Arctic News

[ombugge]

Canada have more than one problem these days:

How long can Canada's 'Big River' keep flowing? : Commentary - ArcticToday

Typical Mackenzie River tow. Author’s collection

[ombugge]

Under false flag: A Moscow company tried to buy a Norwegian former coast...

She is presently in her home port Tromsø and offered for sale or for TC:

M/S "Stålbas", LNXH. Offshore fartøy og fiskefartøy. - Oso Maritim

She has long and varied history, both as a fish vessel, coast guard vessel, offshore vessel and and crabber:

Stålbas

PS> The historic are not entirely correct, but she did have a stint as a “filmstar”.

Stålbas when it operated as a coast guard ship in 1994. Photo: FRM / NTB

[AKBJR]

I spent a total of four months in a handful of Black Sea ports during the mid-70s, hauling grain cargoes from New Orleans and other terminals along the Mississippi. Your average Soviet citizen was a kind, welcoming, and generous person. Having said that, the greatest harm done to the world by the Soviet regimes downfall was the dispersal of criminal elements throughout the planet. Of course, this is a personal opinion, and they’re certainly not alone in spreading criminals about.

[ombugge]

Picture showing the result of Ukrainian attack on Arctic strategic airbase near the Norwegian-Russian border:

Satellite images published by AviVector show at least four Tu-95 strategic bombers completely destroyed. Photo: courtesy of AviVector

Satellite images from Olenya show 4 strategic bombers destroyed

It is not the first Ukrainian attack on this air base:

in July 2024 by successfully launching a strike on Russian airbase Olenya on the Kola peninsula approximately 1800 miles from its Ukrainian origin.
Ukraine’s targeting of Olenya was strategic. The base is located about 200 kilometers from Norway, and is used to launch strategic bombers such as the TU-22M3 to strike Ukrainian towns and infrastructure.

According to a Ukrainian news outlet, Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR), drones damaged a TU-22M3 in the attack. There were additional Ukrainian drone attacks on Olenya in August and September 2024, and January 2025. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) reported that drone attacks resumed in May 2025, and that Russian units shot down four Ukrainian drones on 3 May.

Source: The Russo-Ukrainian war's expansion into the High North poses electronic warfare challenges for NATO

Not directly relevant, but a valid comment me think:

Source: Redirecting...

[ombugge]

Barentsburg port welcomes historic new visa-free voyage directly from Murmansk

There were few paying tourists onboard. The majority that disembarked in the Russian settlement were family members of those living there and journalists invited to join the landmark voyage across the Barents Sea this week.

The few tourists arriving from Murmansk with Professor Molchanov were welcomed in Barentsburg by a dressed-up polar bear and a Svalbard reindeer.
Photo: Arktikugol via Vkontakte

[ombugge]

More Arctic fun for Russians:

Super-rich Russians plan big party on North Pole

Putin’s trouble-making bishop sails to Svalbard as Norway’s King Harald V...

Meanwhile the Norwegian King and Queen is in Longyearbyen to emphasize that this is Norwegian territory:

Kong Harald om økt Svalbard-oppmerksomhet: – Gir oss utfordringer og muligheter

– Sending signals to Russia and the USA

When the royal couple were asked on Saturday why they wanted to come to Bjørnøya right now, the king was clear:
– This is part of Norway. That’s why we are here, said King Harald.
He pointed out that Bjørnøya is important for Norway.
– It is very important. First of all, it is important that people live here. Then we have control over the area, says the king.

The royal couple’s visit to Svalbard comes at a time when Russia’s war against neighboring Ukraine is in its fourth year, and US President Donald Trump has said that he wants Greenland, which is formally part of Denmark.
– When Norwegian authorities choose to send the most symbolic thing, namely the monarch, they communicate in several arenas. They tell the Norwegians who live on Svalbard – where the archipelago makes up 16 percent of the Norwegian territory – that they are not forgotten and not isolated, but an integral part of the Kingdom of Norway, said Tormod Heier, professor at the Norwegian National Defence University, to NRK in connection with the visit to Bjørnøya.

– Then it sends more political signals to Russia that Svalbard is high on our radar. And it sends signals to the US that Svalbard is an integral part of Norwegian territory.

Source: Kong Harald om økt Svalbard-oppmerksomhet: – Gir oss utfordringer og muligheter – NRK Norge – Oversikt over nyheter fra ulike deler av landet

[ombugge]

Sea urchin from the coast of northern Norway. Photo: Elizaveta Vereykina

Sea urchins: From problem to resource

PS> In Japan Sea urchin roe is an expensive delicacy.

[spowiednick]

Western standard ? What is a western standard??

My observation is that former anti German allies are rewriting history pretending USSR did not exist during wwii.

Western standard is not inviting Russians for celebrations commemorating victory and belittling their role in fighting Germans.

Western standard is to substitute GERMANY with some convenient term NAZI which is to suggest that there was some small group in Germany responsible for death of 60 mil people and the rest were benevolent dogooders.

The western standard is a HYPOCRITE standard .

[ombugge]

Svalbard solar park showcases zero-emission future for remote Arctic communities

When solar panels prove successful at 78°N, it can work anywhere in the circumpolar Arctic.

Located halfway between mainland Europe and the North Pole makes it the world’s northernmost ground-mounted solar park.
The park features bifacial modules which absorb light from the front and back. With white snow on the ground until early June, the light is reflected back to the underside cells and more power is produced. Also, the sun doesn’t set at Svalbard from late April until late August.

“Powering the buildings here with solar power is perfect as we close down mid-winter when the sun is under the horizon,” explains Inge Jørstad, the station’s operation manager and handyman.

[ombugge]

The heatwave in the south of Europe hasn’t reached Northern Norway, at least yet:

Europe heatwave: “We are lucky to be here!”

But maybe this July will bring heat even to coastal Finnmark, like last year:

"We want it like this all summer. Please!" Norwegian Arctic residents reacting to the heatwave

[Jughead]

Is that global warming or just perfectly natural variation?

Also just wondering where arctic dwellers get their swimming togs from? Do they have to get Amazon dog sled deliveries through every time a forecast of arctic heatwave comes in?

[ombugge]

@Jughead

Is that global warming or just perfectly natural variation

Which part of the article are you referring to?
Yes it is a fact that there is a heat wave in Southern Europe.
It is also a fact that it has been a cool summer in Northern Norway, so far this year.
That there is a difference in temperature between the two is no surprise.
It it also no surprise that people from the south seek the cooler weather in the north,
nor that people from the north seek warmer weather in “Syden”
Where is “Syden”?
Anywhere south of Lindesnes that offer sun, sand and cheap booze.

@Jughead

Also just wondering where arctic dwellers get their swimming togs from?

They bring them back from their annual (or more) pilgrimage to “Syden”.

@Jughead

Do they have to get Amazon dog sled deliveries through every time a forecast of arctic heatwave comes in?

Dog sledge and heatwaves doesn’t go together for obvious reasons.
If in doubt, google “Finnmarksløpet” and you will understand why. (maybe)

PS> Did you notice that Global warming was not even mentioned in the linked article?

[ombugge]

Europe looks to Nordic space race to scale back US dependence - ArcticToday

Trump’s popularity is high in the Arctic;

Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder of ISAR, said interest from defence ministries in the last six months had been huge and that ISAR’s flights were being filled for the coming years, even before a first successful orbital launch.
“Frankly, I think probably the biggest driver was Trump getting elected once again. And as such, Trump probably did more for European defence than any European politician before him. It really created a huge sense of urgency,” he said.

[ombugge]

Arctic sea ice: Uncertainty what will happened in the future

Most of the global climate modells project that the September SIE will be ice free in this century. A recent new study even conclude that the first ice free day in September could happened before 2030.

I have calculated that the Arctic Ocean only could be ice free in September if the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere reach 573 ppm: That is not likely to happened and is far above the Paris Agreement of 450 ppm by 2060.
Even if the Paris Agreement will not be totally achieved, a reduction of CO2 concentration to the atmosphere will take place in the coming years and my «hypothesis of no tipping point» for the summer ice will perhaps be correct.
Only time will show.

Maybe icebreakers will still be needed to bring war veterans, tourists and EVs to the North Pole for some years yet:

With nuclear power, Rosatom’s new electric car makes it to North Pole

[ombugge]

More Rosatom news:

Floating nuclear power plant completes first fuel cycle

[ombugge]

Barents Observer is standing up for free journalism and free speech:

This is why we take the Prosecutor-General of Russia to court

[ombugge]

It’s summer in the Arctic:

Sea Legend launches China–Europe Arctic container service - Splash247

[Tupsis]

No ice class…

[ombugge]

Northern Norway to be an AI hub? That is a long jump from dried cod and reindeer hearding of the past:

New OpenAI Norway data center marks turning point in Europe’s AI race -...

Norway’s northern city of Narvik was chosen for its abundant hydropower, cool climate, low-cost renewable energy and mature industrial infrastructure—factors that make it ideal for sustainable, large-scale AI compute. The Stargate Norway facility will run entirely on renewable power and incorporate closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling for maximum efficiency. Surplus heat from the GPU systems will be repurposed to support low-carbon industrial enterprises in the surrounding region.

[ombugge]

This is why we take the Prosecutor-General of Russia to court

Barents Observer lost their case against the Russian General Prosector:
the Russian General Prosector:

Despite loss in court, Barents Observer sees case against Russian General...

This week’s court decision will not be the last word in the case. The journalists intend to dispute the ruling.
“We will appeal the case to the Moscow City Court,” Editor Nilsen underlines. He also confirms that the case ultimately could be taken to the Russian Constitutional Court.
He describes the case as unique. Hardly ever before has Russian General Prosecutor been taken to court in such a case.