Ice-Free Arctic?
At the current rate of carbon emissions of about 35 to 40 gigatons a year, scientists are estimating that the Arctic could become ice-free within the next 20 years, Suptnik reported quoting National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder. Julienne Stroeve, a climate scientist at NSIDC in Boulder, Colorado, warned of rising oceans, and foul weather from Polar melt, the report said. The changes are the largest in the summertime, but they are actually happening during all months of the year. "I think the key things we really need to understand is, first, the natural climate variability and, second, changes caused by increased human activity," she quoted as saying. She warned if the Arctic ice melts away this would result in a seven-meter increase in the sea levels worldwide.
Russia Ramping Up Arctic Push
The nuclear icebreaker Lenin, the pride and joy of the Soviet Union's Arctic great game, lies at perpetual anchor in the frigid water here. A relic of the Cold War, it is now a museum. But nearly three decades after the Lenin was taken out of service to be turned into a visitor attraction, Russia is again on the march in the Arctic and building new nuclear icebreakers. It is part of a push to firm Moscow's hand in the High North as it vies for dominance with traditional rivals Canada, the United States, and Norway as well as newcomer China.
