Scientists fear ocean acidification will drive the collapse of Alaska's iconic crab fishery. "For decades, the crab piled up in fishing boats like gold coins hauled from a rich and fertile sea. But the very ocean that nursed these creatures may prove to be this industry's undoing. New research earlier this year shows that Bristol Bay red king crab - the supersized monster that has come to symbolize the fortunes of Alaska's crab fleet - could fall victim to the changing chemistry of the oceans. Barring a hasty reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions - or evidence that the creatures could acclimate to changing sea conditions - a team of scientists fears Alaska's $100 million red king crab fishery could crash in decades to come." Seattle Times 

Conservative victory in Norway: What does it mean for the Arctic? "In Norway's elections on Monday, the Conservative party (Høyre) won the most seats, sweeping Labour Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg from power after eight years. The Conservatives, however, did not win enough seats to form a majority government. As such, headed by new Prime Minister Erna Solberg, they will likely ally with the populist, anti-immigrant Progress Party, which won 29 seats. The Conservatives will probably also have to work with the two small, centrist parties, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. VG has an excellent suite of infographics illustrating the election results for the visually inclined. What does the election mean forNorway's Arctic? In this post, I look at the implications of the Conservatives' rise to power on Norway's foreign and domestic affairs in the northern sphere." Eye on the Arctic 

 

Russia preparing patrols of Arctic shipping lanes. "Russia on Saturday announced an initiative to address climate change. But it had nothing to do with smokestacks. Russia's military said it planned to sail regular naval patrols along shipping lanes in its territory in the Arctic Ocean that opened to commercial vessels only in the last few years, as Arctic ice began melting at a record pace." New York Times 

 

Russian military resumes permanent Arctic presence. "The Russian Navy's long-distance cruise in the Subarctic along the Northern Sea Route has become a flagship mission in the region abandoned by the military after the fall of the USSR. Now the once deactivated infrastructure will resume operation. On Saturday, Russia's Defense Ministry officially announced return of Russia's military to the Subarctic region. The statement was made to mark the arrival of a task group of 10 warships and support vessels to the western coast of Kotelny Island in the Novosibirsk (New Siberian Islands) Archipelago." RT News 

 

Alaskan mine, subject of Capitol Hill battles, loses a partner. "One of the companies seeking to build a huge copper mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay region has abandoned the controversial project that's been at the center of Washington, D.C. political and lobbying battles. Mining giant Anglo American said Monday that it's withdrawing from the partnership behind the Pebble Mine, leaving Northern Dynasty Minerals as the sole owner of the Pebble Limited Partnership formed six years ago." The Hill 

 

Norway's oil firms lobby for Arctic area and tax repeal. "Oil firms in Norway, Western Europe's biggest oil and gas producer, asked the incoming ruling parties on Monday to repeal a recent tax hike and open the sensitive Arctic Lofoten archipelago to exploration. Drilling around the Lofoten islands is becoming one of the top issues in coalition talks among the four election-winning parties and a new government is expected to uphold a drilling ban, forcing oil companies into more remote and difficult waters. Although the top two parties which will make up the government favour opening the area, which could hold around 1.27 billion barrels of oil equivalents, the smaller parties fiercely oppose such a move, fearing the oil industry would endanger its pristine environment, tourism and the world's largest cod stocks." Reuters 

 

Parnell announces AGDC board appointments. "The board of directors for the group charged with advancing an in-state natural gas pipeline has been announced. Gov. Sean Parnell announced the appointments Friday. They include Drue Pearce, John Burns, Albert Bolea, Dave Cruz and Richard Rabinow. State Labor Commissioner Dianne Blumer and Commerce Commissioner Susan Bell will also serve on the Alaska Gasline Development Corp.'s board." Anchorage Daily News 

 

Compass: ExxonMobil makes progress at Point Thomson. "Rising from the North Slope landscape today is more than 20 miles of new pipeline infrastructure that in 2016 will be ready to transport previously untapped resources from the region. We're in the beginning stages of an exciting new chapter for Alaska; one that will provide Alaskans with critical resources, new jobs and a bright future for generations to come. The new pipeline infrastructure has been built to support ExxonMobil's operations at our Point Thomson natural gas condensate project in the previously untapped eastern half of the North Slope. Along with major partners BP and ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil is proud of its role in the development of Point Thomson, and the new infrastructure we're building is only part of the story." Anchorage Daily News 

 

Arctic Ocean acidifying far faster than projected as ice melts. "Acidification of ocean water is just one of the problems associated with climate change. Now, scientists have discovered that the Arctic Ocean is acidifying far faster than projected as sea ice rapidly melts. The findings could have important consequences for the health of the Arctic ecosystem. Ocean acidification occurs when the pH levels of seawater decrease due to greater amounts of carbon dioxide being absorbed by ocean waters. The more-acidic waters can impact creatures that rely on calcium carbonate shells, such as corals and shrimp. This, in turn, can affect animals that are further up the food chain." Science World Report 

 

Senate hearing tackles Arctic climate change. "A hearing on the effects of Arctic climate change Friday shed light on the plight of dozens of villages across Northwest Alaska. Senator Mark Begich met with tribal council representatives, scientists and federal officials in Downtown Anchorage, and took testimony about the effects of erosion, rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns. The information is both scientific and anecdotal." KTVA 

 

Largest air exercise since the 90s. "This and next week's air force exercise is part of the new increased military cooperation between Finland, Sweden and Norway with the goal to enhance Nordic cooperation under NORDEFCO. The Nordic group of aircrafts consists of 10 F-18 Hornet fighters from Rovaniemi air base in Finnish Lapland, 10 F-16 fighters from Bodø and Ørland airbases in Norway and 22 JAS 39 Gripens from Kallax airbase outside Luleå in Sweden. Nearly 30 F-15 fighters and one to two air refueling tankers from US Air Forces in Europe participates. The same does six Eurofighter Typhoons from the British Air Force. The United States and Great Britain will act in roles of training partners." Barents Observer

 

Wrecked Russian diesel tanker ship should be wake-up call for Arctic nations. "Google Nordvik, and you'll get a lot of hits, but very few of them talk about the 435-foot Russian-flagged ship that was traveling around the tip of Siberia last week carrying goodness-only-knows how much diesel. On Sept. 5, the tanker hit some ice, which tore a 40-inch-by-4-inch-hole in its port-side ballast tank. The crew installed a cement box over the hole to stop the water flow, and the ship is now waiting for another ship to arrive to transfer its load. So far, no reports have been made of any oil spilled. Only one news source -- the Barents Observer out of Norway -- and a couple of Russian official pages mention the incident, which occurred almost a week ago. But it speaks volumes on several different levels." Alaska Dispatch