Senators Push for New Heavy Polar Icebreakers. Lawmakers from Alaska and Washington have introduced language in a federal defense spending bill that would authorize the building of four new heavy polar icebreakers. U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., announced the amendment to the National Defense Spending Bill earlier this week. The item is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Patty Murray, D-Wash. Anchorage Daily News

Denmark Makes New Claim for Arctic Seafloor. Denmark and Greenland have submitted a claim for 62,000 square kilometers of Arctic sea floor. The claim is the fourth of five that Denmark is expected to submit before a deadline in 2014 - 10 years after signing the UN Convention of the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) - which in total could expand Denmark's territory by around a million square kilometers. Currently, the territory of the six countries bordering the Arctic Ocean (Denmark, Canada, Russia, Norway, the US and Iceland) extends 200 nautical miles into the sea, an area which makes up their exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Arctic Journal

Wolf Views Plummet in Denali National Park; State Decision on Trapping, Hunting Blamed. Wolf viewings by tourists are down dramatically in Denali National Park and Preserve, and conservation groups are blasting a 2010 decision by Alaska game managers to allow wolf hunting and trapping on a chunk of state-owned land outside the park. The National Park Service didn't voice that same accusation so clearly. But in a press release about the drop in viewings, the agency highlighted the decreased wolf population and the state's policy. Alaska Dispatch

Battling Noxious Aquatic Weeds Threatening Some Alaska Waterways. Two species of Elodea, aquatic plants commonly known as Canadian and Nuttall's waterweed, have been found in recent years in a handful of lakes and sloughs near Fairbanks, Anchorage, Cordova, and Kenai. Native to some states in the Lower 48, these two species are the first invasive aquatic weeds in Alaska. Unlike some terrestrial weeds that seem to be content hanging around towns and highways, Elodea is fully capable of spreading into slow-moving water bodies throughout Alaska. It has already begun. Alaska's vaunted sport, commercial and subsistence fishing industries may eventually be the weed's first victims. Alaska Dispatch

Russia Begins Deployment of Aerospace Defense in Arctic. Russia has started the deployment of aerospace defense units in the Arctic and construction of an early missile warning radar in the country's extreme north, the commander of Aerospace Defense Forces said Thursday. "The expansion of [missile early warning] radar coverage is one of the key areas of our work, especially when it comes to [Russia's] extreme north - we have already started the deployment of electronic warfare units in the Arctic," Maj. Gen. Alexander Golovko said. Russia & India Report

Why Norway's Shipping Industry Sees Arctic Boom. The top of the world is about to get a lot busier as shipping lines and energy companies look to make the most of new trade routes and uncovered natural resources in the Arctic. Boasting the world's second largest and most advanced offshore fleet, Norway's shipping industry is joining in on the rush to the Arctic, Sturla Henriksen, the director general of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association told CNBC on Thursday. CNBC

DoD's Increased Arctic Attention Welcomed by AAPC Co-Chairs. Alaska Arctic Policy Commission Co-Chairs Senator Lesil McGuire and Representative Bob Herron have approved of a recent DoD report, introduced by United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, but pointed out that the overarching language is short on details and lacks a plan for implementation. Background: Chuck Hagel, announced the release of his agency's 14-page "Arctic Strategy", touting it as a plan to ensure security, support safety and promote defense cooperation in the region. Hagel chose the International Security Forum at Halifax, Nova Scotia, as the venue for his announcement where he recognized the challenges of climate change and new trends in global geopolitics while calling for Arctic nations to work together to avoid conflict. MarineLink

Northwest Passage Fiber Optic Line Could Support Defense Arctic Strategy. A Canadian company's bold project to install a high speed fiber optic network across the roof of the world could provide the Defense Department with broadband connections to support its new Arctic strategy unveiled last week Arctic Fibre of Toronto plans to start construction in May 2014 on its $620 million, 24 terabit network linking London and Tokyo with a route through the Northwest Passage. The network is slated to start operating in January 2016. It will have 100 gigabit spurs to areas of Alaska that have minimal or no communications links, Douglas Cunningham, the company's president told Nextgov. NextGov