http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/ArcticReportCard_full_report.pdf

Provides latest information on the effects of global warming on the air, land, sea, and biology of the Arctic region. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

http://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2009/pdf/PBCritHabPropNRFINAL.pdf

News release announcing a proposal to designate critical habitat for the polar bear which opens a 60 day public comment period. The area proposed for designation covers 200,000 square miles and includes barrier island habitat, sea ice habitat and terrestrial denning areas. A final rule designating critical habitat for the polar bear is required by June 20, 2010. From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/analysispaper/arctic/pdf/arctic_oil.pdf

Estimates that the Arctic could hold about 22% of undiscovered oil and natural gas resources in the world. Discusses the possibilities of utilizing these resources and the financial, political, and environmental issues associated with their development. From the Energy Information Administration.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3046/pdf/fs20093046.pdf

Documents the loss of mass of three glaciers in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska over a 50 year period and the acceleration of loss over the last 15 years. Speculates that climate change is overwhelming the previously observed responses of the glaciers to periodic shifts in ocean conditions. From the U.S. Geological Survey.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/icesat-20090707.html

Arctic sea ice thinned dramatically between the winters of 2004 and 2008. This survey used observations from NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite to make the first basin-wide estimate of the thickness and volume of the Arctic Ocean ice cover. From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/postpn334.pdf

Summarizes the environmental changes occurring in the Arctic and their potential impact on the global climate, future commercial activities, and Arctic governance. From the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/B/

Documents for the first time that one ice shelf has completely disappeared and another has lost a chunk three times the size of Rhode Island. Part of a larger research project that is studying the entire Antarctic coastline. From the U.S. Geological Survey.

http://www.crrc.unh.edu/workshops/arctic_spill_summit/arctic_summit_report_final.pdf

Provides a qualitative analysis of risk factors for five potential types of disasters involving shipping, tourism, and exploitation of natural resources in the Arctic area as ice cover retreats. From the Natiional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of New Hampshire.

http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-66.htm

Asserts U.S. policy in regard to claims of sovereignty over the Arctic region and resulting interests in effects of climate change, homeland security and national defense, and an awareness of the rich resources in the region. National Security Presidential Directive 66 from the White House.

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/index.html

Latest annual version of the climate change evidence from the Arctic area. Reports a 5 degree centigrade temperature increase in autumn and near record minimum summer sea ice. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/sep/HQ_08234_Artic_Sea_Ice.html

Press release which reports that Arctic Sea ice appears to have reached its lowest extent for 2008 and the second-lowest amount recorded since the beginning of satellite coverage in 1979. From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.