Arctic

Last week, it was reported that an American submarine, the USS Texas (SSN 775), surfaced near the North Pole in mid-October. The submarine, part of the Virginia class, was the first ship in its kind to do so. It was taking part in an ICEX, or ice exercise. After surfacing, the submarine stayed moored to the […]

The Alaska Wilderness League organized a trip to the nation’s capital this week to lobby the Obama administration against oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in offshore areas. Sarah James, an elder of the Gwich’in nation, was one of the leaders of the delegation. She traveled all the way from Arctic Village, […]

Erin Anderssen of the Globe and Mail has a strong piece on the future of the Canadian military in today’s online edition. Soldiers donning the Maple Leaf on their uniform now have a much more visible role in the world today, whether combating piracy off the coast of Somalia or fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. […]

On October 21, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree (in Russian) declaring that the State Technical University in Arkhangelsk, Russia will transform into the Northern (Arctic) Federal University. Arkhangelsk was medieval Russia’s primary seaport and is nicknamed the “Gateway to the Arctic.” The transformation from a state to a federal university must take place […]

In the wake of an announcement by British polar explorer Pen Hadow, leader of the Catlin Arctic Survey, that the Arctic will be ice-free within ten years, Russia announced that it will charge ships a “fair” fee to cross the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Northern Sea Route, the majority of which is Russian […]

On October 23, the House passed HR 3619, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010. While the bill delineates the appropriations for the Coast Guard, the significance of the bill for Arctic affairs is Section 311, the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment Implementation. This section was originally a stand-alone bill, HR 2865, written by Representative Don […]

© AP Photo/Al Grillo The International Arctic Fisheries Symposium convened in Anchorage, Alaska last week to discuss management of fish stocks in the world’s northern waters. 150 people from the fields of science, politics, and industry shared ideas about migratory, transboundary, and straddling fish stocks.  Geopolitics, then, are even affecting cod and char.  The symposium […]

Alaska Indigenous people in Alaska are facing the difficult problem of reconciling development with native traditions. After a delay of several years, the Minerals and Management Service (MMS) of the U.S. government has finally given Royal Dutch Shell the rights to drilling in Camden Bay in the Beaufort Sea. Provided it obtains the necessary permits […]

Today, the Murmansk International Economic Forum met in the world’s largest city north of the Arctic Circle. The Barents Sea Nations, which are composed of Russia and the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway, convened to discuss the future of oil and gas development in the region. The Shtokman Field is […]

The Los Angeles Times has posted an audio slideshow by Robert Gauthier featuring photographs of the Alaskan Arctic, along with commentary by various residents. The images document the changing environment of the Seward Peninsula, whose coast lies along the Bering Strait. In two and a half minutes, the slideshow touches on topics such as the […]

Reuters put out an interesting story today on how development of the natural gas fields on the Yamal Peninsula could disrupt the indigenous Nenets tribe living there. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the conference held by the Russian government for foreign investors interested in developing these very resources. Gazprom is seeking to turn […]

Two speeches in the past couple of days have the tone for NATO’s position on conflict and cooperation in the Arctic. Currently, the organization is emphasizing diplomacy and communication over military disputes. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the new Secretary General of NATO and former Prime Minister of Denmark, spoke at a joint conference organized by NATO […]