US Navy, Coast Guard Prep for Ice-Free Arctic. "The question of the Arctic Ocean becoming seasonally ice-free as a result of climate change is no longer one of 'if' but 'when.' And while environmentalists and scientists may bemoan the consequences for polar bears, ringed seals or weather patterns, many governments see opportunity. One opportunity is shortened transit times for cargo vessels, particularly from Atlantic to Pacific (and vice versa) via the Northern Sea Route across the top of Russia, and to a lesser extent via the fabled Northwest Passage through Canada's Arctic archipelago. A recent study concluded that the Northern Sea Route could become completely navigable for part of the year by mid-century at latest." Discovery 

Top prize for Arctic researcher. "One of the world's top Arctic researchers, Queen's University professor John Smol, has been awarded the $50,000 Weston Family Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Northern Research by the W. Garfield Weston Foundation. Dr. Smol's collaborative work has been instrumental in helping the world understand global climate issues and the effects of contaminants on the Arctic environment. Dr. Smol is a leading international authority in the field of Arctic limnology and paleolimnology, the field of study that looks below the surface of lakes and rivers to uncover the secrets of the Arctic's environmental history." LabCanada.com 

Alaska's boreal forests burning more with climate change. "The largest U.S. wildfires in the last decade of record-breaking blazes have been in the wilds of Alaska, where fires have blackened more than a half-million acres at a time. A new study predicts more of the same for North America's boreal forests, the Far North belt of spruce and fir trees that extends from interior Alaska across Canada. A warming climate could promote so much wildfire in the boreal zone that the forests may convert to deciduous woodlands of aspen and birch, researchers said." LA Times 

Alaska Looks for Answers in Glacier's Summer Flood Surges. "The idea that glaciers change at a glacial speed is increasingly false. They are melting and retreating rapidly all over the world. But the unpredictable flood surges at the Mendenhall Glacier, about 14 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska's capital, are turning a jog into a sprint as global temperatures and climate variability increase. tarting in July 2011, and each year since, sudden torrents of water shooting out from beneath the glacier have become a new facet of Juneau's brief, shimmering high summer season. In that first, and so far biggest, measured flood burst, an estimated 10 billion gallons gushed out in three days, threatening homes and property along the Mendenhall River that winds through part of the city. There have been at least two smaller bursts this year." NY Times 

Forum: How Daring is Obama's New Climate Plan? "Stymied by Congress, and no longer weighed down by concerns about re-election, President Barack Obama decided last month to take assertive action on climate change, unveiling a host of administrative actions to regulate carbon emissions, encourage the development of renewable energy, promote energy efficiency, and prepare the country to adapt to a warmer world. To judge how effective the president's climate plan might be, Yale Environment 360 asked a panel of policy makers, environmentalists, and scientists to answer the following questions: Do you think President Obama's recently announced climate change plan will make a major contribution to reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and, in particular, do you think he will succeed in regulating CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants by the end of his term?" Yale Environment 360