John Huston, a Glen Ellyn native and Chicago resident and his friend, Tyler Fish of Minnesota are poised to make a a 475-mile journey made by only 22 other explorers. The two are setting out this week on a “no resupplying” expedition to the North Pole.

Researchers will be paying close attention to their mind-sets amid the ordeals of the Arctic journey because like astronauts, Huston and Fish will have only the frozen or preprocessed food they take with them. However, unlike astronauts they will be slowed down by pulling the supplies behind them. Both John and Tyler will be pulling a 260 pound sled.

Huston and Fish will be spending long periods in confined spaces and will be, at times, in an area where rescue will be difficult or impossible. Each will complete questionnaires at the end of each day for Gloria Leon, a University of Minnesota psychology professor emeritus. Leon is studying the stresses and the positive outlooks that make certain types of people excel in cold, forbidding realms. more »

The Alaska Gas Pipeline LLC announced yesterday that it has awarded a design and evaluation contract to Fluor WorleyParsons Arctic Solutions. The Alaska Gas Pipeline LLC (Denali) was formed by BP and ConocoPhillips to develop the Alaska pipeline. The engineering contract that was awarded to Fluor WorleyParsons Arctic Solutions is for the initial design and evaluation of the Gas Treatment Plant (GTP) at North Slope that is going to be needed in order to process the natural gas for the proposed natural gas line. more »

A report that came out yesterday is strongly suggesting that Nordic countries ban together to protect and patrol the Arctic. Former Norwegian Defense and Foreign minister, Thorvald Stoltenbenberg, who was commissioned last year to write the report says that with the melting of the Arctic ice cap and increased activity in the area there is an even stronger need for regional cooperation. This holds especially true as more countries vie for a piece of the Arctic pie and its resources, especially off shore drilling and natural gas lines. more »

With the launch of Ocean in Google Earth, 500 millions users will be able to follow, in real time, the Catlin Arctic Survey as its members explore and study the melting ice in the Arctic Ocean. The survey, which will cover 1,000 km of floating ice in the Arctic Ocean has teamed up with Google Earth, allowing users to keep track of the expedition and also giving users the ability to plot the survey team’s progress as it works its way across the Arctic Ocean to the North Geographic Pole. more »

In a bid to protect the Arctic region from further repercussions of global warming, a federal agency has voted for a moratorium on commercial fishing in a large section Arctic waters. During a Thursday meeting in Seattle, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted unanimously in favor of prohibiting commercial fishing in almost 200,000 square miles of American water in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea. It is expected that the U.S. Commerce Department will approve the recommendation. more »

Alaska governor Sarah Palin is once again at the center of an animal related controversy. During the presidential campaign, a video of Sarah smiling and at ease during an interview on a turkey farm while one of the birds is being slaughtered behind her made many uncomfortable and the interview was considered to be in bad taste. For Palin it was just a fact of life. more »

As the arctic shelf continues to melt at an alarming rate there is more and more interest in the Arctic as a potential shipping route for international shipping companies. There is also a race of sorts between Arctic countries to see who will benefit the most form having the first gas pipeline up and running. With interest in the Arctic and its resources increasing, another agency has joined others in calling for international rules and regulations when it comes to Arctic resources and Arctic shipping. more »

The recent discovery of a fossilized turtle has scientist rethinking some of their former theories on how certain animals migrated in the early days. At one point it was thought they simply hoofed it straight across the ice or took the scenic route via land. But after scientists unearthed a 90 million year old turtle fossil thousands of miles from its original habitat, it is now thought that they swam to their new home. And this discovery has many implication in the scientific and environmental world. more »