Saturday, December 27, 2008

2008 cooler than last year, but Planet still warming...


NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies has released its preliminary temperature plot for 2008 (December's not over yet). As the chart (above) shows, overall temps in the past almost-a-year took a dip, with 2008 the coolest year of the past eight.
http://globalwarming.change.org/blog/view/2008_cooler_than_last_year_yes_globe_still_warming_yes

Friday, December 5, 2008

Antarctic tourist ship leaks fuel...

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - An Antarctic cruise ship carrying 122 passengers and crew started to take on water and leak fuel after it ran aground on Thursday, an Argentine naval official said.

Admiral Daniel Martin told local television a nearby passenger ship was on its way to the stricken Panamanian-flagged vessel, called the Ushuaia after the Tierra del Fuego port from which it sailed in Argentina on Sunday.

He said none of the boat's passengers had been injured.

"We've received information from the captain of the Ushuaia that the boat is grounded ... with a minimal amount of water coming in and some fuel loss," Martin said.

He said the ship lay some 186 miles (300 km) southwest of Argentina's Marambio military base on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Cruise travel has grown in Antarctica in recent years, with tourists paying thousands of dollars to see towering icebergs, seals, whales and penguins.

A year ago, more than 150 crew and passengers, many of them elderly, escaped unhurt in a dramatic rescue after their cruise ship hit ice off Antarctica and sank.

The ship is operated by Antarpply Expeditions, based in Ushuaia.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Greenlanders vote on expanding autonomy

People queue to vote at a polling stations in Nuuk, Greenland  Tuesday  Nov. 25, Greenlanders vote on expanding autonomy on Tuesday. A 'Yes' (likely), will mean more interest in oil and minerals exploration revenues in the future, to compensate for Denmark assistance which would likely decrease with autonomy...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081125/ap_on_re_eu/eu_greenland_referendum

Monday, November 24, 2008

Gorbachev honors Arctic Young Ambassadors


Moscow - November 21, 2008 – President Mikhail Gorbachev honors participants of the Pax Arctica Arctic expedition 2008 with Young Ambassador Award. From Left to Right: Beth Idlout, Aïnhoa Hardy, Flaam Hardy and President Mikhail Gorbachev (at the Gorbachev Foundation). More photos and details tomorrow...

http://gci.ch/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=374&Itemid=1

Friday, November 21, 2008

Moscow under snow!

The Pax Arctica team has arrived in Moscow last night.
Three children from the 2008 Arctic expedition, including Beth, all the way from Resolute Bay, are now in Moscow.
Together with a few sponsors of the expedition (Groupe UFG, KDS, Rabobank), they will be presenting the results of our findings to President Mikhail Gorbachev this afternoon.
We will report later on today.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Rabobank supports Green Cross and the Arctic!


Oct. 8: off-site meeting with top officers of Rabobank near New York. I have a chance to present the conclusions of our Pax Arctica expedition. Very smart questions from a parterre of challenging business people. Thanks Emmanuel (Durand) for organizing this.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Arctic Transitions - presentation today Oct. 7, 2008

French American School of NY in Mamaroneck
8 AM sharp the auditorium was full of 6th through 12th grade students interested in learning about the PAX ARCTICA Expedition. Luc moderated the presentation with Flaam and Aïnhoa offering personal insights and memories about their month long experience. The slide show brought plenty of ohhh and ahh’s especially when photos of animals flashed up on the screen. Fleur Desazars said, “Ca m'a fait rêver”. (It made me dream.) Students seemed captivated and there were many specific questions about the environment. After the presentation one young student timidly asked Flaam “did you see Santa Claus”?

Saturday, October 4, 2008

New Moon!



Here is the trailer of my friend Laurent Lichtenstein's new documentary "New Moon", describing man's efforts to return to the Moon in 2020. As we were on the southern side of Devon Island looking for polar bears, Laurent was filming at the Devon Island HMP, a "MArs analog" research station on the northern side of the island. Here is the link:

http://exposureroom.com/c13c8f4c8878416ea48138c2c4745607/

Friday, October 3, 2008

The Arctic comes to FASNY

Two proud students of the French-American School of New York, and their expedition friends, display the FASNY flag in front of a glacier near Otto Fjord on July 17, 2o08. They will present the results of the Pax Arctica Expedition at a school-wide meeting on October 7, 2008 at FASNY. Don't miss it!!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

November 21st in Moscow

On November 21st, adults and children from the Pax Arctica 2008 Expedition will meet with President Gorbachev in Moscow and present the results of their observations and findings. Sponsors will also be present. For information, email to: lh@sagax.com.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

From Kenya to Kikuru (Baffin Island)


Today Kuria reflects on his trip to the Arctic. He does so in Kikuyu, his native language, English and Swahili:

KIKUYU
Rugendo raw guthii gitingi kia rugongo nirwacenjirie muturire wakwa na njira nene muno tondu uria nature ndiciragia riu tiguo ndireciria. Nihotete kuona mbere muno ota uria gikuyu kiugaga ati muthomi mugi aikagia maitho kabere. Mbere iyo itanathii rugendo ruru ndionaga mbere ya iniuru riakwa ndaturite ndikunikiire gikorogocaini kana njera nini handu ndirerorera muturire kamwanyaini na ritho rimwe.
Undu wa bata muno ndathomire ni ati no muhaka ngoragwo hindi ciothe ndugamite
wega ta njamba gatagatiini ka andu othe na hote gucenjia uria andu maikaraga muno makiria kuiga bururi wi mutheru na kuhanda miti nigetha ikahota kugucia mbura. Thi no kuhiuha irahiuha niundu wa kwaga kumimenyerera. Mbarabu iria iturite kuu riu ni yambiriirie guthira kwambiririe kugia na urugari thi yothe. Tugukirora naku twarega kumenyerera thi ino twaheirwo ni Ngai witu. Andu othe nondimorie maige bururi wi mutheru ota uria mahota.
Ningucokeria Ngai ngatho muno na andu othe aria mandugamiriire na magituma thii rugendo ruru. Aria othe maturugamiriire na gutuhe indo iria ciothe twendaga cia guthii. Na muno makiria njokerie Sebastian Copeland ngatho cia mwanya niundu wa wira munene andutiire wa kuona ati ndi na kindu giothe, kunumbuiya ta mwana wake, na kemenyerera hindi ciothe. Ngai aroromurathima.
ifundisha kutokana na safari hii ni kuwa na tumainifu nikiwa kwa jumuiya ili tuweze kubandilisha mazingila. Watu wote wapande miti na waihifadhi, na tena waweke nchi ikiwa safi. Mwenyezi Mungu alitupatia tuihifadhi.
huku wote walionisaidia nikaweza kwenda kwa hii safari. Shukurani nyingi Kwa wote tulipoenda na wao, wadhamini wote, hasaa Sebastian Copeland aliefanya chochote kuhakikisha nimeenda naye na nimepata chochote nilipohitaji. Alinifanya mwanawe na sitasahau kamwe.


ENGLISH
This expedition changed the way I think about life and helped me arrange short term and long term goals.
I never really looked out of the bubble of my life and when I did it never took as much effect till I went on this expedition. One of the things I learned on this trip that keeps me confident while back in society is greatness in building consistency at all times not just a moment. It definitely changed my life in a positive direction. I would like to thank Sebastian mostly for including me in this life changing experience. I would also like to thank everyone that invested in this trip and all the sponsors that sponsored us also. I also want thank everyone that experienced along with me because every single individual taught something different. I wish we spent more time together in the North Arctic as a group because getting to be with a group of people for three weeks builds up the relationships tremendously. I loved every second of this trip. Seeing global warming with my eyes helped my ability of expressing the way I feel so now when I tell people of ways to help prevent global warming, it makes me feel great.


SWAHILI
Safari hii ya boriti kaskazini ilibadirisha mafikirio yang ya maisha na ilinisaidia kubadirisha vile ninaweza kuona maisha yang ya leo na miaka ijayo.
Mbeleni sikuwa na ona mere, nilikuwa nimejisingila na mafikilio ya hapa na leo. Nilipokuwa ninajaribu kufikiria juu ya maisha ya miaka ijayo, sikuweza kwa sababu ya visuishi vingi mpaka nilienda kwa safari hii ya boriti kaskazini. Kitu ya maana sana nilijifundisha kutokana na safari hii ni kuwa na tumainifu nikiwa kwa jumuiya ili tuweze kubandilisha mazingila. Watu wote wapande miti na waihifadhi, na tena waweke nchi ikiwa safi. Mwenyezi Mungu alitupatia tuihifadhi.
Ninas nilipohitaji. Alinifanya mwanawe na sitasahau

Friday, September 19, 2008

Wally Broecker receives Balzan Award

Back in the spring, my daughter Flaam and I had the chance to have a very interesting guided tour of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory with Peter DeMenocal
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~peter/
We are happy to hear that Wally Broecker, who works there) has just won the prestigious Balzan Award for science achievement http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/55639
He is also the author of the recently released Fixing Climate. He is famous for coining what many consider the first use of the phrase “global warming” in a 1975 article.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

La Société de la Terre Plate?

''Il nous reste sept ans pour inverser la courbe des émissions de CO2''

Rajendra Pachauri préside depuis 2002 le Groupe intergouvernemental d'experts sur l'évolution du climat (GIEC) dont les rapports ont posé scientifiquement la réalité du changement climatique.

[...]
Le Monde : Que pensez-vous des doutes exprimés par certains sur la réalité du changement climatique ?

Rajendra Pachauri :
Ils sont marginaux et reflètent le plus souvent des intérêts particuliers qui redoutent d'être pénalisés par la transition à une économie décarbonée. Mais, objectivement, il n'y a plus de place pour le doute. La science a apporté tellement de preuves. Nous n'avons plus besoin d'aucune démonstration pour savoir sur une base scientifique que le réchauffement climatique est en cours et que l'essentiel de ce réchauffement est le fait des activités humaines. Mais il restera toujours des gens pour le contester. Il existe encore une Société de la Terre plate, dont les membres continuent et continueront encore pendant des siècles de nier la rotondité de la Terre...

[...]

Saturday, September 13, 2008

more on Gov. Palin and Alaskan Bears...

From today's New York Times:
Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar bears. (Ms. Palin said the scientists had found no ill effects, and she has sued the federal government to block the listing of the bears as endangered.) An administration official told Mr. Steiner that it would cost $468,784 to process his request.

When Mr. Steiner finally obtained the e-mail messages — through a federal records request — he discovered that state scientists had in fact agreed that the bears were in danger, records show. [...]

Full story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?hp


Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Drill, baby drill...

A great comment from my dear friend Fran Dorf's blog, re Thomas Friedman new book Hot, Flat and Crowded... (http://frandorf.com/)

On going green, Tom Friedman calls John McCain “bloody dishonest.”
Posted: 09 Sep 2008 08:50 AM CDT
Yesterday on NPR, in an interview with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross, Tom Friedman, Pulitzer Prize winning NYTimes columnist, told it like it is on the absolute necessity to go green. Although I definitely disagreed with him on the lead up to the Iraq war (which I always thought not only incredibly stupid but a strategic and moral catastrophe, and he originally supported), Friedman remains among the most brilliant commentators we have in this country. Friedman ought to be required reading (or listening) for every American. Here are a few memorable (approximated) quotes from that interview that drill down (you should pardon the pun) the problem with electing John McCain:

When I heard Rudi Guiliani lead that crowd (at the Repub convention) in chanting “Drill Baby Drill,” I thought, what planet are these people inhabiting? It’s as if on the eve of the advent of computer technology, the Republicans were out there saying “Let’s stick with the IBM Selectric Typewriter.” Type baby type. Type. Type. Type.

If the Petro-dictators–the leaders of the world’s most repressive, anti-modern, anti-woman regimes like Saudi Arabia, which we’re supporting by our addiction to oil, either foreign OR domestic–were up in the bleachers at that convention, they would have been giving each other high fives! They WANT us to remain focused on fossil fuels.

We ought to be promoting fuels from Heaven (wind, solar, etc) rather than fuels from hell (fossil based)

John McCain, whom I used to respect, has been ‘bloody dishonest.’ He’s making people stupid, and it’s frankly disgusting.

John McCain’s support for lifting the federal gas tax for a summer giveaway was absurd and misleading.

We ought to have 100000 innovators working in 100000 garages.

The current tax and production credits for wind and solar energy expire on December 31. A bill to extend them has been brought up in Congress eight times and John McCain didn’t show up to vote eight times. Obama showed up three times and voted to extend. So now, at this crucial time, the solar and wind innovators in this country are at a dead stop, frozen. Nobody is starting new projects. This makes no sense at all.

President Bush claimed we have an addiction to oil, but do you think he invited all these senators, Republican’s and Democrats, to Camp David and said, “Let’s work it out.” Do you think he lifted one little finger, one pinky to help?

Remember when Ronald Reagan pulled Jimmy Carter’s solar panels off the White House?

When Reagan canceled Carter’s tax credits for wind, Denmark bought the top American wind company and now has the largest wind company in the world.

Now WHICH party and WHICH Candidate are green? George Bush (and John McCain, his twin) don’t want to work it out because the Republican party (of which John McCain is a bonafide member, matter how much they try to distract you with their lipsticked Pitbull and claims of being energy savvy mavericks and change agents), is completely in the pocket of the big oil companies. Make no mistake. The only change they’re going to give you is to move even farther to the right than even George Bush. It’s amazing: Here we have a candidate John McCain who’s made a completely irresponsible pick for Vice President, and in addition has picked just possibly the most anti-green person he could have found. Apparently, in addition to her extremist views on religion, book banning, teaching creationism in school as science, her belief that you can turn gay people straight, and so much else, Sarah Palin also apparently believes global warming isn’t man made. Great. While the rest of the world is moving forward in science and technology and medicine, we’ll be increasing our deficits as Republicans always do; restricting the most promising line of medical research, stem cells; continuing to consume oil at a planet-killing rate; teaching Adam and Eve as science to our young people; arguing over gays; adding to the world’s overpopulation in a resource limited world by pushing abstinence only and restricting access to sex education, birth control and abortion. Now that would be a catastrophe. And the Republicans continue to live in a fantasy world and insist that America is still and always will be the world’s “leader,” and call anyone who would dare speak truth unpatriotic.

To hear the whole Fresh Air interview here’s the link on NPRhttp://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=4&islist=true&id=13&d=09-08-2008

Be afraid, people. Be very afraid. Bush calls us the angry left? But I’m not angry, I’m mostly just sad. I grieve for the demise of this country and this planet. But instead of fighting as we go down, some of us will be chanting “Drill Baby Drill.”

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Already, in 1897...


From Uncle Vanya (1897) - Anton Chekhov: A quote which could have been written today:

"Human beings have been endowed with reason and a creative power so that they can add to what they have been given. But until now they have been not creative, but destructive. Forests are disappearing, rivers are drying up, wildlife is becoming extinct, the climate’s being ruined and with every passing day the earth is becoming poorer and uglier."

Monday, September 8, 2008

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Northwest Passage AND Northern Sea route BOTH open...


"Leading ice specialists in Europe and the United States for the first time have agreed that a ring of navigable waters has opened all around the fringes of the cap of sea ice drifting on the warming Arctic Ocean.

By many expert accounts, this is the first time the Northwest Passage over North America and the Northern Sea Route over Europe and Asia have been open simultaneously in at least half a century, if not longer"


Full story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/science/earth/07arctic.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=northwest%20passage&st=cse&oref=slogin

Saturday, September 6, 2008

How did the bear die?


Remember this dead bear we discovered on July 15? We thought it may have been killed by an adult? Well here is a suggested explanation from Dr. Ian Stirling, one of the world's top authorities on polar bears:

"Without being there it is hard to be sure what happened to this bear but it seems unlikely to be the victim of predation as it appears the whole carcass is more or less intact and that the hair has just rotted and fallen off the skin beside the body. Usually, if a larger bear has killed a smaller one, it is dismembered and eaten or at least partially eaten, resulting in parts of the skeleton being spread all over. This animal looks like he might just have starved and died lying on its stomach or side. Males often chase 2 year olds away from their mothers in spring to free them up for breeding but killing the young one is rare."

Dr. Ian Stirling is a Scientist Emeritus with the Canadian Wildlife Service. His research has focused mostly on Arctic and Antarctic zoology and ecology. He is an adjunct professor in the University of Alberta Department of Biological Sciences. Stirling has written three books and nearly 200 articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He has written and spoken extensively about the danger posed to polar bears by global warming. We thank him for his feedback.

Friday, September 5, 2008

RAPID RETREAT


A great article today (Sept. 5) on the NASA/Earth Observatory website, in part based on our field work at Ward Hunt Island this Summer. Thank you to all the Pax Arctica children for their hard work: Amber, Ashley, Alexa, Olympia, Mark, Kuria, Beth, Aïnhoa and Flaam:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Ellesmere/

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Map of the expedition


This is a map showing the different locations where the Pax Arctica expedition did go this summer.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Scientists Report Massive Ice Shelf Loss During Summer of 2008










As you may know our Pax Arctica team was the first on the ice to witness the dramatic events which have occurred on the Ellesmere ice shelves this Summer. They were even more dramatic developments after we returned. The losses have been terrible this season as described in the report below and on the maps and photos at the following links:
http://www.people.trentu.ca/~dmueller/iceshelfloss2008/
The photo on the right, taken by us on July 21, 008 shows the eastern portion of the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf with Cape Albert Edward in the background before widely reported calving of roughly 20 km2 of the ice shelf. The photo on the left shows the same view in mid-August, 2008.

Canada’s Ice Shelves Lose 23 % of their Area, Number Reduced from Five to Four
Tuesday, September 2, 2008, Peterborough, Ontario

Following the widely reported July calving from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf in the Canadian Arctic, massive changes have occurred to ice shelves located along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island. The entire 50 km2 Markham Ice Shelf broke away in early August and is now adrift in the Arctic Ocean. Two large sections of ice detached from the Serson Ice Shelf, shrinking this ice feature by 122 km2 (60 %). The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf also continued to break-up, losing an additional 22 km2.
“These substantial calving events underscore the rapidity of changes taking place in the Arctic,” said expert Dr. Derek Mueller, who has been studying the far north of Canada as the Roberta Bondar Fellow in Northern and Polar Studies at Trent University. “These changes are irreversible under the present climate and indicate that the environmental conditions that have kept these ice shelves in balance for thousands of years are no longer present.”
This summer’s ice shelf loss totals 214 km2, which is over three times the area of Manhattan Island. The detached pieces of ice shelves have broken into numerous ‘ice islands’ (tabular icebergs) whose fate could take many forms. “They could circulate in the Beaufort Gyre and float along the northern edge of the Queen Elizabeth Islands toward the Beaufort Sea or they could enter the Canadian Archipelago,” explained Dr. Martin Jeffries of the US National Science Foundation and University of Alaska Fairbanks, and who has studied the Ellesmere ice shelves since 1982. The Canadian Ice Service, Environment Canada, is tracking the broken pieces.
“Reduced sea ice conditions and unusually high air temperatures have facilitated the ice shelf losses this summer” explained Dr. Luke Copland, Director of the Laboratory for Cryospheric Research at the University of Ottawa. “And extensive new cracks across remaining parts of the largest remaining ice shelf, the Ward Hunt, mean that it will continue to disintegrate in the coming years”. This means that Quttinirpaaq National Park, Canada’s most northerly, may soon lose its last remaining ice shelf after the loss of its other ice shelf, the Markham, this summer.
Only recently named for a respected Arctic scientist, Harold Serson, the Serson Ice Shelf dammed a 76 km2 freshwater lake measuring approximately four meters deep that sits atop the sea water. The loss of this rare ecosystem is a possibility since it is dependent on the ice shelf staying intact. Dr. Warwick Vincent, Director of Laval University's Centre for Northern Studies and a researcher in the program ArcticNet, has been studying the ecology of northern Ellesmere Island for more than ten years. He has just returned from his latest expedition to the area, where he observed dramatic changes along the coast. “These ice shelves are formed from the Arctic's thickest and oldest marine ice” he says, “and the extent of their loss this season is significant. Unique ecosystems that depend on this ice are on the brink of extinction.”
The Ellesmere ice shelves are composed of ancient sea ice and accumulated snow along with glacier ice in some cases. Up to 4,500 years old and approximately 40 m thick, these features are vastly different from ordinary sea ice. More than 90 per cent of Canada’s ice shelves have been lost over the past century, with most of these losses occurring during a warm period in the 1930s and 1940s. Temperatures in the Arctic are now even higher than they were then and a period of renewed ice shelf break-up has ensued since 2002.
This research was undertaken in collaboration with the Canadian Ice Service with logistical support from Polar Shelf (Natural Resources Canada) and the Canadian Rangers (National Defence). Luc Hardy of Pax Arctica, an initiative in collaboration with Green Cross International, provided photos and satellite imagery. Financial assistance was provided by ArcticNet, Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.

For further information including satellite images and photos, please visit: www.trentu.ca/iceshelf, www.ice.ec.gc.ca

Or contact:

Dr. Derek Mueller
Geography Department
Trent University
Peterborough, ON
Tel: (705) 748-1011, ext. 7153
dmueller@trentu.ca

Dr. Luke Copland
Department of Geography
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, ON
Tel: (613) 562-5800, ext. 2826
luke.copland@uottawa.ca
Canadian Ice Service, Ottawa, ON
c/o Environment Canada Media Inquiries
Tel: (819) 934-8008
media@ec.gc.ca

Dr. Warwick Vincent
Centre d’études nordiques
Université Laval
Québec, QC
Tel: (418) 656-3340
warwick.vincent@cen.ulaval.ca

Dr. Martin Jeffries
National Science Foundation
Office of Polar Programs
Arlington, VA
Tel: (703) 292-7442

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Palin vs. Polar Bear


Alaska sues over listing polar bear as threatened

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The state of Alaska sued Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne on Monday, seeking to reverse his decision to list polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Gov. Sarah Palin and other state officials fear a listing will cripple offshore oil and gas development in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in Alaska's northern waters, which provide prime habitat for the only polar bears under U.S. jurisdiction.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Arctic: Point of No Return?


... Over all, the picture of what is happening in the Arctic is getting worse, said Bob Corell, who headed a multinational scientific assessment of Arctic conditions a few years ago. “We’re moving,” he said, “beyond a point of no return.”

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/science/earth/28seaice.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=polar%20bear&st=cse&oref=slogin

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Snow and Ice Data Center has reported that sea ice in the Arctic now covers about 2.03 million square miles. The lowest point since satellite measurements began in 1979 was 1.65 million square miles, last September.

With about three weeks left in the Arctic summer, this year could wind up breaking that record, scientists said.

Arctic ice always melts in summer and refreezes in winter. But over the years, more of the ice is lost to the sea with less of it recovered in winter. While ice reflects the sun’s heat, the open ocean absorbs more heat, and the melting accelerates warming in other parts of the world.

Sea ice also serves as primary habitat for threatened polar bears.

“We could very well be in that quick slide downward in terms of passing a tipping point,” said Mark Serreze, a senior scientist at the data center, in Boulder, Colo. “It’s tipping now. We’re seeing it happen now.”

Five climate scientists, four of them specialists on the Arctic, told The Associated Press that it was fair to call what was happening in the Arctic a “tipping point.”

Last year was an unusual year when wind currents and other weather conditions coincided with global warming to worsen sea ice melt, Dr. Serreze said. Scientists wondered if last year was an unusual event or the start of a new and disturbing trend.

This year’s results suggest the latter because the ice had recovered a bit more than usual thanks to a somewhat cooler winter, Dr. Serreze said. Then this month, when the melting rate usually slows, it sped up instead, he said.

The most recent ice retreat primarily reflects melt in the Chukchi Sea, off Alaska’s northwest coast, and the East Siberian Sea, off the coast of eastern Russia, according to the center.

The Chukchi Sea is home to one of two populations of Alaska polar bears.

Federal observers flying for a whale survey on Aug. 16 spotted nine polar bears swimming in open ocean in the Chukchi. The bears were 15 to 65 miles off the Alaska shore. Some were swimming north, apparently trying to reach the polar ice edge, which on that day was 400 miles away.

Polar bears are powerful swimmers and have been recorded on swims of 100 miles, but the ordeal can leave them exhausted and susceptible to drowning.

And the melt in sea ice has kicked in another effect, long predicted, called “Arctic amplification,” Dr. Serreze said.

That is when the warming up north is increased in a feedback mechanism and the effects spill southward starting in autumn, Dr. Serreze said. Over the last few years, the bigger melt has meant more warm water that releases more heat into the air during fall cooling, making the atmosphere warmer than normal.

On top of that, researchers are investigating “alarming” reports in the last few days of the release of methane from long-frozen Arctic waters, possibly from the warming of the sea, said Bill Hare, a Greenpeace climate scientist, who was attending a climate conference in Ghana. Giant burps of methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas, is a long-feared effect of warming in the Arctic that would accelerate warming even more, according to scientists.

Over all, the picture of what is happening in the Arctic is getting worse, said Bob Corell, who headed a multinational scientific assessment of Arctic conditions a few years ago. “We’re moving,” he said, “beyond a point of no return.”

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Ward Hunt cracking - A 180º view

A panoramic view (5 photos stitched):
Ward-Hunt-Ice-Shelf.mov
(place curser in the photo and drag to see the panorama)


Ward Hunt Island/July 22, 2008: After 4 hours of walking, the Pax Arctica team reaches the main crack from where the ice island on the other side of the crack is calving.

Ward Hunt / 22 juillet 2008: Après 4 heures de marche, l'équipe Pax Arctica découvre la fissure qui sépare l'île flottante de la plate-forme de glace où nous sommes.

GPS coordinates =
83º07.458’
W074º35.099’

© Luc Hardy / SAGAX - All rights reserved

Flying from Beechey Island


On the way back from Beechey Island to Resolute Bay on July 15, breaking sea ice forms graphic patterns...

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Blowin' in the wind...


July 28: Matty, Sebastian and Aïnhoa take a break from Bear watching in Radstock Bay. The wind was so strong that we could not even fall down!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Ward Hunt break-off: VIDEO



Pax Arctica expedition first on the ice to witness major break-off of Arctic ice shelf around Ward Hunt Island


An international coalition of children exploring the high Arctic witnessed firsthand the latest dramatic development of climate change on Tuesday, July 22 as a huge chunk of ice was observed drifting off the Ward Hunt Island main ice shelf, forming two ice islands totaling 20 square kilometers. The children, assembled as The Young Ambassadors of the Arctic, are part of the Global Green USA and Green Cross Pax Arctica '08 expedition.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

July 31: Pendule de Foucault at Resolute Bay


Prof. René Verreault and Sophie Lamontagne prepare for their experiment in a 15m tower.
inside, a 56kg pendule de Foucault will be positioned for an experiment during the solar eclipse of the next morning, which may be of great interest for physics!
A suivre...

Monday, August 4, 2008

L’expédition Pax Arctica premier témoin de la fracture de la plate-forme de glace Ward Hunt

COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE

L’expédition Pax Arctica premier témoin de la fracture de la plate-forme de glace Ward Hunt

Resolute Bay, Nunavut – 3 août 2008

Le mardi 22 juillet, une coalition internationale d’enfants a été le premier témoin “sur la glace” de la fracture d’une importante section de la plate-forme de glace de Ward Hunt, qui a formé deux “îles flottantes” d’un total de 20 kilomètres carrés la semaine dernière. En tant que Jeunes Ambassadeurs de l’Arctique, ces enfants faisaient partie de l’expédition Pax Arctica 2008 en partenariat avec Green Cross International et Global Green USA.

« Notre objectif était d’observer l’état de la plate-forme de glace de Ward Hunt » a déclaré Sebastian Copeland, co-leader de l’expédition et administrateur de Global Green USA. « Rien n’aurait pu nous préparer à l’étendue de notre découverte. Après quatre heures de marche sur une difficile surface de neige et de glace, nous avons atteint cette fracture. C’était tellement large que nous ne pouvions deviner que « l’île flottante » dérivait déjà de la plate-forme. Nous étions en fait les premiers sur le terrain à témoigner de cet incroyable développement. Ces fissures sont des symboles édifiants du réchauffement climatique »

« Nous étions sur l’île de Ward Hunt pour une mission d’exploration, en relation avec Dr. Derek Mueller, un chercheur en glaciologie de l’Université de Trent, Ontario. Nous avons vraiment eu de la chance d’arriver juste au moment où la glace dérivait » faisait remarquer Luc Hardy, co-leader de l’expédition.
qui va partager avec Dr. Mueller les vidéos, photos et coordonnées GPS des fissures observées par l’équipe Pax Arctica pendant l’expédition.

« Ce nouveau développement est une menace supplémentaire pour la plate-forme de glace de Ward Hunt, la plus grande, la plus épaisse et la plus ancienne plate-forme de glace de l’Arctique.” a ajouté Luc Hardy –

D’après Derek Mueller, le premier à découvrir la fracture de la plate-forme de Ward Hunt en 2002, ce qui vient de se passer est la conséquence du réchauffement climatique graduel, notamment dans le Nord : « Cette plate-forme a été déstabilisée suite à des fissures depuis 6 ans et les récentes conditions d’eaux libres dans le Nord ont facilité cette nouvelle fissure. Les observations réalisées par l’équipe Pax Arctica vont aider à cerner la date exacte de début de dérive. »


L’expédition Pax Arctica a exploré les fissures de Ward Hunt, mais a également visité d’autres sites Arctiques tels que : Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Resolute Bay, Somerset Island, Otto Fjord et Radstock Bay. Sa mission a consisté à interagir avec les cultures locales, avec des scientifiques réalisant des études sur le terrain et plus généralement à vivre l’Arctique en tant que témoin de leur génération.
Les enfants, âgés de 9 à 17 ans, représentant la France, l’Allemagne, l’Italie, le Kenya, les USA et le Nunavut (Canada), ont été sélectionnés pour servir en tant que Jeunes Ambassadeurs de l’Arctique et pour transmettre leur découvertes et observations à leurs communautés et aux générations futures. Leur expérience sera racontée dans un documentaire et un livre.

Pax Arctica est une mission sur plusieurs années, destinée à étudier et sensibiliser le public aux effets du changement climatique en Arctique.
Pax Arctica est une initiative en partenariat avec Green Cross France, Global Green USA (membres de Green Cross International, l’organisation environnementale fondée par Mikhaïl Gorbatchev) et Sagax Expéditions.

Cette initiative est sponsorisée en partie par HP, la marque de vêtements Napapijri et Groupe UFG.

Pour plus d’information sur Pax Arctica:

www.paxarctica.org
et http://expressioncenter.wetpaint.com/page/Team+Leaders?t=anon



Luc Hardy
Pax Arctica
paxarctica@sagax.com
Tel: +1-203-625 0237

Ruben Aronin
Global Green USA
raronin@globalgreen.org
Tel: +1-310-581-2700




Joanna Taieb
Green Cross France
joanna.taieb@greencross.fr
Tel: + 33 1 42 24 96 07

John Coo
Green Cross Canada
greencross@sympatico.ca
Tel: +1-613-697-4949

Record Heat in Iqaluit!

We started the Ellesmere leg of our expedition in Resolute Bay on July 11, 2008, with record temperatures...

We are ending it with record temperatures in Iqaluit:

"Iqaluit's scorching summer...

Iqaluit was the hottest it's ever been last week. Last Monday, the mercury hit 26.8 C, the all-time highest temperature ever recorded in the capital city's history.
The normal high temperature for this time of year is around 12ºC."...


http://74.125.45.104/search?q=cache:EdyoO2haKNoJ:www.nnsl.com/nunavutnews/index.html+Iqaluit+was+the+hottest+it%27s+ever+been+last+week&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

August 4: We are all back!


After a few days of patiently waiting for planes to land in various locations on Ellesmere islands, here we are, back in New York (Luc) and Los Angeles (Sebastian).
The photo is from the bay of Iqaluit at low tide. Lots of fog and still icebergs. Near the airport.

In the next few days we will feed you with news, observations and comments. Lots of catch up to do!

Great summer to all the friends of the Arctic.

Pax Arctica expedition first on the ice to witness major break-off of Arctic ice shelf around Ward Hunt Island



Resolute Bay, Nunavut – August 3, 2008

An international coalition of children exploring the high Arctic witnessed firsthand the latest dramatic development of climate change on Tuesday, July 22 as a huge chunk of ice was observed drifting off the Ward Hunt Island main ice shelf, forming two ice islands totaling 20 square kilometers. The children, assembled as The Young Ambassadors of the Arctic, are part of the Global Green USA and Green Cross Pax Arctica '08 expedition.

"Our objective was to observe the state of the Ward Hunt ice shelf” said Sebastian Copeland, co-leader of the expedition and Global Green USA board member. “Nothing could have prepared us for the extent of our findings. After a 4-hour hike in slushy ice, we stumbled upon a major break in the shelf. It was so large that we could not have imagined the crack to be in fact developing before our very eyes. We were essentially the first to witness this dramatic development from up close.”

“In a way, the fissures on the ice shelf are the fault lines of global warming,” added Copeland.

"We were on the island for hands-on facts gathering in connection with Dr. Derek Mueller, a polar scientist at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. We were incredibly fortunate to be there as the ice shelf was calving,” said Luc Hardy, co-leader of the expedition, who is sharing with Dr. Mueller videos, photographs and GPS coordinates of ice conditions and new cracks. “This new development is another threat to the Ward Hunt ice shelf, the largest, oldest and thickest remaining ice shelf in the Arctic,” added Hardy.

According to Dr. Mueller, the first to report the cracking of the Ward Hunt ice shelf in 2002, what was witnessed is the consequence of gradually warming temperatures, especially in the North: “This ice shelf has become destabilized with cracks over the past 6 years and recent open water conditions to the north of the ice shelf have facilitated the latest break off. The observations made by the Pax Arctica team will help pin down exactly when the calving took place“

In addition to exploring ice cracks, the Pax Arctica team visited sites in Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Resolute Bay, Somerset Island, Otto Fjord and Radstock Bay. Their mission was to interact with local culture, scientists conducting field studies, and to experience the Arctic environment as the eyes of their generation. The children, ages 9 to 17 and representing France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, the US and Nunavut (Canada) were selected to serve as “The Young Ambassadors of the Arctic” to observe the impact of climate change on the Arctic and take the message back to their communities and future generations. Their experience will be assembled into a documentary and a book.

Pax Arctica is a multi-year mission to study and educate the public about the effects of climate change to the Arctic. Pax Arctica is a joint effort by Global Green USA, Green Cross France (members of Green Cross International, the environmental organization founded by Mikhail Gorbachev) and Sagax Expeditions.

This initiative was sponsored in part by HP, the clothing brand Napapijri and Groupe UFG.

You can find out more about Pax Arctica by visiting:

www.paxarctica.org
and
http://expressioncenter.wetpaint.com/page/Team+Leaders?t=anon

For more information please contact:

Ruben Aronin
Global Green USA
raronin@globalgreen.org
+1-310-581-2700

Luc Hardy
Pax Arctica
paxarctica@sagax.com
+1-203-625 0237

John Coo
Green Cross Canada
greencross@sympatico.ca
+1-613-697-4949

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Bears!!











On Sunday afternoon we flew to Radstock Bay in hopes of spotting some polar bears. I'm now the only kid left from the team! We didn't have to search long before seeing two bears from the windows of the Twin Otter.
After landing near a few huts, we walked about 5km over to a place called the Caswall Tower that was on top of a HUGE cliff. The climb was very steep but we made it up. Thanks to our binoculars, we spotted another bear strolling along the sea ice probably searching for some dinner.
After waking up the next day to very strong winds we went over to the ridge but were unable to see any more bears. We returned later in the afternoon and saw one then! We tracked it for a while and noticed it was certainly waiting for a seal to come out of its hole. This morning we were picked up by the Twin Otter while walking back to the huts and we're leaving Resolute to go back home on Thursday!
[from Aïnhoa - July 29]

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

July 22nd: Green Cross children's team is FIRST to walk to breaking ice shelf!


On July 22nd we decided to explore the northern part of the Ward Hunt ice shelf.
We started out walking towards the northwest section of the island and onto the ice shelf for approximately 6km. It was a strenuous walk on ice, melted snow, water puddles...
After a while Beth suggested that we hike in the direction of what looked like a straight ridge on the horizon. An hour later we were amazed to discover an opening on the shelf about 40-50m wide.
After later discussions with Dr. Derek Mueller (Roberta Bondar Fellow in Northern and Polar Studies, Geography Department, Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario), we realized that OUR GROUP WAS ON THE ICE SHELF THE VERY DAY THIS MAJOR CHUNK OF ICE STARTED TO DRIFT AWAY! What a coincidence and momentous experience for the kids.
The young explorers are saddened but thrilled to have witnessed such an important and significant event first hand and to have been the FIRST PEOPLE TO WALK ALONG THIS CRACK.
Dr. Mueller started to report the cracking of Ward Hunt island ice shelf in 2002. We are providing him with all our recorded data for analysis. The picture shows our group having lunch by the opening, unaware that the northern part of the shelf is calving.

Interview of Luc Hardy - Launching of Pax Arctica June 4th, 2008

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Cracks!


Finally!
We made it to Ward Hunt island.
After a full day of walking on the ice shelf, we discover a few cracks and some more major openings In one of them we see a seal. We also see some smaller (and probably newer) ones, as the one pictured here. We all take pictures and film with GPS coordinates to report to Dr. Derek Mueller with whom we have been interacting for some time. He is a specialist of this area and systems. We will report more on these important developments.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

July 22: Ward Hunt


We have arrived on the Ward Hunt ice shelf and are busy taking measurements and noting GPS coordinates. We hope to publish more news tomorrow.

The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf is a remnant of the compacted snow and ancient sea ice that extended along the northern shores of Ellesmere Island in Northern Canada until the early twentieth century. Rising temperatures have reduced the original shelf into a number of smaller shelves, the largest of which was the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf on the northwest fringe of the island.
visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=5939

Saturday, July 19, 2008

July 19: News from Otto Fjord

We arrived at Otto Fjord Wednesday evening - the visibility was low but
much better than Ward Hunt. The pilots flew over Ward Hunt three times to assess the options, but there was no way they could land the Twin Otter given the poor weather and fog.
Otto Fjord is amazingly beautiful, "awesome" as the kids say,
hundreds of icebergs in all sizes. The colors are changing constantly,
white, blue, gray, green, ocre from the land... Impressionist painters
would have spent a lot of time here, had they been given the chance.
Thursday we hiked 8.55 km to see a glacier. It is definitely melting,
but hard to say at which speed and whether or not it has shrunk over time. We will inquire further about this glacier when given the chance. Hopefully we'll be picked up by the Twin Otter tomorrow and taken to Ward Hunt.
Patience is required in the Arctic!

July 19: Change of Itinerary





Due to unstable weather at Ward Hunt, a decision was made to reverse the order of destinations. The group has landed at Otto Fjord. The icebergs are spectacular and beg to be explored. Everyone is in good spirits and having a great time in spite of the uncooperative weather.

Photo Credit: 'Otto Fjord' Hans Dommasch fonds, University of Saskatchewan Archives

Friday, July 18, 2008

July 18: Ward Hunt Ice Shelf...or bust!

"No news is good news" is the mantra of the Hardy family. The last e-mail I received on Wednesday said "everyone is running to catch the plane". While we wait for LIVE blog coverage, I've prepared a snapshot summary of their assumed location. Happy Birthday dear Flaam who celebrated her 17th birthday yesterday in the Arctic circle - 500 miles from the North Pole. Mary Hardy

Ward Hunt Ice Shelf is located on the northern side of Ellesmere Island (French: Île d'Ellesmere) is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada. It comprises an area of 196,235 km² (75,767 sq mi), making it the world's tenth largest island and Canada's third largest island.

It is separated from NW Greenland by a narrow passage. The island's coast is indented by deep fjords. The interior plateau rises more than 2,000 ft (610 m) above sea level; the United States Ranges, in the north, are c.11,000 ft (3,350 m) high. An ice cap covers much of the island's east side. In snow-free areas vegetation supports large herds of musk oxen. There are scientific stations and some Inuit (Eskimo) settlements on the island. First sighted by the British explorer William Baffin in 1616, Ellesmere Island was explored in the latter half of the 19th cent. Since the 1950s the island has been the site of many glaciological, geological, and geographical expeditions. http://www.answers.com/topic/ellesmere-island?cat=travel

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

July 16: off to Ward Hunt Island...




boarding the plane now, to go to Ward Hunt Island. Weather seems to have cleared a bit. we'll stop at Eureka to refuel on the way. In case of bad weather, we'll stop there for the night.
more news via satellite phone in the next few days...

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

July 15: Beechey Island





The weather is still poor at Ward Hunt island, our northernmost destination.
Meanwhile we visit the site of the Franklin Expedition on Beechey Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechey_Island). We find the remains of a young dead polar bear (maybe killed by a desperate and famished bear? maybe by a male trying to get the mother's attention? we will never know...).
Meanwhile Mark mounts guard in case another lives one shows up...