ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – The shrunken Arctic ice pack could be to blame for the warm rains showering Alaska while typically milder Georgia and Florida freeze, experts said on Friday. more »

This week, freezing temperatures and lots of snow wrecked havoc across Europe, stranding many holiday travelers. But on the other side of the Atlantic, some equally unusual weather has kept parts of Hudson Bay from freezing over, causing the growth in Arctic sea ice to come to a halt, says  arstechnica.com more »

The icy seas of the Arctic are not the most inviting location for scientific researchers, says wired.co.uk. These remote, frosty areas are extremely dangerous places for observers and manned vehicles, meaning very little data is collected in this area. So two groups of researchers have got together for a joint observation project. more »

Background
The authors write that “over the last four decades there has been a trend to earlier summer breakup of the sea ice in western Hudson Bay, Canada,” and that “the trend to earlier sea-ice breakup has been linked to the long-term effect of warming in the region (Stirling et al., 1999; Gagnon and Gough, 2005). more »

According to msnbc.msn.com ,arctic sea ice coverage appears to have dropped to its lowest extent for the year as of last week, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced today (Sept. 15). Levels are the third-lowest recorded since 1979, when data were first taken, continuing the long-term trend of decreasing summer ice, according to the report. more »

Professor Phil Jones, the scientist at the centre of the Climategate row, has insisted that global warming sceptics will be won over once the negative effects become obvious,says  telegraph.co.uk more »

Scientists drill through permafrost to assess challenges in harnessing gas hydrates, a source of clean-burning methane, says montrealgazette.com more »

The Moscow zoo’s most popular polar bear is recovering from a multiple-gunshot attack, the zoo said Saturday. more »