A new US Government report on the fate of polar bears in a world of rapid climate change predicts disaster for one of the world's most charismatic species, WWF-Canada said today.
“How ironic that the US government is confirming that polar bears are heading for massive regional extinctions in the next 45-75 years, yet the US and Canadian governments continue to avoid binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” says Dr. Peter Ewins, Director of Species Conservation for WWF-Canada. Dr. Ewins recently returned from a research expedition to Churchill, Manitoba, to gather data on the Hudson Bay polar bears, one of the most affected populations. Canada currently is home to nearly two thirds of wild polar bears-the world’s largest living land carnivore.

The last in a series of 9 reports prepared to inform the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s consideration of whether to list polar bears as ‘Threatened’ under the US Endangered Species Act, this US Geological Survey report forecasts that accelerated melting of sea ice will result in the loss of about two-thirds of the world's polar bears by 2050. This is almost certainly an underestimate of the impact, because current models have consistently underestimated sea-ice loss by about 25 per cent.

“The Arctic sea ice is disappearing and the great white bear is heading for extinction throughout much of its range,” said Julia Langer, Director of Global Threats for WWF-Canada. “So-called ‘aspirational’ targets for reducing fossil fuel pollution, such as those supported by Canada at this past weekend’s APEC summit, will not be enough to prevent the disappearance of the polar bear. Polar bears can’t survive on aspirational ice floes.”

The full report can be found at: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/special/polar_bears/

Russia is sending a mini-submarine to explore the ocean floor below the North Pole and find evidence to support its claims to Arctic territory.
Two parliamentarians, including veteran explorer Artur Chilingarov, are part of a team planning to dive 4,200m (14,000ft) below the Arctic Ocean on Sunday. The team's ship is following a nuclear powered ice-breaker, setting sail from Murmansk port in the Barents Sea. Melting ice in the Arctic has raised hopes of accessing energy reserves. Russia's claim to a vast swathe of territory in the Arctic, thought to contain oil, gas and mineral reserves, has been challenged by other powers, including the US. Moscow argued before a UN commission in 2001 that waters off its northern coast were in fact an extension of its maritime territory. The claim was based on the argument that an underwater feature, known as the Lomonosov Ridge, was an extension of its continental territory. The UN has yet to rule upon the claim.

Geological proof
The team aboard the mini-submarine Mir is expected to carry out scientific experiments and measurements on the sea bed. Reports say it will also leave behind a Russian flag and a capsule with a message for future generations. "The Arctic is ours and we should demonstrate our presence," Mr Chilingarov told Russian TV. His colleague and fellow parliamentarian Vladimir Gruzdev was quoted as saying: "We must remind the whole world that Russia is a great polar and scientific power." The expedition's "flagship", the Akademik Fyodorov, will follow the trail of the ice-breaking ship Rossiya as it travels from Murmansk to the North Pole. The Law of the Sea Convention allows states an economic zone of 200 nautical miles (370km), which can sometimes be expanded. To extend the zone, a state has to prove that the structure of the continental shelf is similar to the geological structure within its territory. At the moment, nobody's shelf extends up to the North Pole, so there is an international area around the Pole administered by the International Seabed Authority.

Noctilucent clouds are the highest layer of clouds Clouds and weather are badly understood in many parts of the world at best of times. Of all the elements that make up the climate, clouds are the most obscure in weather modeling. Only recently has a phenomenon been discovered in the arctic where noctilucent clouds have been changing the winter darkness into increasing lightness.and the least understood. They have been getting brighter, more common, and recently seen also in lower altitudes. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has launched a satellite in April, called Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesophere (AIM) to study these clouds.

This is all part of the discussion about what role various types of clouds at different heights play in climate change. Do they cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight at low altitudes? Do they tend to trap radiant heat from below, such as noctilucent and cirrus clouds, warming things up? Clouds really do matter in climate-change models, but, are not well understood.

Condensed from “Grey-Sky Thinking” the Economist, July 7th, 2007.
By P.A.G.'s Scientist Co-ordinator, Michael Roboz, North Vancouver, BC, Canada

British endurance swimmer, Lewis Gordon Pugh, 37, has set the goal of swimming in all the globe’s oceans. "By swimming in these places I want to encourage people to take action. What we eat, the way we travel, how we heat our homes and who we vote for can all have an impact on CO2 levels." This may sound like a noble idea, but what is demonstrates shows a darker side.

On Sunday, July 15, at 0200 BST, Pugh swam for 18 minutes and 50 seconds, at the geographical North Pole, in temperatures of –1.8C, the coldest waters any human has swum in. The challenge was conducted in accordance with Channel Swimming Association Rules. This means, no extra body coverings to make the swim more comfortable. This may seem like a noble record to make. The London city lawyer said this swim was a triumph, yet “tragedy that it’s possible to swim at the North Pole”. He plunged into the Arctic Ocean, only clad in Speedo swim trunks, a cap and goggles and followed a crack in the ice to the geographic North Pole.

Pugh said the pain was immediate and was in excruciating pain, as if his whole body was ‘on fire’ the whole time. Pugh continued to say that he hoped this feat would help influence decision-making by world leaders over the next few years in determining biodiversity of our world. Pugh said, apart from his personal challenge, he did this to demonstrate climate change in the Arctic. His next challenge is a swim around the Maldives to show the impact of climate change on ocean levels.

Condensed from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6899612.stm
By P.A.G.'s Scientist Co-ordinator, Michael Roboz, North Vancouver, BC, Canada