Alaska | Cold United

Big Photo: Cracks in Sea Ice in the Arctic Reveal Methane

On 05.23.12, In Climate, Natures, Photos, Science, By Bolot

*Click the image to see in a big size

This photo was taken by Eric Kort, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska, USA, on May 21st, 2012.

“These cracks in sea ice reveal a surprising and potentially important source of methane: the Arctic Ocean,” states Sarah Simpson.

Methane’s ability to exacerbate global warming means that realistic climate projections depend on understanding all of its sources. Arctic ecologists have known for years that huge reservoirs of methane are frozen in permafrost soils, and strong evidence has revealed the gas escaping into the atmosphere from thawing permafrost and bubbling Arctic lakes. A recent study documented hundreds of thousands of methane seeps under glaciers in Alaska and Greenland.

Learn more about this nature phenomenon on Discovery News.

Tagged with: Alaska • Arctic • ice • North • photo • Science • USA

A homemade Russian boat on a TransArctic trip through Canada’s Northwest Passage

On 08.25.11, In Adventures, News, Projects, Science, Travel, By Bolot

A Russian boat RUS in Clyde River, Nunavut. Photo by CBC.ca

Adventure enthusiasts from the Russian city of Ivanovo were reported to be the first sailers, who have crossed the Polar Circle on an air-inflated trimaran. It happened on Aug. 5th, 2011. Last Satuday, their boat called “Rus” have already made it to the Clyde River in Nunavut, Canada.

When Canadians saw their strange-looking 7.6-metre trimaran, they called it as a homemade boat “made out of bamboo, rope and duct tape.”

Here is what CBC.ca wrote:

“Absolutely fascinating. I’ve never seen the likes of it in my life,” said Constable Rolland Lavoie, who’s with the RCMP in Clyde River. “I would expect that a trip of this sort to be on a huge cruise boat, something huge, but this is something out of Gilligan’s Island, for crying out loud. Very Interesting.”

Ok. Who are these Russian sailers?

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Tagged with: Alaska • Arctic • Baltic Sea • Canada • Chukotka • Greenland • Iceland • Ivanovo • Northwest Passages • Norwegian Sea • Nunavut • photo • Russia • Saint Petersburg • The Path of Orion • trimaran

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the Alaskan Interior

On 11.02.10, In Cultures, documentary, Environment, Industry, Lives, By Bolot

What a great man, this Jimmy Carter! In 1980, he established the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the Alaskan Interior, cutting off 19 million acres of prime boreal wilderness from the mitts of fur trappers, oil tycoons, and would-be lodge owners alike.

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Tagged with: Alaska • ANWAR • Arctic • Final Frontiersman • fishing • Heimo Korth • hunting • James Campbell • oil • Peak • Survival • USA • VBS.TV

2010 Arctic Aviation Expert Conference Presentations

On 10.26.10, In aviation, Climate, Events, Industry, News, By Bolot

Polar Airlines is rescuing the French Arctic explorer-balloonist Jean-Louis Etienne in Arctic Yakutia, Siberia, after his 5-days The North Pole crossing. April 11th, 2010. See more exclusive photos at http://eYakutia.com

In the last May, Cold United announced about 2010 Arctic Aviation Expert Conference that eventually took place on October 12-13 in Fairbanks, Alaska/USA. Arranged and hosted by the Institute of the North.

The 2010 Arctic Aviation Expert Conference in Fairbanks provided a valuable platform for experts and stakeholders from across the Arctic to come together and forge new relationships. The energy and enthusiasm throughout demonstrated the importance of increased communication and collaboration.

This time Arctic aviators paid much attention to climate changes. The word “change” was the most popular in discussions and presentations. Participants could hear often such phrases as adaptations to cold and changing climates, impacts of climate change, new products for aviation in a changing climate, changing Arctic, our changing home and so on.

They do not reveal any proposals about ways to stop global warming (i.e. climate changes) or calculate the effect of global warming. They just need to know how to operate in the current Arctic conditions, as they admit the Arctic warming on default.

Further, please, find the list of conference speakers, their reports and links for downloading all presentations in the PDF format.

Are you interested to know how climate changes affected the Arctic and what aviators should do?

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Tagged with: academic institutions • airlines • airplane • airplane and airline industries • airport • Alaska • Arctic • Arctic aviation • Arctic aviation consultants • Arctic Circle • Arctic communities • aviation • aviation policy • aviation regulation • Climate change • conference • Fairbanks • flight weather • global warming • international conference • international event • mineral companies • Northern energy • USA

2010-2011 Cold United Season Started

On 09.14.10, In Announcements, Lives, News, Projects, Videos, By Bolot

It might sound insane, but I love the COLD… Cold weather. Cold climate. Gorgeous angel-like snow. Fragile mighty ice. Unique northern peoples with their traditional way of living… That’s why this blog still exists… and hope, it will have further development

Please, watch the above video slideshow presented by the Uummannaq Music project (the world’s northernmost moving music platform based at the Children’s Home in Uummannaq, Greenland, 590 kilometers north of the Artic Circle) and share Greenland kids’ JOY ABOUT COLD!

On my side, in the Siberian city of Yakutsk, it’s getting colder and colder. The previous night, on September 12, 2010, was already with -1C. In two days, we are promised to have -4C and even snow-n-rain by the end of the current week! Today I received a message from George Lessard, our Canadian friend, who informed about today’s first frost in Yellowknife!

So… it’s the right time to declare the start of the new Cold United season.

Plans? A lot!

We will follow major significant volunteer/non-governmental/ordinary people’s projects dedicated to cold regions like Polar Circle with Arctic, Siberia, Scandinavia, Greenland, Canada, Alaska… and, yeah, Antarctic. Like Uummannaq Music and other great ones listed on the Cold-Related Projects page.

We will try to keep sharing northern peoples’ experience of living in the cold condition. In my personal turn, I am eager to provide various information on how the life is going on in Yakutsk, the world’s coldest city and capital of the biggest Siberian/Russian region.

Stay tuned and feel free to let us know, what you would love to see on our blog. If you’ve got great cold-related initiatives or proposals, inform us via the Cold United contact form, our Facebook page or the Twitter account @ColdUnited.

Tagged with: Alaska • Announcement • Arctic • Canada • Cold United • Greenland • Russia • Scandinavia • Siberia • UK • USA • video • Yakutia

Arctic News Digest, June 23, 2010. By George Lessard.

On 06.23.10, In Lives, News, Science, By Bolot

Canada's booth at the IPY Conference in Oslo. Credit: Mark Terry. CanadianGeographic.ca

THIS TIME: Arctic Tundra to Shrink by 51 Percent / Arctic aboriginals wonder if they’ll be pawns again in the new rush to develop the North / Methane Releases From Arctic Shelf May Be Much Faster Than Anticipated /

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Tagged with: Alaska • Arctic • Arctic aboriginals • Arctic news • Bering Strait • Canada • Chukotka • George Lessard • North • Russia • USA

Announcement: The 2010 Arctic Aviation Experts Conference, Oct. 12-13, 2010

On 05.23.10, In aviation, Climate, Events, Industry, By Bolot

Arctic Aviation by MuseumOffLight.org

“You are invited to participate in the 2010 Arctic Aviation Experts International Conference, October 12-13, in Fairbanks, Alaska, organized by the Institute of the North in collaboration with LPS AVIA Consulting.”

“You can expect to join other experts from fields such as Arctic aviation regulation and policy, weather and climate change, as well as airport, airplane and airline industries; academic institutions; Arctic aviation consultants, Northern energy and mineral companies and Arctic communities.”

“We are very excited about the possibility of such a collaborative effort and looking forward to an exciting event, with thorough analysis of the issues, expert opinion and outcomes that reflect the extreme importance of Arctic aviation.”

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Tagged with: academic institutions • airlines • airplane • airplane and airline industries • airport • Alaska • Arctic • Arctic aviation • Arctic aviation consultants • Arctic Circle • Arctic communities • aviation • aviation policy • aviation regulation • Climate change • conference • Fairbanks • flight weather • international conference • international event • mineral companies • Northern energy • USA

Bryan & Cherry Alexander’s extensive collection of Arctic photographs

On 05.09.10, In Climate, Cultures, Lives, People, Photos, Travel, By Bolot

Even herders riding on reindeer at their winter pastures near Verkhoyansk. Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.

I really love what the UK couple Bryan & Cherry Alexander do. They’ve got a great collection of “cold” pictures on the website ArcticPhoto.co.uk. It’s their stock library. Yeah, they make money on their works, but they are pro photographers. The point is that they are totally devoted to Arctic and Antarctic! That’s what I love in them.

I found their website eight years ago, when I searched pictures from Yakutia’s Arctic. They’ve got amazing photographs of the ordinary people of Verkhoyansk, the 2nd or, maybe, the 1st Pole of Cold in the northern hemisphere. In their Yakutia-related collection you can see hunters, horse herders, reindeer herders, Yakut villagers, Even nomads, etc. I think they were the first international photographers, who managed to visit Verkhoyanks in 90s.

No need to introduce Bryan & Cherry Alexander. They are pretty well-known. Their cold-related works are regular printed in the world’s leading magazines. They’ve got photos from all Arctic regions – Northern Siberia, Greenland, Alaska, Arctic Canada and Arctic Scandinavia. Their power is their ability “to document the lives of the native peoples who live in these remote places.”

If you are interested, what type of people live in the Arctic zone, just check out their collection with photographs of Inuit, Innu, Cree, Dene, Komi, Khanty, Nenets, Dolgan, Nganasan, Even, Evenk, Evenki, Yakut, Chukchi, Sami, Selkup, and Yupik. Even with watermarks they are pretty informative

And if you wonder how to keep your cameras safe in the extreme cold, read their tips. (more…)