Russian Icebreaker Makes Record Setting Arctic Voyage. According to the Russian media outlet Port News, a Russian icebreaker has just completed the fastest transit of the Northern Sea Route. Along with setting the speed record, the icebreaker also completed the trip over a month after the shipping season usually ends in the Arctic. But it's still a long ways off from becoming the next great trade route. Alaska Public Radio

 

Arctic Oil and Gas: Triumph and Disappoint in 2015. 2015 was a year of both triumph and disappointment for the Arctic's oil and gas industry. While some projects were abandoned, the region's potential was highlighted, and the action continues into 2016. Russia's year in the Arctic saw a range of developments. Most recently, Sovcomflot gained finance for three Arctic shuttle tankers for the Novy Port project. Novy Port is one of the largest oil and gas condensate deposits on the Yamal peninsula in Russia. The vessels will serve as part of project infrastructure designed to enable year-round shipment of crude oil from an offshore loading terminal in the Gulf of Ob. The commercial production from the field will start in 2016. Maritime Executive

 

The World's First Ice-Busting Yachts Open the High Arctic. The world's billionaires are en route to Canada's High Arctic-and judging by their luxurious, ice-busting rides, Ottawa may have trouble keeping up. In yet another example of how the once-foreboding Northwest Passage has landed on the itineraries of well-heeled global tourists, Dutch shipbuilder Damen wowed the Monaco Yacht Show's attendees this fall when it unveiled its latest luxury toy: the world's first polar-capable super-yacht. Called SeaXplorer, the "purpose-built luxury expedition yacht" boasts a double-acting hull that, when piloted in reverse, can crunch its way through nearly a metre of first-year sea ice. Other handy tools for venturing into the frigid Arctic include, on the biggest version: a pair of helicopters, two submersibles, several launch boats and a heated outdoor bar surface-so your highball doesn't turn into a Popsicle under the midnight sun. Macleans

 

Polar Wildlife Under Threat as Ice Melts and Makes Seas Brighter. AND then there was light. As ice disappears from the Arctic, the waters below are changing - in ways that until now have mostly been overlooked. Light, once blocked by thick ice, is now penetrating deeper than ever before - and it will have a huge impact on Arctic ecosystems. The effect of warming on ice and sea level have been studied extensively. Until now, the effect of light on the Arctic had not been explored. But its effect is likely to be significant on creatures adapted to unique temperature and light conditions around the poles. "We tend to think of climate warming as something related to temperature, but what is truly unique to polar regions is the light," says Jørgen Berge of the Arctic University of Norway. New Scientist

 

Northern Reindeer, Muskoxen, Caribou Feel Effects of Climate Change. A brisk, refreshing breeze blows over the hills and through the pasture at the University of Calgary's Wildlife Research Station at the Spyhill Campus. Dotting the horizon are eight not-so-tiny reindeer. Like an early dose of holiday magic, the sight transports you to the frozen North. But while these animals are a treat to look at, there's more than meets the eye. Underneath all of the fur and velvety antlers lives a parasitic clue that tells researchers Susan Kutz and Pratap Kafle how well the animals are adapting to climate change. Arctic Journal