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This paper outlines the methodological approaches to a multi-site Circumpolar case study exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous and remote communities in 7 of 8 Arctic countries. Researchers involved with the project implemented a three-phase multi-site case study to assess the positive and negative societal outcomes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in Arctic communities from 2020 to 2023. The goal of the multi-site case study was to identify community-driven models and evidence-based promising practices and recommendations that can help inform cohesive and coordinated public health responses and protocols related to future public health emergencies in the Arctic. Research sites included a minimum of 1 one community each from Canada (Nunavut,) United States of America (Alaska), Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland. The approaches used for our multi-site case study provide a comprehensive, evidence-based account of the complex health challenges facing Arctic communities, offering insights into the effectiveness of interventions, while also privileging Indigenous local knowledge and voices. The mixed method multi-site case study approach enriched the understanding of unique regional health disparities and strengths during the pandemic. These methodological approaches serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and healthcare professionals, informing future strategies and interventions.

Despite its political, regulatory, technical, and environmental challenges , the recent trend of ice melting in the Arctic region has caused the increase in international shipping activities. Accordingly, this is supported by research focusing on a wide variety of shipping issues in the Arctic. Surprisingly, this is not the case in Arctic port research. That being said, considering the role of ports in the development of maritime transportation and recent activities in the Arctic, it was critical to map academic and managerial implications of the research in such a terrain. In doing so, this study focused on research articles which addressed the subject since 1980. Through a systematic analysis, the spatial scale (i.e., foreland and maritime space (global), hinterland (regional/national), and port (local) scales), and functional perspective (i.e., space- related (locational), activity-related (operational) and consequence-related (impact) perspectives) of 38 representative articles were extracted and used. The findings suggest that, despite the historic similarity between Arctic shipping and Arctic port research, there was a widening gap between such trends in the last ten years, and at the same time, the contribution of Arctic port articles was very limited. Over the past years, the order of impact of Arctic port research was that the consequence-related global scale issues were highest followed by regional/national and local scales respectively. This was in contrast to port research, in which activity- related local scale research ranked the highest. Also, a comparison of research between Northern Sea Route (NSR) and the North West Passage (NWP) was carried out to understand the attitude of infrastructure holders along those routes. Investigation revealed that more than 70% of research was conducted on the NSR. Unlike the NWP, the research direction for the NSR followed a particular trend over the past four decades with the 2010-June 2019, dominated by consequence-related global scale research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the Arctic Council's Iqaluit Ministerial Meeting in April 2015, the eight Arctic States decided to extend the mandate of the Task Force on Enhancing Scientific Cooperation in the Arctic (SCTF) in order to work toward a legally binding agreement on scientific cooperation. Based on the Oslo Draft of February 2015, this paper finds that the Agreement may improve the legal environment for Arctic science beyond current international law, including the law of the sea. The Agreement would lower the hurdles heretofore identified in international Arctic scientific cooperation, for example, the difficulties in accessing research areas and research facilities; and, the delays in border crossing procedures for entry and exit of scientists and their equipment and materials. Such an agreement is a good idea and should be promoted. However, non-Arctic States and their scientists may have an issue because the improved legal environment that is sought may benefit only the eight Arctic States and their scientists. In effect, the Agreement may create a two-category system where non-Arctic States and their scientists do not benefit from such improved environment. This paper examines whether they have substantial interests recognized under international law or by the Arctic scientific community by which they can claim certain benefits of the Agreement. We argue that the degree of benefits to non-Arctic States and their scientists under the Agreement should be commensurate with the degree of substantial interests accorded them by international law and by the Arctic scientific community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Kingdom has a longstanding interest in the Arctic and has recently begun to develop a set of guiding principles for its engagement in the region. Although the UK has a great deal to offer in terms of scientific research and expertise, it is missing an opportunity to engage more fully with issues of importance to the Arctic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of theory in drawing lessons from empirical cases remains elusive in the Arctic. In the introduction to this special issue, we develop broad theoretical underpinnings to consider how frame analysis can better inform Arctic research. We build on a research synthesis from a collaborative anthology focused on diplomacy in polar regions [Pincus, R., & Ali, S. H. (Eds.). (2015).Diplomacy on ice: Energy and the environment in the Arctic and Antarctic. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press]. Here, we review aspects of media and communication theory, in particular frame theory, and contextualize theoretically the common tropes of Arctic political conflict, centered on the so-called race or scramble for the Arctic. After introducing and identifying concepts of framing and discourse and discussing how these concepts are relevant to Arctic issues, the paper will address why these concepts are important to policy-makers, stakeholders, and the public. What are the impacts of conflict-driven frames as applied to Arctic sovereignty or development questions? We explore how frames impact diplomacy in contested spaces, such as the Arctic, and how to draw cooperative lessons from these discourses. Finally, the papers that make up this special edition are placed in relation to the broader topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russian-American Long-term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) project provides a rare opportunity to study the Russian sector of the Pacific Arctic Region (PAR), which includes the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas. RUSALCA data from 2009 and 2012 allow fuller understanding of changes in ocean chemistry across this the region and, in particular, provide perspectives on the ocean carbon cycle, airsea CO2 gas exchange, and ocean acidification variability. Summertime surface waters of the western Chukchi Sea and East Siberian Sea mostly exhibited low pCO2 (<100 to 400 μatm) and high pH (8.0 to 8.4) conditions during sea ice retreat. As earlier studies of the adjacent eastern Chukchi Sea show, this area of the PAR had a strong potential for ocean uptake of atmospheric CO2, with saturation states for calcium carbonate (CaCO3) minerals such as calcite and aragonite (Ωcalcite and Ωaragonite, respectively) having values generally greater than two, thereby facilitating CaCO3 production. In contrast, fresher surface waters flowing into the Chukchi Sea from the East Siberian Sea and bottom waters on the PAR shelves exhibited high pCO2 and low pH, Ωcalcite, and Ωaragonite conditions. Low Ω surface waters near the Russian coast and nearly 70% of waters next to the seafloor were corrosive to CaCO3 minerals such as aragonite, with this change seemingly occurring at a more rapid rate than typical global open-ocean changes in ocean chemistry. The exposure of subsurface benthic communities and nearshore ecosystems near the Russian coast to potentially corrosive water is likely exacerbated by the ocean uptake of anthropogenic CO2 and gradual ocean acidification. The RUSALCA project also highlights the complexities and uncertainties in the physical and biogeochemical drivers of the ocean carbon cycle and ocean chemistry in this region of the Arctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Britain is no longer an Arctic nation, but it has a unique Arctic role. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From the 1930s through the 1950s--the decades bracketing the second and third international polar years--research in the physical and biological environmental sciences of the Arctic increased dramatically. The heroic, expedition-based style of Arctic science, dominant in the first decades of the twentieth century, gave way to a systematic, long-term, strategic and largely statefunded model of research which increased both Arctic presence and the volume of research output. Factors that made this change possible were distinct for each of the five circumpolar nation-states considered here. For Soviet leaders, the Arctic was an untamed land containing vast economic resources, all within reach if its long-sought Northern Sea Route became reality; Soviet officials sought environmental knowledge of this region with a range of motivations from economic and strategic concerns to enhancing the prestige of socialism. In contrast. United States officials largely ignored the Arctic until the outbreak of World War U, when military commanders quickly grasped the strategic importance of this region. Anxious that the Arctic might become a literal battleground between East and West by 1947, as the Cold War began. Pentagon leaders funded vast northern research programs, including in strategically located Greenland. Canadian leaders--while appreciating the national security concerns of its powerful southern neighbor--were even more concerned with maintaining sovereignty over its northern territories and gaining knowledge to assist its northern economic ambitions. Norway and Sweden, as smaller states, faced distinct challenges. With strong claims to Arctic heritage but limited resources, leaders of these states sought to create independent research strategies while, especially in the case of Norway, protecting their geopolitical interests in relation to the Soviet Union and the U.S. This article provides the first internationally comparative study of the multiple economic, military, political, and strategic factors that motivated scientific activities and programs in the far north, from the interwar period through World War II and the Cold War, when carefully coordinated, station-based research programs were introduced. The production of knowledge about Arctic's physical environment--including its changing climate--had little resemblance either to ideas of science-based 'progress,' or responses to perceived environmental concerns. Instead, it demonstrates that strategic military, economic, geopolitical, and national security concerns influenced and shaped most science undertakings, including those of the International Polar Year of 1932-1933 and the following polar year, the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay underlines the timely Importance of research into historical geographies of science and technology as a basis for better understanding the emerging 'New' Arctic, where climate change has heightened international interest in northern navigation routes and mineral exploitation. It introduces five studies from two international collaborative research projects: 'Colony, Empire, Environment' (funded by the BOREAS Program, European Science Foundation) and 'Large-Scale Industrial Exploitation of Polar Areas' (LASHIPA, funded by the Dutch and Swedish Research Councils), situating them in terms of changing interpretations of the Arctic and its environment primarily since the late nineteenth century. With emphasis on the role of science and technology in the production of knowledge about the environment of the far north, these five studies highlight significant shifts in the conception and utilization of the Arctic - from heroic representations of Arctic exploration through the International Polar Year (1932-1933), the post-1945 militarization of the Arctic, the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), and the subsequent recasting of the Arctic as a fragile environmental bellwether -- using comparative and transnational approaches to reconsider Arctic historical geographies of science and technology within the larger frameworks of recent regional, colonial, and postcolonial studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Race for the Arctic” and the “New Cold War” are common newspaper headlines when it comes to coverage of Arctic affairs. In popular media, the Arctic is often portrayed as a zone of potential conflict – with unresolved boundary issues, rapidly changing sea ice cover and tempting natural resources forming a potentially explosive political cocktail. On the other hand, the region possesses a strong track record of post-Cold War peace and cooperation and political leaders and civil servants representing Arctic states have, in recent years, become a coordinated chorus extolling the peacefulness of the region. This article illustrates how the Arctic is represented as a zone of potential conflict in the media through a sampling of international media and an in-depth case study of how the potential for Arctic conflict is discussed in a mainstream Russian newspaper. I argue that these different ‘framings’ or representations of Arctic politics have significance for the kind of politics that can be pursued in the region and discuss how a certain kind of geopolitical reasoning contributes to seeing the Arctic as a latent space of danger and conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author argues that the involvement of Asian countries in the affairs of Arctic would build up international governance efforts in domains such as sustainable development, protection of the environment and safety at sea. He states several interests of Asian countries in of Arctic such as establishment of research station in 1990 by Japan and companies from China, Japan and Korea are working on Norwegian continental shelf.

The tectonic evolution of the Arctic Region in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic is considered with allowance for the Paleozoic stage of evolution of the ancient Arctida continent. A new geodynamic model of the evolution of the Arctic is based on the idea of the development of upper mantle convection beneath the continent caused by subduction of the Pacific lithosphere under the Eurasian and North American lithospheric plates. The structure of the Amerasia and Eurasia basins of the Arctic is shown to have formed progressively due to destruction of the ancient Arctida continent, a retained fragment of which comprises the structural units of the central segment of the Arctic Ocean, including the Lomonosov Ridge, the Alpha-Mendeleev Rise, and the Podvodnikov and Makarov basins. The proposed model is considered to be a scientific substantiation of the updated Russian territorial claim to the UN Commission on the determination of the Limits of the Continental Shelf in the Arctic Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the summer of 2009, we sampled 14 partially refrozen melt ponds and the top 1 m of old ice in the pond vicinity for α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) concentrations and enantiomer fractions (EFs) in the Beaufort Sea. α-HCH concentrations were 3 - 9 times higher in melt ponds than in the old ice. We identify two routes of α-HCH enrichment in the ice over the summer. First, atmospheric gas deposition results in an increase of α-HCH concentration from 0.07 ± 0.02 ng/L (old ice) to 0.34 ± 0.08 ng/L, or ~20% less than the atmosphere-water equilibrium partitioning concentration (0.43 ng/L). Second, late-season ice permeability and/or complete ice thawing at the bottom of ponds permit α-HCH rich seawater (~0.88 ng/L) to replenish pond water, bringing concentrations up to 0.75 ± 0.06 ng/L. α-HCH pond enrichment may lead to substantial concentration patchiness in old ice floes, and changed exposures to biota as the surface meltwater eventually reaches the ocean through various drainage mechanisms. Melt pond concentrations of α-HCH were relatively high prior to the late 1980-s, with a Melt pond Enrichment Factor >1 (MEF; a ratio of concentration in surface meltwater to surface seawater), providing for the potential of increased biological exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A flow-through sampler (FTS) was codeployed with a super high volume active sampler (SHV) between October 2007 and November 2008 to evaluate its ability to determine the ambient concentrations of pesticides and brominated flame retardants in the Canadian High Arctic atmosphere. Nine pesticides and eight flame retardants, including three polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) replacement chemicals, were frequently detected. Atmospheric concentrations determined by the two systems showed good agreement when compared on monthly and annually integrated time scales. Pesticide concentrations were normally within a factor of 3 of each other. The FTS tended to generate higher PBDE concentrations than the SHV presumably because of the entrainment of blowing snow/ice crystals or large particles. Taking into account uncertainties in analytical bias, sample volume, and breakthrough estimations, the FTS is shown to be a reliable and cost-effective method, which derives seasonally variable concentrations of semivolatile organic trace compounds at extremely remote locations that are comparable to those obtained by conventional high volume air sampling. Moreover, the large sampling volumes captured by the FTS make it suitable for the screening of new and emerging chemicals in the remote atmosphere where concentrations are usually low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Arctic and the surrounding region of the sub-Arctic represent a key area for the study of global change because the anthropogenic impact, particularly the rate of warming, is projected to be the greatest in any part of the world due to the complicated feedback processes which occur. This Arctic region has undergone very large changes in recent years due to global warming, and accelerated change is predicted. The rapid changes that are occurring in the Arctic, and that have been the topic of the ISAR-1 and ISAR-2 conferences, manifest themselves at a number of scales. The large scales are Arctic-wide changes in key environmental parameters, which are described in a series of papers in this issue. On a more subtle scale we see changes to species and to biological processes in the Arctic. We hope that readers will enjoy the range of papers published in this issue, and will appreciate that phenomena ranging in scale from global radiation balance to clutch size of birds'' eggs are actually all related via the central fact of the present-day Arctic, its high rate of warming. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ensuring interoperability between WebGIS applications is essential for maximizing access to data, data sharing, and data manipulation. Interoperability is maximized through the adoption of best practices, use of open standards, and utilization of spatial data infrastructure (SDI). While many of the interoperability challenges like infrastructure, data exchange, and file formats are common between applications, some regions like the Arctic present specific challenges including the need for presenting data in one or more polar projections. This paper describes the Arctic Research Mapping Application (ARMAP) suite of online interactive maps, web services, and virtual globes (the ARMAP suite; http://armap.org/) and several of the interoperability challenges and solutions encountered in development to date. ARMAP is a unique science and logistic tool supporting United States and international Arctic science by providing users with the ability to access, query, and browse information and data. Access to data services include a text-based search utility, an Internet Map Server client (ArcIMS), a lightweight Flex client, ArcGIS Explorer and Google Earth virtual globes, and Open Geospatial Consortium () compliant web services, such as Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service (WFS). Through the ARMAP suite, users can view a variety of Arctic map layers and explore pertinent information about United States Arctic research efforts. The Arctic Research Logistics Support Service (ARLSS) database is the informational underpinning of ARMAP. Avoiding duplication of effort has been a key priority in the development of the ARMAP applications. The ARMAP suite incorporates best practices that facilitate interoperability such as Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata standards, web services for embedding external data and serving framework layers, and open standards such as Open Geospatial Consortium () compliant web services. Many of the features and capabilities of ARMAP are expected to greatly enhance the development of an Arctic SDI. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) mission during 2008 as a part of the International Polar Year (IPY). The purpose of ARCTAS was to study the factors responsible for changes in the Arctic's atmospheric composition and climate. A major emphasis was to investigate Arctic haze, which is most pronounced during winter and early spring. This study focuses on the spring phase of ARCTAS (ARCTAS-A) that was based in Alaska during April 2008. Although anthropogenic emissions historically have been associated with Arctic haze, biomass burning emissions dominated the ARCTAS-A period and have been the focus of many ARCTAS related studies. This study determines mean transport characteristics of anthropogenic emissions during ARCTAS-A. Trajectories are initiated each day from three significant regions of anthropogenic emissions (Asia, North America, and Europe). The fifteen day forward trajectories are calculated using data from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model at 45 km horizontal resolution. The trajectory calculations indicate: origins of emissions that reach the Arctic (defined as north of 70° N) within fifteen days, pathways of these emissions, Arctic entry locations, and altitudes at which the trajectories enter the Arctic. Three cases during the ARCTAS-A period (one for each of the regions above) are examined using backward trajectories and chemical fingerprinting based on in situ data sampled from the NASA DC-8. The fingerprinting utilizes volatile organic compounds that represent pure anthropogenic tracers, Asian anthropogenic pollution, incomplete combustion, and natural gas emissions. We determine flight legs containing anthropogenic emissions and the pathways travelled by these emissions. Results show that the DC-8 sampled anthropogenic emissions from Asia, North America, and Europe during the spring phase of ARCTAS. The pathways travelled by these emissions agree with our derived transport characteristics and previous studies of Arctic transport. Meteorological analysis and trajectory calculations indicate that middle latitude cyclones and their associated warm conveyor belts play an important role in lofting the surface based emissions to their sampling altitude in all three cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new retrieval of tropospheric NO2 vertical column density from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) based on high spatial and temporal resolution terrain and profile inputs. We compare our NO2 product, the Berkeley High-Resolution (BEHR) product, with operational retrievals and find that the operational retrievals are biased high (30%) over remote areas and biased low (8%) over urban regions. Additionally, we find non-negligible impacts on the retrieved NO2 column for terrain pressure (±20%), albedo (±40%), and NO2 vertical profile (-75%-+10%). We validate the operational and BEHR products using boundary layer aircraft observations from the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS-CA) field campaign which occurred in June 2008 in California. Results indicate that columns derived using our boundary layer extrapolation method show good agreement with satellite observations (R⊃ =0.65-0.83; N = 68) and provide a more robust validation of satellite-observed NO2 column than those determined using full vertical spirals (R² =0.26; N =5) as in previous work. Agreement between aircraft observations and the BEHR product (R² = 0.83) is better than agreement with the operational products (R² =0.65-0.72). We also show that agreement between satellite and aircraft observations can be further improved (e.g. BEHR: R² =0.91) using cloud information from theModerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument instead of the OMI cloud product. These results indicate that much of the variance in the operational products can be attributed to coarse resolution terrain pressure, albedo, and profile parameters implemented in the retrievals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using measurements from the NASA Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) experiment, we show that methyl peroxy nitrate (CH3O2NO2) is present in concentrations of ~5-15 pptv in the springtime arctic upper troposphere. We investigate the regional and global effects of CH2O2NO2 by including its chemistry in the GEOS-Chem 3-D global chemical transport model. We find that at temperatures below 240 K inclusion of CH3O2NO2 chemistry results in decreases of up to ~20 % in NOx, ~20% in N2O5, ~5% in HNO3, ~2% in ozone, and increases in methyl hydrogen peroxide of up to ~14%. Larger changes are observed in biomass burning plumes lofted to high altitude. Additionally, by sequestering NOx at low temperatures, CH3O2NO2 decreases the cycling of HO2 to OH, resulting in a larger upper tropospheric HO2 to OH ratio. These results may impact some estimates of lightning NO2 sources as well as help explain differences between models and measurements of upper tropospheric composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic region has long been viewed as a huge resource for oil and gas but harsh conditions and tricky economics have made it unappealing. The author of the paper reveals how that is now changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic Climate Modeling Program (ACMP) offered year-long science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professional development to teachers in rural Alaska. Teacher training focused on introducing youth to workforce technologies used in Arctic research. Due to challenges in making professional development accessible to rural teachers, ACMP modified the traditional ITEST format, instead offering unique "curriculum resource-based professional development" that provided a year-round mix of training options for 165 teachers. Sustainable program resources were created in collaboration with scientists from five research centers to mimic the processes and instruments used to study Arctic climate. Teachers were involved in the iterative design process because research indicates that teacher input into curriculum development builds teacher enthusiasm, pedagogical content knowledge, and a sense of ownership of the end product. This study explores the question: Did the ACMP professional development framework provide teachers in rural Alaska schools with the tools and knowledge they needed to improve STEM instruction? A grounded theory approach was used to analyze teacher qualitative feedback. Teacher comments were coded and patterns analyzed in three databases. This analysis, along with student field-test data, provides evidence that the ACMP model is a feasible alternative to the ITEST model for offering teacher STEM professional development in rural areas. Teacher feedback indicates that ACMP was particularly successful in increasing student engagement in the scientific process and enhancing student technology skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immobilization to the atmosphere of only a small fraction of the methane held in East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) sediments could trigger abrupt climate warming, yet it is believed that sub-sea permafrost acts as a lid to keep this shallow methane reservoir in place. Here, we show that more than 5000 at-sea observations of dissolved methane demonstrates that greater than 80% of ESAS bottom waters and greater than 50% of surface waters are supersaturated with methane regarding to the atmosphere. The current atmospheric venting flux, which is composed of a diffusive component and a gradual ebullition component, is on par with previous estimates of methane venting from the entire World Ocean. Leakage of methane through shallow ESAS waters needs to be considered in interactions between the biogeosphere and a warming Arctic climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) mission was a multi-aircraft project whose major objective was to investigate the factors driving changes in the Arctic's atmospheric composition and climate. It was conducted during April and June-July 2008. The summer ARCTAS deployment was preceded by a week of flights over and around California to address state issues of air quality and climate forcing. This paper focuses on meteorological conditions during the ARCTAS Spring and Summer campaigns. We examine mission averaged large-scale flow patterns at the surface, 500 hPa, and 300 hPa and determine their departures from climatology. Results from runs of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are used to describe meteorological conditions on individual days. Our WRF configuration included a nested grid approach that provided horizontal spacing as small as 5 km. Trajectories calculated from the WRF output are used to determine transport pathways to the Arctic, including their origins and the altitudes at which they reach 70°N. We also present backward trajectories from selected legs of individual ARCTAS flights. Finally, the FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model, with the high resolution WRF data as input, is used to determine the paths of anthropogenic and biomass burning-derived CO. Results show that there was frequent and widespread transport to the Arctic during both phases of ARCTAS and that the three ARCTAS aircraft sampled air having a multitude of origins, following a myriad of paths, and experiencing many types of meteorological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines whether cold climate is related to poorer health in diverse Arctic populations. The research involves finding the mean January and July temperatures for 27 Arctic regions based on weather station data from 1961-1990 and its relation to health outcome assessed by correlation and multiple linear analyses. Furthermore, it shows that cold climate is related to infant deaths, deaths from respiratory diseases, and total fertility rate.

The temperature history of the first millennium C.E. is sparsely documented, especially in the Arctic. We present a synthesis of decadally resolved proxy temperature records from poleward of 60°N covering the past 2000 years, which indicates that a pervasive cooling in progress 2000 years ago continued through the Middle Ages and into the Little Ice Age. A 2000-year transient climate simulation with the Community Climate System Model shows the same temperature sensitivity to changes in insolation as does our proxy reconstruction, supporting the inference that this long-term trend was caused by the steady orbitally driven reduction in summer insolation. The cooling trend was reversed during the 20th century, with four of the five warmest decades of our 2000-year-long reconstruction occurring between 1950 and 2000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global mineral and hydrocarbon commodity markets have been marked by substantial price increases since 2003. Because of the long lead times of raw materials extraction projects (the time period from exploration to the start-up of production), market observers anticipate a sustained period of high prices, which is likely to last several more years. These high market prices make the extraction of raw materials in frontier areas like the Arctic increasingly interesting. This is even more the case given that the retreat of the Arctic ice cap, due to the warming of the climate in recent decades, could make it substantially easier to develop deposits of raw materials. In addition, the northern sea routes—both the Northeast and Northwest Passages—could be used to create new infrastructures for international trade flows and to tap new opportunities for maritime commerce. Given the significant economic potential of the Arctic, it is essential for all stakeholders to build stronger networks and to establish structures for communication and the settlement of disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores a science education program designed to instruct students on Arctic ice dynamics, climate change, and global warming. Students learned about the formation of Arctic ice, the desalinization process, and ice movement. The article describes Arctic ice models built by the students and the proposal process and internships for student participation.

We compared on eight dates during the ice-free period physicochemical properties and rates of phytoplankton and epipelic primary production in six arctic lakes dominated by soft bottom substrate. Lakes were classified as shallow ( $$ \overline {\text{z}} $$ < 2.5 m), intermediate in depth (2.5 m < $$ \overline {\text{z}} $$ < 4.5 m), and deep ( $$ \overline {\text{z}} $$ > 4.5 m), with each depth category represented by two lakes. Although shallow lakes circulated freely and intermediate and deep lakes stratified thermally for the entire summer, dissolved oxygen concentrations were always >70% of saturation values. Soluble reactive phosphorus and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN = NO3 −–N + NH4 +–N) were consistently below the detection limit (0.05 μmol l−1) in five lakes. However, one lake shallow lake (GTH 99) periodically showed elevated values of DIN (17 μmol l−1), total-P (0.29 μmol l−1), and total-N (33 μmol l−1), suggesting wind-generated sediment resuspension. Due to increased nutrient availability or entrainment of microphytobenthos, GTH 99 showed the highest average volume-based values of phytoplankton chlorophyll a (chl a) and primary production, which for the six lakes ranged from 1.0 to 2.9 μg l−1 and 0.7–3.8 μmol C l−1 day−1. Overall, however, increased $$ \overline {\text{z}} $$ resulted in increased area-based values of phytoplankton chl a and primary production, with mean values for the three lake classes ranging from 3.6 to 6.1 mg chl a m−2 and 3.2–5.8 mmol C m−2 day−1. Average values of epipelic chl a ranged from 131 to 549 mg m−2 for the three depth classes, but levels were not significantly different due to high spatial variability. However, average epipelic primary production was significantly higher in shallow lakes (12.2 mmol C m−2 day−1) than in intermediate and deep lakes (3.4 and 2.4 mmol C m−2 day−1). Total primary production (6.7–15.4 mmol C m−2 day−1) and percent contribution of the epipelon (31–66%) were inversely related to mean depth, such that values for both variables were significantly higher in shallow lakes than in intermediate or deep lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic winter, spring and autumn surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies and associated sea level pressure (SLP) fields have decidedly different spatial patterns at the beginning of the 21st century (2000–2007) compared to most of the 20th century; we suggest calling this recent interval the Arctic warm period. For example, spring melt date as measured at the North Pole Environmental Observatory (2002–2007) is 7 d earlier than the records from the Russian North Pole stations (1937–1987) and statistically different at the 0.05 level. The 20th century was dominated by the two main climate patterns, the Arctic Oscillation/Northern Annular Mode (AO/NAM) and the Pacific North American-like (PNA*) pattern. The predominately zonal winds associated with the positive phases of these patterns contribute to warm anomalies in the Arctic primarily over their respective Eastern and Western Hemisphere land areas, as in 1989–1995 and 1977–1987. In contrast, SAT in winter (DJF) and spring (MAM) for 2000–2007 show an Arctic-wide SAT anomaly of greater than +1.0°C and regional hot spots over the central Arctic of greater than +3.0°C. Unlike the AO and PNA*, anomalous geostrophic winds for 2000–2007 often tended to blow toward the central Arctic, a meridional wind circulation pattern. In spring 2000–2005, these winds were from the Bering Sea toward the North Pole, whereas in 2006–2007 they were mostly from the eastern Barents Sea. A meridional pattern was also seen in the late 1930s with anomalous winter (DJFM) SAT, at Spitzbergen, of greater than +4°C. Both periods suggest natural atmospheric advective contributions to the hot spots with regional loss of sea ice. Recent warm SAT anomalies in autumn are consistent with climate model projections in response to summer reductions in sea ice extent. The recent dramatic loss of Arctic sea ice appears to be due to a combination of a global warming signal and fortuitous phasing of intrinsic climate patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses climate change research being carried out in the North Polar region. Measurements of ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean are described. The research project described is the Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study on the icebreaker ship Amundsen. The glaciological aspect of this study focuses on the relationship between polar winds, patterns of melting and the rotation of the polar icecap as a whole. Flaw leads are fissures in the ice created by wind, which are thought to be an ideal place to study the difference between sunlight absorption rates for ice and ocean, or the ice-ocean albedo. Research into the ecosystemic impacts of polar ice melting in flaw leads is also explored.

Archaeological survey by foot, boat, and helicopter was undertaken in the eastern portion of Inglefield Land, northwestern Greenland. Although the research interests of the Inglefield Land Archaeology Project (ILAP) are focused on the late Thule-early Historic contact period, all cultural features were documented. A total of 1376 features, including winter houses, tent rings, fox traps, caches, hearths, kayak stands, and burials were recorded during pedestrian survey of three broad regions, which represent the entire culture history of the High Arctic from ca. 4200 years ago to modern use of the region by Inughuit hunters. Settlement pattern analysis suggests greater use of easterninost Inglefield Land by Paleoeskimo inhabitants compared to Thule/Historic groups and overall more short-term occupation (i.e., hunting forays) during the Paleoes-kimo period. Thule winter houses are concentrated in the Glacier and Marshall Bay regions and secondarily at Cape Grinnell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The signatories to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are charged with stabilizing the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous interference with the climate system. A number of nations, organizations and scientists have suggested that global mean temperature should not rise over 2 °C above preindustrial levels. However, even a relatively moderate target of 2 °C has serious implications for the Arctic, where temperatures are predicted to increase at least 1. 5 to 2 times as fast as global temperatures. High latitude vegetation plays a significant role in the lives of humans and animals, and in the global energy balance and carbon budget. These ecosystems are expected to be among the most strongly impacted by climate change over the next century. To investigate the potential impact of stabilization of global temperature at 2 °C, we performed a study using data from six Global Climate Models (GCMs) forced by four greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, the BIOME4 biogeochemistry-biogeography model, and remote sensing data. GCM data were used to predict the timing and patterns of Arctic climate change under a global mean warming of 2 °C. A unified circumpolar classification recognizing five types of tundra and six forest biomes was used to develop a map of observed Arctic vegetation. BIOME4 was used to simulate the vegetation distributions over the Arctic at the present and for a range of 2 °C global warming scenarios. The GCMs simulations indicate that the earth will have warmed by 2 °C relative to preindustrial temperatures by between 2026 and 2060, by which stage the area-mean annual temperature over the Arctic (60-90°N) will have increased by between 3. 2 and 6. 6 °C. Forest extent is predicted by BIOME4 to increase in the Arctic on the order of 3 × 106 km2 or 55% with a corresponding 42% reduction in tundra area. Tundra types generally also shift north with the largest reductions in the prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the smut fungus Microbotryum bistortarum (de Candolle) K. Vánky on Polygonum viviparum L. was investigated in the High Arctic region, Svalbard, Norway, from 2000 to 2004. Ninety-two plants in a field plot were monitored for disease occurrence, plant survival, and plant growth. The disease, initially identified in 20 plants, only spread to one additional plant in 4 years. Once infected, the plants remained infected. Although a few of the 71 uninfected plants disappeared or died without any apparent signs of disease, the majority remained healthy without smut throughout the study. The percent survival among smut-infected plants was significantly lower than that of healthy plants in 2004 (P < 0.001). The number of bulbils, the number of flowers, and the size of the largest leaves of smut-infected plants were significantly lower than those of healthy plants. These results suggest infection by M. bistortarum can negatively impact populations of P. viviparum in the High Arctic region by lowering plant growth and longevity. Teliospore surface characteristics and germination patterns of the High Arctic specimens of M. bistortarum were also documented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study to evaluate the carbon cycling in arctic tundra. Measurement of dissolved C production and export rates in mesocosms; Use of tundra vegetation types tussock, inter-tussock and wet sedge; Flushing frequencies to simulate storm events and determine potential mass export of dissolved C under increased soil water flow scenarios; Indications that arctic tundra soils have high potentials for dissolved C export and that water flow and vegetation type mainly control dissolved C export.

Focuses on the methane hydrate stability zone beneath Sverdrup Basin underneath the Canadian Arctic Islands. Analysis of the distribution of methane hydrate and hydrate/gas contact suggesting that methane hydrates were formed in shallower strata than expected; How a small proportion of gas hydrate occurrences occur in close proximity to the base of predicted methane hydrate stability; Association of detected hydrates with deeply buried hydrocarbon discoveries indicating the concurring relationship of hydrate occurrence with areas of high heat flow; View that other gas hydrate occurrences are associated with structures filled with water with evidence of precursor hydrocarbons that were lost because of upward leakage.

Discusses administrative developments in the field of polar research as of September 2000. Establishment of the Arctic Council in 1996; Canada's membership in the Antarctic Treaty; Canada's contributions to Antarctica; Canada's role in the establishment of the Arctic Council; Role of the Arctic Council in Antarctica.