Swem Government Information - Arctic/Antarctic

Arctic Report Card: Update for 2009

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:40:00 -0500

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

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Polar Bear Critical Habitat

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:43:00 -0500

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.

Arctic Oil and Natural Gas Potential

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:03:00 -0500

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.

Fifty-Year Record of Glacier Change Reveals Shifting Climate in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:09:00 -0500

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.

New NASA Satellite Survey Reveals Dramatic Arctic Sea Ice Thinning

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:50:00 -0500

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.

Arctic Changes

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:28:00 -0500

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.

Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Larsen Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1940-2005

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:10:00 -0500

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.

Opening the Arctic Seas: Envisioning Disasters and Framing Solutions

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:51:00 -0500

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.

Arctic Region Policy

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:26:00 -0500

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.

Arctic Report Card 2008

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:15:00 -0500

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.

Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Lowest Coverage for 2008

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:58:00 -0500

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.

Possible Federal Revenue from Oil Development of ANWR and Nearby Areas

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:13:00 -0500

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34547_20080623.pdf Speculates on the possible federal revenues that could be derived from exploration and extraction of oil from the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the uses to which such revenue could be put. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by OpenCRS.org.

Analysis of Crude Oil Production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Tue, 27 May 2008 07:46:00 -0500

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/anwr/pdf/sroiaf(2008)03.pdf Provides an assessment of federal oil and natural gas leasing in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ANWR in Alaska and of the potential impact of leasing there on domestic crude oil production. Sees production from ANWR developing to 780,000 barrels per day by 2027 and then declining. Also predicts impact of ANWR oil on other world production and price. From the Energy Information Administration

State of the Arctic

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:52:00 -0500

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/pubs/PDF/rich2952/rich2952.pdf Presents a review of scientific data primarily from 2000-2005 which shows the Artic area undergoing continued warming and sea ice continuing to decrease as compared to patterns in the latter part of the 20th Century. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

New Polar Bear Findings

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:06:00 -0500

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/special/polar_bears/ Covers a series of studies that link future reduction of sea ice in the Arctic to loss of 2/3 of the world's polar bear population. From the U.S. Geological Survey