Arctic Potential: Realizing the Promise of US Oil and Gas Resources. In response to the Secretary of Energy's October 25, 2013 request, the National Petroleum Council conducted a comprehensive study considering the research and technology opportunities to enable prudent development of U.S. Arctic oil and gas resources. Today, there is both increasing interest in the Arctic for economic opportunity, and concern about the future of the culture of the Arctic peoples and the environment in the face of changing climate and increased human activity. Other nations, such as Russia and China, are moving forward with Arctic economic development. Facilitating exploration and development in the U.S. Arctic would enhance national, economic, and energy security, benefit the people of the north and the U.S. as a whole, and position the U.S. to exercise global leadership. Despite these benefits, there are diverse views on how to balance this opportunity with environmental stewardship. In April 2015, the U.S. will assume chairmanship of the Arctic Council, and during 2015, the Administration will complete its first quadrennial energy review. National Petroleum Council

Committee Forms to Tackle Arctic Waterways Safety. With increased vessel traffic in the Arctic and the region attracting new attention from the tourist and industrial sectors, a new committee has formed to develop the best practices for managing Arctic waterways. The Arctic Waterways Safety Committee held its first formal meeting this month in Juneau, electing its officers and meeting with the governor and Alaska's state committee on the Arctic. Alaska Dispatch News

Looking for Edge, Maine Plunges Into Arctic Policy. Maine is positioning itself as a player in Arctic politics, which could increase opportunities for Maine's climate researchers and for businesses in the advanced materials, construction, marine transportation, renewable power and logistics sectors. Maine's interest in the Arctic may seem puzzling, considering its location some 1,500 miles south of the Arctic Circle. But the state's geographic position at the northeast corner of the nation means ships passing through the Arctic reach Maine ports first, said Louie Porta, director of policy for The Pew Charitable Trusts' Oceans North Canada campaign. Portland Press Herald

Prolific Glacial Melt is 10% of Annual Fresh Water in the Gulf of Alaska. A kayak trip in Glacier Bay in 2006 inspired an engineer to research the impact of glacial run off in the Gulf of Alaska. David Hill is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Oregon State University. For the study, he used decades of state and USGS stream flow data, combined with calculations on land characteristics and watershed size to create an analysis for the entire area. He found glacier melt makes up about 10% of the overall precipitation added to the Gulf. The annual amount is measured in multiple feet of water. Hill says he worked to model how quickly rain and snowmelt started to flow. Alaska Public Radio

New Research Identifies Diverse Sources of Methane in Shallow Arctic Lakes. New research into the changing ecology of thousands of shallow lakes on the North Slope of Alaska suggests that in scenarios of increasing global temperatures, methane-generating microbes, found in thawing lake sediments, may ramp up production of the potent greenhouse gas - which has a global warming potential 25 times greater than carbon dioxide. A study published this month in Geobiology - resulting from five-years of collaborative research led by Nevada's Desert Research Institute (DRI) and including scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Montana State University, and University of California, Riverside - illustrates how the decomposition of organic matter in thermokast lake sediments can produce up to three times more biological methane gas emissions when subjected to increased temperatures in a simulated environment. Environmental Research Web

Study Lists Alaska Climate Change Winners. Some northwest Alaska bird species could benefit from climate change but increased temperatures could harm populations of several mammals, a federal study has concluded. More shrubs and trees and less tundra could help tree-dwellers such as northern goshawks, according to the study, which predicted changes in boreal and Arctic habitats used by 162 bird species and 39 land mammals in northwest Alaska. Juneau Empire

Lawmaker Presses the Navy to Buy an Icebreaker. The Navy needs an icebreaker. So says one lawmaker, who noted at a recent hearing that with the Coast Guard down to one heavy icebreaker and lacking funds to build another, it ought to fall to the Navy to buy one. "You need an icebreaker to be able to get up there and break ice to be able to operate there," Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., told Rear Adm. Kevin Donegan, the acting deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy at a March 19 hearing. Navy Times

Hunting Restrictions on 2 Alaska Caribou Herds to Take Effect This Summer. It's been 30 years since hunting restrictions have been placed on Arctic caribou herds, but with dropping numbers in both the Western Arctic and Teshekpuk herds, the Alaska Board of Game had no other option. Restrictions on bag limits and season length will start on July 1, and will affect both resident and nonresident hunters. Alaska Dispatch News

Report: Ship Trouble in the Arctic on the Rise. A new report says that as Arctic ship traffic has increased, so has the number of Arctic ship mishaps. The annual Shipping and Safety Review by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, counts 55 ship casualties in the waters of the Arctic Circle last year, up from three a decade ago. Machinery damage or failure accounts for nearly half of those, with wrecking or stranding in second place. Only one Arctic ship, near northern Norway and Iceland, was considered a total loss. The report covers shipping losses for ships over 100 gross tons. As Arctic ice diminishes, some are predicting the Arctic will become an important region for global shipping. In 2013, with little summer ice, 71 ships navigated some or all of the Northern Sea Route, across the north of Russia. Traffic slowed in 2014 with a rebound of ice. This winter, Arctic ice reached its peak Feb. 25. The extent of annual sea ice cover was the lowest since satellite records began. KTOO