TOP OF THE WORLD TELEGRAPH

News from the Arctic

Vol. 6, Issue 40: 9 February 2010

THIS WEEK FROM THE INSTITUTE OF THE NORTH

No dispute over Lomonosov Ridge

BarentsObserver, 02/02/11

The five countries bordering the Arctic Ocean do not have conflicting positions about the
continental nature of the Lomonosov Ridge. As previously reported, Russia in 2011 intends to
complete the collection of data on the extension of the countries Arctic shelf and hand in a
claim to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in 2012.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE REGION

MARITIME

ALASKA/UNITED STATES
A Success Story: Alaska Ship & Drydock (Marinelink.com, 01/28/11)
http://www.marinelink.com/news/success-drydock-alaska336957.aspx
A new maintenance company with no shipyard experience takes a struggling repair yard,
converted from an old cannery, and transforms it into a success story. Alaska Ship & Drydock
(ASD) is on its way to achieving its vision of becoming the maritime support center for the
North Pacific and Arctic Oceans. The yard’s story is tied to the economic development in
Southeast Alaska and its turning point came with the construction of the MV Susitna, the first
ice strengthened twin hull ferry, commissioned by the Office of Naval Research.

REGION
Maritime delimitation treaty between Norway and Russia approved (Norway Post,
02/09/11)
http://www.norwaypost.no/political/maritime-delimitation-treaty-between-norway-and-russia-
approved.html
The maritime delimitation treaty establishing the maritime boundary between Norway and
Russia in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean has been approved by the Norwegian Parliament
(Storting).
Greenland and Nunavut, Canada want Arctic protection (Eye on the Arctic, 02/04/11)
http://eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca/en/news/denmark-groenland/144-geopolitics/675-greenland-
nunavut-want-arctic-protection
Some of Greenland's politicians say they want to team up with Nunavut to demand better
protection for Arctic waters, as areas like the Northwest Passage open up to more marine traffic.

Help is on the way if an Arctic rescue is needed (MSN News, 02/04/11)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41427225/ns/technology_and_science-science/from/toolbar
The treaty was negotiated in December in Reykjavik, Iceland, and is expected to be signed at a
meeting scheduled for May 12 in Nuuk, Greenland. It establishes areas where the United States,
Canada, Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway will each take lead
responsibility for search-and-rescue operations, said David Balton, deputy assistant secretary
for oceans and fisheries at the U.S. Department of State.

RUSSIA
Russia to build research center on Svalbard (BarentsObserver, 02/08/11)
http://www.barentsobserver.com/russia-to-build-research-center-on-svalbard.4882368-
116321.html
According to Valeriy Martyshchenko from the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and
Environmental Monitoring, the center will be developing projects of geophysical, hydrologic
and geologic art and will also contain a station for reception of satellite data and rooms for
scientific conferences. The establishment of the center is part of a large-scaled federal program
called “World Ocean”.

Oil tycoon buys Port of Murmansk (BarentsObserver, 02/08/11)

http://www.barentsobserver.com/oil-tycoon-buys-port-of-murmansk.4882029-116320.html
Russian oil tycoon Gennady Timchenko is reported to have sealed a deal on the acquisition of
the Port of Murmansk, the fourth biggest in Russia and a key asset in the development of the
country's Arctic.

Novatek, Atomflot strike deal on Northern Sea Route (BarentsObserver, 02/02/11)

http://www.barentsobserver.com/novatek-atomflot-strike-deal-on-northern-sea-route.4879993-
116321.html
Russia’s second biggest gas producer Novatek has signed a cooperation agreement with
icebreaker operator Atomflot on shipping along the Northern Sea Route.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS

ALASKA/UNITED STATES
FCC to use phone subsidy fund to pay for broadband (The Globe and Mail, 02/08/11)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/tech-news/fcc-to-use-phone-subsidy-fund-
to-pay-for-broadband/article1898998/
U.S. government regulators plan to overhaul the $8-billion federal program that subsidizes
telephone service in rural and poor areas in order to pay for high-speed Internet connections.

Are smartphones killing handheld consoles? (TG Daily, 02/08/11)

http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-features/54029-are-smartphones-killing-handheld-consoles#
John Carmack of id Software believes the 3DS (Nintendo) and NGP (Sony) could represent the
last generation of specialized handheld consoles. According to Carmack, devise can now render
advanced graphics on smartphones, thereby providing a gaming experience that comes close to
what handhelds have to offer.

NORWAY
Record sales of mobile phones (Norway Post, 02/09/11)
http://www.norwaypost.no/general-business/record-sales-of-mobile-phones.html
A total of 2.5 million new mobile phones were sold in Norway last year, a new record. On
average, every second Norwegian bought a new mobile phone in 2010.

AVIATION

ALASKA/UNITED STATES
Support grows for tiered risk system at airports (MSN News, 02/08/11)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41473962/ns/travel-business_travel/
TSA mulls proposal to divide travelers into groups — trusted, regular and risky. One reason
airport security measures frustrate travelers is that screening procedures tend to treat all
passengers the same: as potential terrorists.

Alaska: The ‘largest aviation system in North America' (Alaska Dispatch 02/08/11)
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/blogs/bush-pilot/8677-alaska-the-largest-aviation-system-in-
north-america
As Congress debates whether rural residents of Alaska and other states deserve subsidized
access to air travel, the state of Alaska is on a public relations campaign to help Outsiders
understand what eliminating the Essential Air Service program would mean in the Last Frontier.

Airlines' path for profits: Fly less, charge more (MSN News, 01/25/11)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41238482/ns/business-us_business/
After a decade of multibillion-dollar losses, U.S. airlines appear to be on course to prosper for
years to come for a simple reason: They are flying less. By grounding planes and eliminating
flights, airlines have cut costs and pushed fares higher. As the global economy rebounds, travel
demand is rising and planes are as full as they've been in years.

OTHER AREAS OF GENERAL INTEREST

ALASKA/UNITED STATES
Audio: Bethel, Alaska farm produces likely first agricultural export from region (Eye on
the Arctic, 02/07/11)
http://eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca/en/news/usa/97-environment/686-bethel-alaska-farm-produces-
likely-first-agricultural-export-from-region
Tim Myers, of Myers Farm in Bethel has been supplying fresh vegetables to people in Bethel
for several years now. This last season he had enough produce to ship some out to customers in
villages. And just this week, Myers put a shipment on a cargo plane headed out of the region.
It's likely that his shipment is the regions first agricultural export, ever.

CANADA
Yukon community seeks exemption from Canada's Nutrition North program (Eye on the
Arctic, 02/09/11)
http://eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca/en/news/canada/47-business/695-yukon-community-seeks-
exemption-from-canadas-nutrition-north-program
The Food Mail Program subsidized the costs of transporting grocery items to remote northern
communities, like Old Crow, that are cut off from regular road and water access. Under the old
program, businesses and consumers paid a fixed price for subsidized groceries, while the federal
Indian and Northern Affairs Department covered the difference on variable costs such as air
shipping.

REGION
Russia, Finland to discuss Arctic cooperation (RIA Novosti, 02/08/11)
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110208/162507508.html
The vast hydrocarbon deposits that will become more accessible as rising global temperatures
lead to a reduction in sea ice have brought the Arctic to the center of geopolitical wrangling.
The sides will discuss Arctic policy, scientific, environmental and technological cooperation.

RUSSIA
Biometric passports pave way for visa-freedom (BarentsObserver, 02/08/11)
http://www.barentsobserver.com/biometric-passports-pave-way-for-visa-freedom.4882509-
116321.html
The introduction of biometric passports will facilitate the abolishment of the visa regime
between Russia and the EU, a leading representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry says.
ENERGY

ALASKA/UNITED STATES
1950s building downtown to get solar-power infusion (Anchorage Daily News, 02/09/11)
http://www.adn.com/2011/02/08/1691321/aging-building-to-get-a-solar.html#
As the days grow longer this spring, a towering wall of 64 solar energy panels is scheduled to
arise on the Fifth Avenue and E Street building, which sits just east of the Egan Convention
Center. It's one of the few solar projects of its kind in Alaska.

Audio: Legislators supporting deadline for gasline project (Alaska Public Radio Network,
02/07/11)
http://aprn.org/2011/02/07/legislators-supporting-deadline-for-gasline-project/#
Legislators are supporting a deadline that could lead to the closing of the state-licensed gasline
project from the North Slope to North American markets. House speaker Mike Chenault
introduced legislation last week giving the state’s licensee, TransCanada, until July 15 to
provide lawmakers with evidence that the line is still economically viable.

Audio: Some financial assistance available for high heating costs (Alaska Public Radio
Network, 02/07/11)
http://aprn.org/2011/02/07/some-financial-assistance-available-for-high-heating-costs/#
Alaskans who need help in paying the high cost of staying warm through the winter may qualify
for financial assistance from the state.

RUSSIA
Yamal to fuel Northwest Russia (BarentsObserver, 02/09/11)
http://www.barentsobserver.com/yamal-to-fuel-northwest-russia.4883158-116321.html
Gas from the Yamal Peninsula will cover the current deficit in Northwest Russia, a leading
representative of Gazprom says.

More control of Arctic shelf projects (BarentsObserver, 02/01/11)

http://www.barentsobserver.com/more-control-of-arctic-shelf-projects.4879283-116321.html
The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources intends to step up the level of control in offshore oil
and gas projects.

Climate change boosts oil production (BarentsObserver, 01/28/11)

http://www.barentsobserver.com/climate-change-boosts-oil-production.4877965-116321.html
Warmer weather will lead to longer seasons for exploration and production of oil and gas in
Arctic areas. As the ice cap shrinks, the area and period where it’s possible to search for
resources will double, said Øisten Harsem, researcher at the University of Tromsø, at the Arctic
Frontiers conference.
FISHERIES

CANADA
Arctic not overfished: Nunavut fishing group (CBC News, 02/07/11)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2011/02/07/baffin-fisheries-arctic.html
Underreporting of Arctic fishing data to the United Nations is no cause for alarm, according to
Nunavut's largest fisheries group. "I certainly don't think there's overfishing," Jerry Ward, chief
executive officer of the Baffin Fisheries Coalition, told CBC News. He added that the Iqaluit-
based fisheries group believes fishing quotas should only be increased if good science supports
that kind of move.

REGION
International Arctic fishing grossly underreported, researchers say (Anchorage Daily
News, 02/04/11
http://www.adn.com/2011/02/04/1684550/international-arctic-fishing-
grossly.html?story_link=email_msg#
Fisheries catches in the Arctic waters of Russia, Canada and Alaska have for decades been
underreported to the United Nations, say researchers from the University of British Columbia.
CBC News reports that as an example of underreporting, "the Alaska Department of Fish and
Game showed that over the study period, the Arctic fish catch in Alaska alone was 89,000 tons,
even though the U.S. reported no catches at all to the U.N."

Significant Arctic fish catches going unreported: UBC researchers warn (The Vancouver
Sun, 02/04/11)
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Significant+Arctic+fish+catches+going+unreported+resea
rchers+warn/4225610/story.html
University of British Columbia researchers say that Canada, the U.S., and Russia have not been
accurately reporting fisheries catches in the Arctic.

CLIMATE CHANGE

US acknowledges danger to walrus but delays protection (Anchorage Daily News, 02/08/11)
http://www.adn.com/2011/02/08/1690924/us-acknowledges-but-delays-endangered.html#
Pacific walrus need additional protection from the threat of climate warming but cannot be
added to the threatened or endangered list because other species are a higher priority, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service said. Related audio link: Pacific Walrus Joins 'Candidate' Species
List.

Polar bear births fall in warming climate (CBC News, 02/08/11)

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2011/02/08/science-polar-bear-births-climate.html
Polar bears will have drastically fewer cubs and more miscarriages as the ice melts on Hudson
Bay, Alberta researchers predict.
Audio: Town in Northern Sweden rallies youth against climate change (Eye on the Arctic,
02/07/11)
http://eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca/en/news/sweden/103-geopolitics/688-northern-sweden-town-
rallies-youth-against-climate-change
The failure of global climate change negotiations, first in Kyoto and more recently in
Copenhagen, has led many towns and cities around the world to set their own ambitious targets
for reducing greenhouse gasses and saving energy.

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