http://arcticfocus.com Your Gate to Arctic Region Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:38:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en According to guardian.co.uk, methane is like the radical wing of the carbon cycle, in today's atmosphere a stronger greenhouse gas per molecule than CO2, and an atmospheric concentration that can change more quickly than CO2 can. There has been a lot of press coverage of a new paper in Science this ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/03/09/is-arctic-methane-on-the-move/ A new report by a leading European think-tank says China is "paying increasing attention to the consequences of the melting of the ice in the Arctic" and positioning itself for an influential role in the emerging realm of polar geopolitics, says vancouversun.com The "groundbreaking" study by the Stockholm International ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/03/08/china-moves-to-become-major-arctic-player/ Global warming is a contentious issue again because skeptics have pointed out inconsistencies with the data scientists are using to measure how much humans are impacting the environment, says taintedgreen.com Setting that debate aside for a moment, scientists have discovered that somewhere around 7 teragrams of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/03/05/melting-arctic-ice-may-release-billions-of-tons-of-greenhouse-gas/ According topostchronicle.com, throughout the last several decades, one of the environmentalist left's trademark tactics has been to use symbolism instead of substance. This, as any thinking person already knows, is due to the fact that the extreme left, as it becomes ever more extreme, finds it increasingly difficult to push its agenda ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/03/04/polar-bear-politics/ When it comes to bears, the polar species is the new kid on the block. A rare fossil jaw found in Norway has revealed the snowy white bears only split from brown bears a meret 150,000 years ago, which is a blink of an eye in evolutionary terms, says dailymail.co.uk Polar ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/03/03/polar-bears-survived-previous-ice-thaw-but-they-wont-be-so-lucky-this-time-warn-experts/ According to ft.com, China has started paying attention to the strategic implications of the melting of Arctic ice and could seek a more active role in regulating use of the region, a report said yesterday. The report comes as Russia prepares to sail a large oil tanker the entire length of ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/03/02/exploring-the-openings-created-by-arctic-melting/ According to montrealgazette.com,  BEIJING -- China is stepping up efforts to secure a role in deciding the future of Arctic issues such as shipping and energy extraction, as melting ice raises hopes of a shorter shipping route to the Atlantic, a report said on Monday. Beijing is putting more resources into ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/03/01/china-stepping-up-for-arctic-influence-report/ Six am on a sub-zero morning in Devon. A five-mile run in the dark, ending in a couple of hill sprints. Breakfast. Circuit training in the barn; beyond any pain threshold to physical exhaustion. Lunch. Ninety minutes dragging weighted tyres up and down a 1:6 hill, says guardian.co.ukThe only upside ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/02/26/trial-by-ice-%e2%80%93-what-it-takes-to-be-an-arctic-explorer/ Scientists to set up ice base in northern Canada to examine impact of ocean acidification on the region's animals and plants,says guardian.co.uk Scientists and explorers will brave polar bears, thin ice and frostbite within the next fortnight as they embark on an Arcticexpedition to examine the impact of an acidifying ocean on ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/02/25/catlin-arctic-team-brave-thin-ice-and-polar-bears-to-monitor-acid-oceans/ An Arctic thaw among Cold War foes means there will be no foreseeable major conflict over seabed resources, says a leading Arctic scholar, says edmontonjournal.com. Michael Byers, writing in Canada's new world affairs magazine, Global Brief, says polar politics and media hype about a potential international clash over undersea oil and gas ... http://arcticfocus.com/2010/02/24/no-race-for-arctic-resources-expert-says/