alliance will come to the defence of an ally under enemy attack.
The United States is the dominant military power in NATO. Most Norwegian defence planning since joining NATO in 1949 includes reinforcement by U.S. military.
Additional U.S. military participants in northern Norway over the next two weeks include the U.S. Army’s 41st Field Artillery Brigade. It will deploy from Germany to Troms and demonstrate its ability to employ long-range precision fires in support of joint operations via a digital live-fire exercise.

[ombugge]

Can the Arctic Council survive the Trump administration? Probably not. Here's...

Lots of if and few answers to what will be the result of the new US foreign policy stands and attitude to multi.national organizations.

[ombugge]

Is the NWP a viable alternative to the Panama Canal, or the NSR?:

The Northwest Passage has the potential to disrupt global trade. But there's...

If the predictions of an isfree cross.Arctic sea route become reality in 15-20 years the question may be mute.

[ombugge]

Riches from the oil & gas industry is not spread equally among the Alaskan people:

A Rural Alaska School Asked the State to Fund a Repair. Nearly Two Decades...

[spowiednick]

" While Trump’s attention hasn’t yet shifted to the Arctic Council, it should be apparent to all that this is just a matter of time "

The professor has just made sure to cut that time to a bare minimum.

" When he does, the outcomes will be devastating. He will probably take three steps that will combine to either gut the key works of the Council, or possibly end it altogether. "

Not only has He turned attention on himself and his beloved Council but " very wisely " delivered a road map what can be done to anihilate it .

I can not understand these lunatics and preachers of " the western rules-based international order that has lasted since the end of World War II."

The survival instinct should tell the Gent , that when apex predator is in the forest all smaller animals and his potential prey should jump into hiding and keep their mouths shut up . What is He doing here is provoking the T’rex going straight into his wide open toothed mouth.

Keep going Professor and soon You will be looking for a job. Thre is time to fight and there is time for stratigic withdrawal.

[ombugge]

Real freedom can be had in Finnmark:

'Travelling with dogs is true freedom'.

And you can enjoy a gourmet meal with seaweed grown in the clean, clear and cold Arctic waters along the Finnmark coast:

Arctic grown seaweed will be next big thing on your menu

The sun is back and the first signs of spring are showing. (light poles along the roads are appearing above the snow drifts)

[spowiednick]

@ombugge

Arctic grown seaweed will be next big thing on your menu

All the whales have given sigh of relief

[ombugge]

Why?? Seaweed is a side dish, with delicious whale meat as the main course:

[spowiednick]

No hope for whales then

[ombugge]

No worries mate:
According to the latest estimates, there are more than 100,000 minke whales in the North Atlantic. This is based on a count from 2014 to 2019.

Increased Norwegian Quota for the Minke Whale

FYI: Minke whales are the only species of whales hunted in Norway. They are hunted for food, not sport, like many other big animals.

[spowiednick]

And this data is released by whom?
By whale hunting lobby? May be
I must try this dish sometime on condition i can afford it.

[ombugge]

@spowiednick

By whale hunting lobby?

No, he died a years ago:

Steinar Bastessen wore his trademark sealskin coat to a meeting at UN Hq.
Photo: Frode Hansen
More about Steinar, who I knew personally:

Greetings from Norway

An anecdote from the fairly recent history of North Sea Oil and Gas and a Norwegian Fisherman, Whaler and Parliamentarian by name Steinar Bastesen: [image] Seen here in 2009, dressed in his signature Sealskin vest; In another thread I mentioned the decommissioning of the Brent Spar in 1998: It became a headache for Shell when Greenpeace force them to changed plans: A few months later, buoyed by the success against mighty Shell, some Greenpeace activists decided to stop a whaler from sai…

[ombugge]

Meanwhile in god ol’ USA:

Trump Cuts Target US Arctic Research Commission to Reverse Course Days Later,...

Now wait a few days for the retraction, extension, or whatever else happen to be the flavour of the day.

[ombugge]

When will the Arctic sea ice be just a seasonal occurrence?:

Mid-winter Arctic sea ice reaches record-low

“Throughout February, the daily extent remained at its lowest values for the season. As of 28 February, the daily extent stood at 13.9 million km²—the lowest ever recorded for this date,” Copernicus reported.

PS> I hope not to experience it in my lifetime, but for the younger forum members it is a distinct possibility. (No matter what the climate change deniers think or say)

Here is what scientists say: EGUsphere - Seasonality and scenario dependence of rapid Arctic sea ice loss events in CMIP6 simulations

[ombugge]

Helicopters flew 1,000 km across frozen Arctic waters to reach the Severny Polyus drifting research station
Photo: Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

Helicopters flew 1,000 km to North Pole base in unique crew change operation

“Our air company has comprehensive experience from flying in Arctic conditions, but it was the first time that we conducted a flight to a drifting station. Our pilots and helicopters successfully coped with the task and we are confident that we also in the future can be useful for Russian researchers,” he says in a comment.

Previously, exchange of crew members and delivery of supplies to the Severny Polyus was conducted in a comprehensive logistical operation that included ice-class research vessel Akademik Tryoshnikov.

In 2023, the Akademik Tryoshnikov sailed about 6,000 km in order to reach the Severny Polyus.

The vessel that has the shape of a bathtub set out on the North Pole-42 expedition in October 2024. As of late March 2025, the ship had drifted about 650 km and had reached a point at 85° North about 500 km away from the North Pole point.

[spowiednick]

Severny Polyus is sinkable. Greenland is not .

[ombugge]

Icebreaker operator: 'We are seeing a more complicated situation with sea ice'

“Although we often hear about [global] warming, that the Arctic sea ice is melting, new studies by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute do not confirm this. According to their observations, we will not see any major change in the sea ice during winter and spring before after 2050,” he explained.

A key reason for the trend is the Arctic winds that have pushed sea ice towards the North Siberian coast. Big volumes of multi-year old ice have been concentrated in the East Siberian Sea and Chukchi Sea.

The consequence is that ships operating in the area have been forced to alter their sailing routes, Zybko told Putin. A previously anticipated extension of the shipping season will not happen, he explained.

[tengineer1]

@ombugge

Helicopters flew 1,000 km to North Pole base in unique crew change operation

My vision of hell in the sky, 1000 km on a helicopter in the Arctic.