5.1 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Arctic Ocean. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Arctic Ocean on the night from Friday to Saturday. The epicenter was near one of the islands of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago 80 km south from the North Pole. An earthquake in the Arctic Ocean is a rather rare phenomenon. Voice of Russia

 

Korea, Norway to Cooperate Further in Arctic. President Lee Myung-bak met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday morning and discussed ways to expand cooperation in various fields, including Arctic sea development and green growth. The two sides signed two MOUs: one on the development of an Arctic sea route that will shorten the sailing time from Asia to Europe by one-third, and another on cooperation in eco-friendly shipbuilding. The shipbuilding industry accounts for half of the total trade volume between the two countries, and 70 percent of Korean exports to Norway. Chosun Media

 

Arctic Crustaceans Use Currents, Deep-water Migration to Survive Sea Ice Melts. With sea ice in the Arctic melting to record lows in summer months, marine animals living there face dramatic changes to their environment. Yet some crustaceans, previously thought to spend their entire lives on the underside of sea ice, were recently discovered to migrate deep underwater and follow ocean currents back to colder areas when ice disappears. Phys.Org

 

Giessel Named to Arctic Commission. State Senator Cathy Giessel is being appointed to the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission, announced the senator last week. Alaska House Representative Bob Herron made the announcement during an Arctic Caucus meeting in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, in June. Senator Giessel is a member of the Arctic Caucus, a subcommittee of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER). She is eager to participate in the important Arctic discussions. The Arctic Policy Commission was created by the legislature in 2012 for the purpose of putting Alaska in a leadership role in the development of a nationwide comprehensive Arctic policy. Despite being an Arctic nation, the United States does not have a comprehensive policy specifically focused on economic, ecological and security issues in Alaska and the OCS. Both Arctic and non-Arctic countries are moving forward with building additional infrastructure, including ports, safe harbors, search and rescue centers, and icebreakers and other Arctic-capable vessels. "It is vital for this country to establish the infrastructure and clearly identify security, resource management and economic stability practices for our Arctic regions," said Giessel. The Seward Phoenix Log

 

Polar Bear Cannibalism: More to Come in a Warmer Arctic? Adult male polar bears preying on cubs and even females has long been observed, but recent sightings off Norway suggest that cannibalism may happen more often as warming temperatures reduce Arctic sea ice, a leading polar bear scientist says in a new report. The conclusion is based on images and observations made of three separate cannibalism incidents in summer and early fall while the adult polar bears were on sea ice, which polar bears use as platforms to hunt seals. NBC News

 

Arctic Ice: Floes Impeding Shell Oil Hold Promise for Pacific Walrus. A 30-by-12-mile chunk of sea ice floating tens of miles offshore of mainland Alaska in the Chukchi Sea, one of the nation's emerging oil frontiers, may have interrupted exploration in this corner of the Arctic Ocean. But that floe and others are a welcome change for thousands of Pacific walrus, which made long and treacherous journeys to reach Alaska shores in recent autumns. For the last three years in a row, and in 2007, the massive mammals blanketed beaches, sometimes with fatal consequences. Walrus, which are under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act, can easily weigh a ton. When startled, the herd may evacuate at once, trampling and crushing animals while fleeing. This is believed to have happened in 2009, when more than 100 walrus, mostly juveniles, were found dead after a large haul-out at Icy Cape, on the Arctic Ocean shore southwest of Barrow. And it's thought that walrus have come ashore in increasingly large numbers recently after exhausting themselves in the search for sea ice on which they can rest and launch feeding forays into the rich waters of the Continental Shelf. A 2010 haul-out at Point Lay, not far from Icy Cape, was estimated to contain at least 10,000 animals. Alaska Dispatch