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News articles on Greenland-Arctic

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Mongabay.com news articles on Greenland-Arctic in blog format. Updated regularly.

Pollution from smog linked to climate warming in the Arctic

(03/15/2006) In a global assessment of the impact of ozone on climate warming, scientists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies evaluated how ozone in the lowest part of the atmosphere changed surface temperatures over the past 100 years. Using the best available estimates of global emissions of the various gases that produce tropospheric ozone, the GISS computer model study reveals how much this single air pollutant and greenhouse gas has contributed to warming in specific regions of the world.


Warming climate causing biological changes in the Arctic

(03/10/2006) Physical changes--including rising air and seawater temperatures and decreasing seasonal ice cover--appear to be the cause of a series of biological changes in the northern Bering Sea ecosystem that could have long-range and irreversible effects on the animals that live there and on the people who depend on them for their livelihoods. In a paper published March 10 in the journal Science, a team of U.S. and Canadian researchers use data from long-term observations of physical properties and biological communities to conclude that previously documented physical changes in the Arctic in recent years are profoundly affecting Arctic life.


New extinction hotspots identified

(03/07/2006) Scientists have identified 20 potential extinction hotspots where hunting and human-caused habitat destruction are set to suffer significant declines in animal populations in coming years. In developing their map of future extinction hotspots, the researchers analyzed current and predicted IUCN Red List data on the extinction risk to almost 4,000 species of land mammals. Their roster includes areas not typically found on lists of the world's most imperiled habitats, including Greenland, the Patagonian coast of South America, and Siberian tundra.


Greenland ice cap melting faster finds NASA

(12/26/2005) In the first direct, comprehensive mass survey of the entire Greenland ice sheet, scientists using data from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) have measured a significant decrease in the mass of the Greenland ice cap. Grace is a satellite mission that measures movement in Earth's mass.


Permafrost could melt by 2100, worsening global warming

(12/19/2005) Global warming could cause the top 10 feet (3 meters) or more of Arctic permafrost to thaw by 2100 according to new simulations from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Melting could disrupt important ecosystems, damage roads and buildings, increase freshwater runoff into the Acrtic Ocean and release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.


Norwegian killer whales most toxic mammals in Arctic

(12/12/2005) Initial scientific results show Norwegian killer whales are the most toxic mammals in the Arctic, says WWF, the global conservation organization. Previous research awarded this dubious honour to the polar bear, but a new study shows that killer whales have even higher levels of PCBs, pesticides and a brominated flame retardant.


Arctic Inuit sue U.S. govt over global warming pollution

(12/08/2005) A group of people living in the Arctic have filed a lawsuit against the US government, claiming its climate change policies violate their human rights. The Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) says that by failing to control emissions of greenhouse gases, the US is damaging the livelihoods those living in the Arctic. The group has filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights demanding that the US limit its emissions.


Warming could free far more carbon from high Arctic soil than earlier thought

(12/05/2005) Scientists studying the effects of carbon on climate warming are very likely underestimating, by a vast amount, how much soil carbon is available in the high Arctic to be released into the atmosphere, new University of Washington research shows. A three-year study of soils in northwest Greenland found that a key previous study greatly underestimated the organic carbon stored in the soil. That's because the earlier work generally looked only at the top 10 inches of soil, said Jennifer Horwath, a UW doctoral student in Earth and space sciences.


Will 'tipping points' accelerate global warming?

(11/24/2005) Rising temperatures trigger a runaway melt of Greenland's ice sheet, raising sea levels and drowning Pacific islands and cities from New York to Tokyo.


NASA satellites detect continuing decline in Arctic sea ice

(10/01/2005) Researchers from NASA, the National Snow and Ice Data Center and others using satellite data have detected a significant loss in Arctic sea ice this year.


Polar bears hold key to understanding health risk of environmental pollutants

(09/30/2005) Polar bears and people, at the chilly top of the Arctic's food chain, risk consuming a smorgasbord of industrial pollutants that have seeped into their habitat and pose potential health hazards.


Decline of Arctic sea ice increases

(09/29/2005) Summer Arctic sea ice falls far below average for fourth year, winter ice sees sharp decline, spring melt starts earlier.


Is there a link between the Arctic and hurricanes?

(09/29/2005) Is there a cause-and-effect link between the warming trend in the Arctic and the recent increase in Atlantic hurricane activity?.


Vegetation growth in Arctic could add to global warming

(09/08/2005) Warming in the Arctic is stimulating the growth of vegetation and could affect the delicate energy balance there, causing an additional climate warming of several degrees over the next few decades. A new study indicates that as the number of dark-colored shrubs in the otherwise stark Arctic tundra rises, the amount of solar energy absorbed could increase winter heating by up to 70 percent. The research will be published 7 September in the first issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, published by the American Geophysical Union.


Arctic ocean could have ice-free summers by 2100 says new study

(08/24/2005) The current warming trends in the Arctic may shove the Arctic system into a seasonally ice-free state not seen for more than one million years, according to a new report. The melting is accelerating, and a team of researchers were unable to identify any natural processes that might slow the de-icing of the Arctic.


A successful year of shareholder advocacy for Green Century Capital Management

(07/07/2005) Green Century Capital Management, Inc. (Green Century), a Boston-based environmentally responsible investment company, has recently concluded its most active and successful year of shareholder advocacy to date. Using its investments to encourage greater corporate environmental responsibility, Green Century has pushed for and won change on a broad range of environmental issues, from the fate of the Arctic Refuge to genetically engineered food. Green Century filed seven shareholder resolutions this year and engaged in dialogue with an additional ten companies in its efforts to improve the long-term financial and environmental performance of some of the nation's largest companies.


ExxonMobil asked to stay out of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by shareholder group

(05/25/2005) Green Century Capital Management, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, and Clean Yield Asset Management will be attending the ExxonMobil shareholder meeting later this week in an effort to convince the company to stay out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and to improve company policies on operations in other protected and sensitive areas worldwide. The groups have filed a shareholder resolution with the company on this topic and ExxonMobil shareholders will vote on the proposal at Wednesday's annual meeting.


Shareholders ask ExxonMobil to produce report on risks of oil drilling in sensitive areas

(05/25/2005) According Strong support demonstrates that investors believe that drilling in protected areas like the Arctic Refuge is bad for business and bad for the environment.



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