Boreal Forest Bends to Development, but There is a Breaking Point. Northern Alberta's boreal forest shows a surprising resiliency to human intrusion, but University of Alberta researchers warn the landscape has a definite breaking point. Science Daily

   

Arctic Ships Face 'Increased Cost of Ownership' in Separate Deal [Canada]. Canada's new patrol ships will cost more to maintain if National Defense signs a long-term service contract for the mini-icebreakers while the boats are under construction. Canada's new Arctic patrol ships will cost more to maintain if National Defense signs a long-term service contract for the mini-icebreakers while the boats are under construction. The ships are at least two years behind schedule, and could fall further behind if contract talks with the Irving shipyard building them hit a snag. Daily Business Buzz

 

Bowhead Whales Lost Genetic Diversity, Study Shows. Arctic bowhead whales have lost a significant portion of their genetic diversity in the past 500 years, according to a new study to be published online Friday in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Scientists drew on hundreds of DNA samples from both living whales and samples obtained from vessels, toys and housing material made from whale baleen and preserved in pre-European settlements in the Canadian Arctic. Washington Post

 

 

Russia to Build Its Own Offshore Platforms to Develop Arctic. Russia needs offshore platforms for the development of Arctic reserves. Now their production is located abroad - in Ukraine and Azerbaijan. In this regard, the authorities came up with the idea to create a center for the construction of offshore platforms. Russia has already undertaken to abide by strict environmental standards that require that the objects meet the highest reliability requirements. "Expert" magazine reported that half a trillion dollars will be invested in shelf designs. A significant portion of these funds will be spent on the creation of different types of drilling platforms. However, now Russian companies are capable of building only the base for such platforms, which means that foreigners will be earning on production of oil equipment for Russia. Pravda

 

Arctic Research Vessel Christened. A new $200 million tool for Arctic marine research is nearly complete at a Wisconsin shipyard. After the crack of a champagne bottle Saturday, the 261-foot Sikuliaq (see-KOO'-lee-ack) - named for the Inupiat word for young sea ice - slid from a steel cradle and bobbed upright outside the Marinette Marine Corp, facilities in Marinette, Wis. When the National Science Foundation vessel begins research missions in 2014, the Sikuliaq will fill a void in Arctic study that has become more noticeable with the profound recent melting of summer sea ice and accompanying northern activity, from offshore petroleum development and ecotourism to possible new trade routes. Peninsula Clarion 

 

 [Canada] DND Warns Clock Ticking on Surveillance Satellite. Canada runs the risk of having no space-based surveillance of its territory if the federal government can't deliver on its ambitious plan to launch a new constellation of satellites in 2014, the Defense Department is warning. The clock is ticking on the replacement of Canada's Radarsat-2 surveillance satellite, originally launched in 2007. Documents obtained by the Citizen show that DND has plans to build a new ground station in the Arctic next year and upgrade two others in preparation for the launch in 2014 and 2015 of a series of three replacement surveillance satellites, called the Radarsat Constellation Mission or RCM. But the Conservative government is still stalling on its commitment to the RCM satellites, which can conduct surveillance day or night and in all weather. Ottawa Citizen

 

North Slope Borough Takes Preventative Measures Ahead of Arctic Storm Surges: The North Slope Borough Mayor's office declares an emergency as the area is expecting storm surges upwards of 6 feet. The North Slope Borough Mayor's office declares an emergency as the area is expecting storm surges upwards of 6 feet. The declaration allows the borough to use funds to prepare for the high water levels. Crews are currently piling sand bags near critical infrastructure by the shore front including two pump stations for Barrow's water and sewer. An incident command team is working to build dikes and repair roads to protect power lines running along the coast. Borough officials say over the past weekend Barrow saw a 4 foot surge of water and it took out some roads and as much as 10-15 feet of shoreline bluff. Tuesday afternoon (10/16) crews were taking into consideration of what preventative measures could be utilized in other areas of town. Your Alaska Link

 

Arctic Maritime Traffic Over Russia Breaks Last Year's Record. There's a month left before the onset of winter halts the Arctic maritime traffic between Europe and Asia, and already the number of cargo vessels traversing the Northern Sea Route this year is higher than last year's record haul -- another sign of global warming that could soon make this shipping lane a much busier route. Thirty-five cargo ships transported more than a million tons of goods -- mostly Russian petrochemicals -- through the mostly Russian-owned northeastern maritime passage, according to Barents Observer, an English-language publication in Murmansk, 830 miles north of St. Petersburg. International Business Times 

 

Kuskokwim Fishing Trials, Subsistence Loom Large at AFN Convention. Max Olick knew the Alaska State Trooper who wrote him a ticket and took his 55-foot driftnet. As a Village Public Safety Officer, Olick helps troopers keep the peace in his hometown of Kwethluk in Southwest Alaska. But when other fishermen in the Lower Kuskokwim River village planned to fish for king salmon despite a state ban, Olick said he joined his neighbors in protest."I risked my job going out (for) something that I believe. The right to be out there and gather food for my family," Olick said in a phone interview Thursday from Kwethluk. Anchorage Daily News