Mera Glaciers Stakes Located

Aug 26th, 2009

Since the weather improved slightly, we left early to reach Mera Glacier hoping to find at least a few of the stakes that were put in place by scientists last year. After hiking for a couple of hours we reached the front of the glacier. Using the handheld GPS, we identified locations of a few stakes. We noted the reference number of the stakes and took measurements of the emerging heights. We also calculated the thickness of the snow on top of the glacier at the stake location. Some of the stakes appeared to be in the exact same position as last year. Other have moved (in some cases over 100 meters). After completing our field work, photos and video recording we returned to camp which is located lower in the valley. We will be reporting all the gathered information to our scientific partners.

Monsoon Fury

August, 25th 2009

After much delay caused by the fury of an exceptional monsoon, our approach of the Mera Glacier has been slow. We finally made it to Kahre, the last camp before reaching the Mera glacier, where we expect to do some of our field work. The morale of the team is relatively high despite the very poor weather conditions and reduced visibility. We will follow up tomorrow. With a little luck we will have reachd the Glacier.


http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/detail.php?article_id=23138&cat_id=7

Ocean Temperatures Are Highest on Record

National Briefing | Environment
Ocean Temperatures Are Highest on Record
By CORNELIA DEAN
Published: August 14, 2009


Average temperatures of waters at the oceans’ surface in July were the highest ever recorded, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The agency said the average sea surface temperature was 1.06 degrees higher than the 20th-century average of 61.5 degrees. Though July was unusually cool in some areas, like the eastern United States, analysts at the NOAA Climate Data Center said the combined global land and ocean surface temperature was 1.03 degrees higher than the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees, the fifth warmest since worldwide record keeping began in 1880. The agency also said that, on average, Arctic sea ice covered 3.4 million square miles in July, 12.7 percent below the 1979-2000 average and the third lowest on record, after 2007 and 2006.

Himalayan Expedition to Record Climate Change Effects

Geneva, 14 August -- In partnership with Green Cross International, the “Pax Arctica —Himalayas Expedition 2009” will help record changes in the Himalayan glaciers that feed seven of Asia's greatest rivers. The Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Huange supply water to about 40 per cent of the world’s population...

Please go to this link for more info and download the Press Release:
PR-Nepal-f-1%2012-09-50.pdf

Geoengineering...

After Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, lauching millions of tons of sulfur into the stratosphere, the average temperature of the planet dropped by about a degree ºF...
Geoengineering anyone?: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060804-global-warming.html

When you feel it, It's already too late!

Interesting video... hits home...

Greenlanders become 'independent', all 58,000 of them!

Two years to the day after our expedition celebrated Greenland National Day in the village of Ittoqqortoormit, on the east coast of Greenland, Greenland is becoming quasi-independent. More in this article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/world/europe/22greenland.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=greenland&st=cse

Let's watch this small (population) but large and important 'country' (size, Arctic location...) as it matures into a fully independent nation!

Jean-Michel Cousteau on Board of GreenCross France

I am happy to announce Green Cross France’s new Board of Directors. At the meeting in Paris on 2nd June, a new Board was elected with, as its Chairman, Mr. Jean-Michel Cousteau. In addition to being a Green Cross International (http://gci.ch/) Honorary Board Member, Jean-Michel Cousteau is a well-known and respected explorer, environmentalist, educator and film producer (http://www.oceanfutures.org/). Educating people on water issues has been one of his focus areas. As the Executive Vice President of The Cousteau Society for nearly 20 years, and currently as the Founder and President of Ocean Futures Society, Jean-Michel travels the globe meeting with leaders and policymakers in governments and businesses, as well as with people at the grassroots level.

Other members of the GC France Board include Luc Hardy [that's me ;) - 2nd from right on photo], co-leader of the Pax Arctica expeditions, as secretary general; and Adam Koniuszewski [right], GCI Chief Operating Officer, as treasurer. Other Board members are Jean-Marie Martin, a former Director of the National Center for Scientific Research and a well known adviser on environment and sustainable development – also for the European Commission; and Jean-François Mermet [left], who has been the Deputy Mayor of Lyon and Vice-President of the Lyon city agglomeration for over two decades.

Explorers Club - Flag Report!

Upon returning from the Arctic last summer, we provided a full report to the Explorers Club. Our Flag report Flag# 61 is now live on the Explorers Club website site and can be viewed and downloaded at the following link: http://www.explorers.org/expeditions/reports/reports_2008.php
or click on:

Flag 61
PAX ARCTICA
July 4th-31st, 2008
Luc Hardy MR’08

ENJOY!!

HOME

Quand j'ai rencontré Yann Arthus-Bertrand à Resolute Bay au Nunavut l'été dernier, il finissait de filmer HOME. Par la suite, il a généreusement accepté de préfacer mon livre 'ARCTIC – Transitions'. « HOME » sortira simultanément, le 5 juin 2009, dans 126 pays, et sur tous les médias : cinéma, télévision, DVD et Internet.
En France, de nombreuses projections gratuites seront organisées en plein air. Les circuits UGC et CGR offriront une séance gratuite dans leurs meilleures salles.
Le DVD sera en vente à prix coûtant à la FNAC et le film sera accessible gratuitement en streaming sur You Tube.
France 2 – qui s’est dès l’origine engagée sur le projet – diffusera “HOME” dans sa version télévisuelle à 20 heures 30, la soirée se poursuivant par un débat.
Pour les Parisiens, une projection gratuite sur écran géant aura lieu au Champ-de-Mars à 22 heures, les pelouses étant ouvertes à tous dès 16 heures.
Ce film exceptionnel est un cri d’alerte et d’amour pour la planète, notre maison, notre “HOME” à tous. Il vise à contribuer à sa façon, c’est-à-dire de manière sensible et émotionnelle, au mouvement de prise de conscience des graves problèmes écologiques auxquels nous sommes confrontés et à nous inciter à agir.

Le 5 juin, agir, pour chacun d’entre nous, c’est simplement aller voir “HOME”.

http://www.home-2009.com/fr/index.html

To purchase my new book:

Arctic Transitions: Witness to Change - Young Ambassadors in Nunavut
Luc Hardy (Author, photos and text) - Foreword/Préface by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Hardcover - 144 pages, 400+ photos – English/French text (in the same book)
ISBN: 978-0974608020

Whether you are in the USA, Europe or Asia, you can order it at:
http://www.sagaxexpeditions.com/2US%20-%2011%20-%20Books%20-%20Arctic%20Transitions.html

In the USA you can also order on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-TRANSITIONS-Witness-Ambassadors-Nunavut/dp/0974608025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228507726&sr=8-1

Breathing Earth...

The Earth breathing (and suffocating....) in real time!

http://www.breathingearth.net/BreathingEarth.swf

Un mythe planétaire...

Dans la série des bouquins pseudo-scientifiques, un de plus à éviter (ou bien à lire pour s'amuser), "CO2 - Un Mythe Planétaire" de Christian Gérondeau. Une divagation mal recopiée de Bjorn Lomborg (le scientifique Danois qui au moins reconnait le changement climatique et l'intérêt de lutter contre, mais se demande s'il n'est pas plus juste d'investir dans la santé mondiale, etc. - ça passe encore). Mais avec ce livre, on tombe dans le complot religieux qui serait la source de tous les profits de ces sociétés d'énergies nouvelles? hello... Mais comme le rapporte Tertullien, les dérèglements climatiques de l'époque, crues du Tibre, absences de crues du Nil n'étaient ils pas la faute des Chrétiens?
J'attends toujours une vraie thèse scientifique, documentée, intelligente, qui challengerait les conclusions (peut-être) parfois trop dramatiques de certains environnementalistes.

Recherches sur la séquestration géologique du carbone...

Mardi dernier, 19 mai, à l'Académie des Sciences dont il est membre, Claude Allègre anime un débat sur ce sujet. Reconnaitrait-il qu'en effet le climat change autour de lui? A suivre...

Back from the North Pole!

Sebastian is now back from the North Pole!
Congratulations!! to get all the details about what it's like, visit his link at: http://www.myspace.com/sebastiancopeland

End of an Adventure

Larry and Alain are now back. To know more about the last few days of the trip and for a full report: http://www.onearth.org/node/1139