(AFP Relax via Yahoo! OMG! Philippines, 12 September 2011) -- The area covered by Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point this week since the start of satellite observations in 1972, German researchers announced on Saturday. "On September 8, the extent of the Arctic sea ice was 4.240 million square kilometres (1.637 million square miles).

"This is a new historic minimum," said Georg Heygster, head of the Physical Analysis of Remote Sensing Images unit at the University of Bremen's Institute of Environmental Physics. The new mark is about half-a-percent under his team's measurements of the previous record, which occurred on September 16, 2007, he said.

According to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the record set on that date was 4.1 million sq km (1.6 sq mi). The discrepancy, Heygster explained by phone, was due to slightly different data sets and algorithms. "But the results are internally consistent in both cases," he said, adding that he expected the NSIDC to come to the same conclusion in the coming days. Arctic ice cover plays a critical role in regulating Earth's climate by reflecting sunlight and keeping the polar region cool.

Tagged: Arctic, News, Research

(UArctic News, 30 August 2011) -- The second International Arctic Forum “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue”, taking place at the Northern Arctic Federal University (NArFU) Sept 21-23, 2011 will see the official opening of the University of the Arctic's Research Office, also hosted by NArFU.

UArctic President Lars Kullerud sees the establishment of a research office as a critical step in creating a collective capacity for UArctic members to coordinate northern research. He notes that many of UArctic's members in the North are perceived as smaller actors, and risk being marginalized by larger institutions from outside the region when it comes to high level research projects. The new office will help to promote the collective capacity of these members and strengthen the role of northern institutions in Arctic research.

Kullerud recognizes that other key Arctic research organizations like IASC and IASSA do a fantastic job in Arctic research, and points to the Memorandum of Understanding that was recently signed between those organizations and UArctic to increase cooperation in this area. He states that the new Research Office will ensure that UArctic members are well represented in these efforts. Kullerud concludes that, "for the first time we will have real capacity for the Knowledge and Dialogue strategic area (Mimir). In the past it has been a challenge to realize the potential in this area. Now there is a better opportunity to show UArctic's capacity and engage more effectively with the working groups of the Arctic Council.

Tagged: News, Research infrastructure

(Barents Observer, 12 September 2011) -- A Russian nuclear powered icebreaker sets out from Murmansk later this week to pick up scientists and equipment from a floating research station in the Arctic. The floating research station “North Pole 38” has been drifting eastwards from the Wrangel Island area since October 2010, and is now about to be replaced.

The icebreaker Rossiya sets out from Murmansk on Friday to pick up the 16 scientists and all their equipment and gear, RIA Novosti reports. During the same expedition, Rossiya will look for a suitable ice floe to place the next station, the “North Pole 39”. (Read also: Icebreaker sets out to save Russian polar explorers) The first scientific drifting ice station in the world, “North Pole-1” was established in May 1937. Since 1954 Soviet "NP" stations worked continuously, with one to three such stations operating simultaneously each year, according to Wikipedia. In the post-Soviet era, Russian exploration of the Arctic by drifting ice stations was suspended for twelve years, and was resumed in 2003.

Take a look at the scientists' own photos of life at North Pole 38 on the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute's web site.

Tagged: News, Research