The so-called “doomsday vault” located on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard has received its first delivery of forest tree species seeds – a Norway spruce and a Scots pine. The depository, which first opened in 2008, is attempting to preserve all global food crop seeds in the event of catastrophic natural or man-made disasters, according to the Beacon Review. The scientists there are hoping to monitor long-term genetic changes in natural forests.“The possibility to have seed samples stored in the vault is a great opportunity to complement our forest tree gene conservation, which is based on in situ gene reserve forests,” Dr. Mari Rusanen, a researcher for Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), one of the organizations involved in the seed collection, told BBC News on Sunday.
“The beauty of in situ conservation is in its dynamic nature – we aim to converse natural genetic diversity per se, rather than specific genes or genotypes,” she added. “However, in the seed vault we will have long-term, ex situ, conservation/preservation of the existing genetic composition of the selected gene reserve forests.”

Dr. Rusanen went on to explain that the vault offered peace-of-mind in the unlikely event of a devastating event, such as all-out nuclear war or an apocalyptic weather event. On a more personal level, though, she said that she felt it was more important to collect the samples in order to monitor how these ecosystems change over the long-term.

They’ve been pining for a spruce

The Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is a species of pine that is native to Europe and Asia and can be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orange-red bark. The Norway spruce (Picea abies) is a species of spruce native to Central and Eastern Europe that can grow to up to 180 feet tall and is used as the primary Christmas tree in many parts of the world.

The two tree species seeds, which were Finland and Norway, are the first consignment of seeds from a consortium of scientific groups from throughout the Nordic nations, BBC News noted. They were selected because of the key economic, ecological and social role that they play, and the global seed vault is expected to add several other types of trees in the near future.

Brian Lainoff of the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT), the group that operates the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, told BBC News that there were several reasons why they decided to collect forest tree seeds in the frozen outpost, located on the archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean.

“The genetic diversity of forest tree species worldwide is influenced by a number of factors, of which climate change and forest management activities are most important for the major forest tree species,” he said. “Fragmentation of populations, browsing, pests and diseases are other factors of varying importance.”

Future entries

Lainoff added that while the Nordic consortium’s seeds were the first to enter the vault, future entries will be contributed from other countries. Among other new arrivals at the Svalbard vault were soy bean, barley, lentil, sorghum and wheat samples contributed by officials at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), as well as nearly 2,500 rice samples from AfricaRice.

“Africa is bearing the brunt of all of the global challenges that threaten food security, such as political instability, climate change and population increase,” said Dr. Marie-Noelle Ndjiondjop, head of AfricaRice’s Genetic Resources Unit. “We must not lose the ability to develop the crops that will help us meet and overcome these challenges.”

(redorbit)

As Russia strengthens its naval, air and ground forces in its northern territories, Norway has responded by scaling-up manpower, equipment and Arctic combat units as part of a broader reinforcement of its High North defenses. Norway’s program, part of the Norwegian Defense Forces’ (NDF) Smart Defense strategy, comprises a strong Arctic-focused dimension in funding and resource allocation.The Smart Defense approach to High North military reinforcement has, since 2010, placed higher priority on Arctic-class specialized equipment procurement coupled with more intensive training for High North-deployed units. The goal is to produce combat-ready modular units that can fight independently or alongside NATO forces.
The NDF’s August 2009 decision to relocate the Army’s headquarters functions to the Arctic town of Bodø — 1,700 kilometers north of Oslo — bolstered Norway’s commitment to establishing an integrated High North defense system. That decision led to the establishment of the Joint Operational Command Headquarters (JOCH).

This new approach is centered around more compact units equipped with the best available Arctic fighting equipment and capable of delivering greater firepower.

The JOCH is overseeing the evolution of Norway’s High North defenses into a centralized command and coordinated fighting structure that will be able to call upon an Air Force equipped with F-35s, forward Army battalions deploying CV90 tracked armored fighting vehicles and high mobility Archer artillery units, and a stronger Navy operating anti-aircraft and submarine-hunting Arctic-class Fridtjof Nansen frigates and Skjold corvettes.

The scaling-up of Norway’s defense capabilities in the High North is happening while the military intelligence services are urging the government to adopt a more cautious posture toward Russia’s increasing militarization in the region.

Although the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) believes Norway is under no “short- to medium-term threat” from Russia, its latest open threat evaluation assessment, FOKUS-2015, advocates vigilance.

“Threat is a combination of two factors; capacity and intention,” NIS chief Lt. Gen. Kjell Grandhagen said. “Although capacity is increasing, it is difficult for the time being to see a rational reason for Russian military activity against Norway in a short- to medium-term perspective. But intentions can change over time, and it is therefore now increasingly important for Norway to follow Russia’s long-term political, economic and military development.”

The NIS’ intel-gathering capacity will be enhanced once its new advanced signals intelligence ship, the Marjata 11, enters service in the High North and Barents Sea in 2016.

Under the Smart Defense program, Ørland, located on the mid-Norway coast, and Evenes, above Norway’s Arctic Circle, will become the main operating bases for F-35 aircraft and, during more regular joint exercises, NATO aircraft and forces. Evenes also will house a Quick Reaction Alert squadron.

Ørland, Evenes and the NDF’s core High North battalions will also be equipped with an updated Norwegian advanced surface-to-air missile system, which is being deployed primarily to protect key military installations, warfare units and infrastructure against air-to-surface attacks.

The system uses active missiles and different types of sensors, boosting firepower for the NDF’s Smart Defense and High North strengthening program.

Archer, the next-generation self-propelled artillery system developed as a joint project with Sweden, also increases firepower. Norway plans to deploy 24 Archer systems complete with fully automated 155 mm/L52 howitzer guns and M151 Protector remote-controlled weapon stations. These are mounted on modified Volvo A30 six-wheel-drive chassis all-terrain articulated haulers.

The Arctic-class Archer’s operational strike-and-run capacity makes it ideal in the hilly and forested terrains of the High North. Moreover, Archer can fire Nexter Bonus and Raytheon/Bofors XM982 Excalibur guided rounds over respective distances of 34 kilometers and 60 kilometers.

The NDF also is establishing a specialized Arctic-trained “professional” rapid reaction force north (RRFN), set to become fully operational in 2017. The RRFN unit’s core will comprise an existing armored battalion and a motorized infantry battalion equipped with CV90 infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard 2 tanks

Norway’s ability to defend its High North territories also received a boost from the Defense Ministry’s US $1.6 billion program to re-equip its core forward armored brigade units with CV90 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, part of the NDF’s biggest fighting vehicle modernization project investment.

The vehicle fleet upgrade, with delivery scheduled from BAE Systems in 2015-17, will include 74 modernized and armor-strengthened infantry fighting vehicles, 21 reconnaissance, 16 multirole (mortar carrier or cargo), 15 command and control, 16 engineering, in addition to two driver training vehicle types.

The new and updated vehicles are expected to make the NDF’s forward armored battalions in the High North more mobile with improved firepower. The infantry vehicles also will have better protection against armor-piercing weapons and rounds, including improvised explosive devices.

The infantry and reconnaissance vehicles will also be equipped with better sensor systems, surveillance and communication capabilities, and fitted with integrated technologies that will extend to dismounted infantry troops. Norwegian company Kongsberg’s Protector remote weapon stations are to be fitted to all IFV variants.

The need to prioritize military readiness and defense capability in the High North helped drive Norway’s decision to raise spending on defense above that of any of its Nordic neighbors, said defense analyst Thorvald Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian defense minister.

“Russia is rebuilding its naval and Air Force strength, as well as its Arctic fighting capability, in the High North,” Stoltenberg said. “While this is understandable from a Russian perspective, its growing level of activity regionally is causing problems and concerns among all Nordic governments and militaries. This is unfortunate, as the emphasis should be on building more, not less, bilateral cooperation with Russia on defense and security in the Arctic.”

Norway’s defense budget will run to $8 billion in 2015.

(gannett-cdn)

Sky-gazers in the Arctic were treated to a perfect view of a total solar eclipse yesterday as the moon completely blocked out the sun in a clear sky, casting a shadow over Norway’s remote archipelago of Svalbard. People shouted, cheered and applauded as Longyearbyen, the main town in Svalbard, plunged into darkness. The skies were clear, offering a full view of the sun’s corona — a faint ring of rays surrounding the moon — that is only visible during a total solar eclipse.Earlier, a blanket of clouds in the Faeroe Islands blocked thousands of people there from experiencing the full effect of the total eclipse.
The Faeroes and Svalbard were the only two places on land where the eclipse was total.

Despite the clouds in the Faeroes, tourists and residents in Torshavn alike hooted and applauded as the daylight dimmed for about two minutes and 45 seconds.

“It was a pretty big disappointment not to be able to see the sun,” said Janaki Lund Jensen, who had sailed from Copenhagen with 884 others to see the eclipse.

Hotel rooms have been booked for years as thousands came to the Faeroe Islands to try to see the eclipse.

Sigrun Skalagard, in the northern parts of the Faeroes, said birds there went silent and dogs started howling.

“Some people were surprised to see how fast it became dark,” she said.

A partial solar eclipse could be seen yesterday across Europe and parts of Asia and Africa.

Britain’s Met Office said 95 percent of the sun was covered in the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetland Islands, and 1 percent less further south in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In Copenhagen, the sun was 85 percent covered up, while 80 percent was hidden in southern Sweden.

(AP)

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams) has announced the start of two research projects worth £4.7m. The Oban-based Sams will be a partner in Norwegian-led studies investigating changes in Arctic ecosystems. Arctic ABC will investigate how the Arctic is responding to the loss of sea ice, whilst FAABulous will focus on changes in Arctic algae.Sams has previously been involved in pioneering research involving the little-studied polar night.
Arctic ABC was launched in Oban during a recent Arctic conference at Sams, which welcomed 40 delegates from the UK, Norway, USA, Russia, Germany and Denmark.

This project aims to understand the ecological consequences of the melting of the Arctic sea ice by observing what goes on underneath sea ice in the polar night, and will draws on Sams’ experience in the areas of robotic technologies, sea ice physics, polar oceanography and ecology.

Opening Pandora’s box

Arctic ABC follows on from ongoing pieces of research involving the polar night – when there is continuous darkness 24 hours a day, a phenomenon that only happens in Arctic regions north of the polar circles.

The polar night is as yet little-studied, due to difficulties in access and working conditions, but Dr Cottier said that their work had suggested there was more life and activity there than previously thought.

The research looked into how the moon triggers mass migration behaviours in zooplankton during the polar night, and the subsequent impact that has on the ecosystem and fisheries there.

Zooplankton behaviour in more normal conditions is dictated by the sun – in the daylight, they tend to go to lower depths to avoid being eaten, whereas at night they come to the surface to feed. The project found that during the polar night, the zooplankton switch to a lunar cycle rather than a solar one.

Professor Jørgen Berge of the Arctic University of Norway, who is leading Arctic ABC, said: “80 degrees north of Svalbard the polar night becomes pitch black. It’s a black box no-one has properly looked into but we opened a Pandora’s box; everything was a discovery of the polar night.”

Dr Finlo Cottier, organiser of the conference, said he understood that some people might find it strange that a lab based on the west coast of Scotland was so deeply involved in Arctic research.

But he said Sams had a long history in the field, dating back to the late 19th Century.
Before one of his Arctic expeditions, Fridtjof Nansen, the great Norwegian explorer, came to do a marine biology field course at the association, which was called the Royal Scottish Marine Station at the time.

A recent House of Lords Arctic Committee report highlighted the UK government’s 2013 Arctic Policy Framework as “too hesitant and cautious,” and recommended the UK becomes more effective in “communicating its connections to the Arctic and its strengths in knowledge, skills and businesses with relevance to the Arctic.”

But Dr Cottier believes although visibility of research might be quite low due to it being done in “small pockets”, when the work is packaged together, there is a “tremendous amount” being done in the UK on the Arctic.

Prof Asgeir Sørensen, director of Norway’s Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems (AMOS), who is also involved with the projects, said that the involvement and co-operation of British institutions in research campaigns was vital for the future.

“It is extremely important that the UK and Norway work together and our partnership working with Sams, in particular, is extremely exciting and stimulating,” he said.
“The Arctic is one of the most undiscovered areas of the planet and that curiosity is driving us to work together, not separately.”

(BBC)

At the site of a rapidly shrinking glacier in the Norwegian Arctic, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need for the international community to “take action now” to fight climate change. “I am just close to 250 metres to the glacier. It looks magnificent. But at the same time, I am alarmed that there are so many cracks that will soon break. They are melting very rapidly, and I fully agree with what scientists have been projecting. Unless we take action now, we will have to regret. We have to keep global temperature rise below two degrees as soon as possible,” he said.Preparing for the upcoming meeting of the States parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that will take place in Paris in 2015, the UN chief was in Norway this week to attend a number of high-level events.
On board the research vessel RV Lance, he seized that opportunity to see first-hand the changes in the Blomstrandbreen glacier since he last visited in 2009.

Unless we take action now, we will have to regret. We have to keep global temperature rise below two degrees as soon as possible.

“The fjord behind us has been open every winter, throughout the winter because the ocean is warmer. So we have seen a lot of change since the Secretary-General was here last time,” said Kim Holmén, International Director of Norwegian Polar Institute.

“Glaciers on land are also a very visible example of the change in climate. Every year they are retreating and here in this area we have a lowering of the surface of approximately one meter per year, due to melting,” added the Director of Norwegian Polar Institute, Jan-Gunnar Winther, who travelled with the Secretary-General on board the research vessel RV Lance.

Besides taking an excursion to Blomstrandbreen, Mr. Ban today received briefings at the Kings Bay Marine Lab and the Svalbard Satellite Station, both in Norway.

The five states that surround the central Arctic Ocean – Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark in respect of Greenland, the Kingdom of Norway, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America – met in Oslo on July 16 to sign a declaration to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in high seas portion of the central Arctic Ocean.The declaration acknowledges that commercial fishing in this area of Arctic Ocean – which is larger than Alaska and Texas combined – is unlikely to occur in the near future. Nevertheless, the dramatic reduction of Arctic sea ice and other environmental changes in the Arctic, combined with the limited scientific knowledge about marine resources in this area, necessitate a precautionary approach to prevent unregulated fishing in the area.
To that end, the five countries stated in the declaration that they intend to authorize their vessels to conduct any future commercial fishing in this area only once one or more international mechanisms are in place to manage any such fishing in accordance with recognized international standards. They also intend to establish a joint program of scientific research with the aim of improving understanding of the ecosystems of this area.

The declaration further acknowledges that other states may have interests in preventing unregulated high seas fisheries in this area, and suggests the initiation of a broader process to develop measures consistent with the declaration that would include commitments by all interested states.

The declaration builds on U.S. action in 2009 to prohibit commercial fishing in its Exclusive Economic Zone north of the Bering Strait until better scientific information to support sound fisheries management is available. The United States initiated this five-state process consistent with congressional direction under Public Law 110-243, which calls for the United States to take steps with other Arctic nations to negotiate an agreement for managing fish stocks in the Arctic Ocean, as well as the Implementation Plan for the 2013 National Strategy for the Arctic Region, which commits the United States to prevent unregulated high seas fisheries in the Arctic.

The first ever circumpolar action plan to protect polar bears was released yesterday during the Polar Bear Range States meeting in Ilulissat, Greenland. The five polar bear range states – Canada, Kingdom of Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, and the United States – have committed to a 10-year plan that aims to secure the long-term survival of polar bears in the wild.The plan identifies seven key threats to the health and diversity of polar subpopulations across the Arctic, and includes climate change as the number one threat to the species’ survival.
“Polar bears are dependent on sea ice to hunt, breed and travel,” says WWF-Canada President and CEO David Miller. “The loss of sea ice due to climate change is affecting the survival of many Arctic species, including polar bears and their primary food source: ringed seals. Co-operation between states is crucial to slowing the effects of climate change, and WWF-Canada is pleased that a circumpolar action plan to protect this iconic Arctic species is now in place.”

International collaboration is necessary to ensuring polar bears thrive long into the future. Nearly half of the world’s polar bear populations cross national borders. Nations within and outside the Arctic contribute to the loss of polar bear habitat through carbon emissions or direct industrial and market impacts. Recent research suggests that by 2050, two-thirds of polar bears will be lost.

“It is time for Canada to do its part to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by ending its reliance on fossil fuels, and turning our attention to renewable energies,” says Miller. “Not only will this slow the melting of sea ice crucial to the polar bear’s survival, it will help slow the effects of climate change which have touched every aspect of life in Canada’s North.”

(eturbonews)

Several people are missing after an avalanche smashed into 10 houses on Norway’s remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, authorities said. Eight people were taken to hospital after the avalanche tumbled down from Sukkertoppen mountain, which dominates Longyearbyen, the main settlement on Svalbard, at about 11am on Saturday.Dozens of houses at the foot of Sukkertoppen were evacuated as a precaution, said Tone Hertzberg, a spokeswoman for the governor of Svalbard.
Three children were in a serious condition and five adults were slightly injured by the avalanche, hospital spokeswoman Marit Einejord told the Associated Press.

Ms Hertzberg said “it would be logical” to assume the avalanche was connected to a storm which hit the Svalbard archipelago late on Friday. Local daily Svalbardposten said the storm, with winds up to 60mph (95kph), was the worst in 30 years.

“People have been taken to the hospital and there are still people unaccounted for. Right now we still have no overview of the situation. It will take hours, many hours, before we do,” Ms Hertzberg told the AP by telephone.

About 100 people, including emergency workers and volunteers, were helping out following the avalanche. The archipelago’s hospital requested extra medical staff from the largest nearby hospital in Tromsoe, on the Norwegian mainland, and rescue teams with search dogs were on their way.

The fierce storm also ripped off a school’s roof, sending it flying on to a soccer field. The airport in Longyearbyen was closed on Friday but was expected to reopen later on Saturday.

Svalbard, which lies more than 500 miles (800km) north of the Norwegian mainland, is known for its stunning views of snow-covered mountains, fjords and glaciers. Located midway between continental Norway and the North Pole, the archipelago has about 2,600 residents.

The week-long Arctic Frontiers conference kicked off on Sunday as about 1,300 delegates from around the world gathered in the northern Norwegian city of Tromso to discuss the balance between industrial and environmental interests in the Arctic.At an opening ceremony at the Fram Centre in central Tromso Sunday evening, Jan-Gunnar Winther and Harald Steen from the Norwegian Polar Institute presented the 2015 Norwegian Winter Research Expedition to the Arctic Ocean, which shows a thinning ice with dramatic consequences in the region.
During the tenth Arctic Frontiers conference, slated for Jan. 24 to 29 and titled “Industry and Environment,” policymakers, researchers, businessmen and others are expected to give their views on the balance between resource utilisation and preservation in the region.

The conference organizers believe the Arctic is a global crossroad between commercial and environmental interests as many actors are investigating ways to utilize its substantial natural resources while others view the region as a particularly pristine and vulnerable environment.

Delegates will explore ways to achieve a well-planned, well-governed and sustainable development in the Arctic during various sessions of the conference, most of them will be held at University of Tromso, the world’s northernmost university.

The Arctic Frontiers conference has become one of the main platforms for discussions of Arctic issues to ensure a sustainable development in the region over the past decade.

A child and a man are both dead and at least eight others have been hospitalised after an avalanche slammed into 10 homes in Norway. The horror occurred at Norway’s remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard when snow came hurtling down Mount Sukkertoppen into Longyearbyen following a fierce storm.Cars were overturned and the towns wooden snow homes were destroyed with the rescue operation carried out in complete darkness as Svalbard sees no sun from November to February.
Reports say a woman was rescued from deep snow after she banged on a microwave to alert emergency workers.

Svalbard is home to about 2,600 residents will most living in Longyearbyen, the world’s most northerly town.

The island is located at least 800km north of Norwegian mainland.