The video below, prepared by PAGE21-PhD student Stefanie Härtel from University of Copenhagen / The University Centre in Svalbard and PhD student Jordan Mertes from University of Copenhagen, introduces the research and drilling taking place in Svalbard this summer. 

 

 

 

 

To find out more about the UNIS / UCOP executed PAGE21 related research, please read the following articles:

 

Margareta Johansson from University of Lund / Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences spent one week this summer in Abisko with her research assistants John Bengtsson and Eric Torkelsson.

 

They worked on predicting future increases in snow cover by manipulations and looking at its effects on permafrost temperatures, active layer thickness and vegetation.

 

You can read a short blog of their week in Abisko HERE.

 

We are happy to present two time-lapse videos, prepared by Dr. Julia Boike from the Alfred Wegener Institute, of the research activities taken place during this summer in Samoylov Island in Lena River Delta in Russia.

 

The top video shows a construction of a permafrost measuring station and the bottom one a development of permafrost during July and August 2012.

 

You can find out more about the research in Samoylov by reading the AWI maintained blog from the site.

 

 

In this interview, recorded in conjunction with the IPY conference in Montreal in April 2012, the PAGE21 Scientific Advisory Board member Professor Vladimir Romanovsky talks about permafrost in general, recent changes and what the future might bring.

 

 

The summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is increasing again as winter looms but recorded its lowest ever extent this summer since satellite measurements began in 1979.  

 

On September 16, 2012 sea ice extent dropped to 3.41 million square kilometers, which is 760,000 square kilometers below the previous record minimum extent in the satellite record, occurring on September 18, 2007.

 

The National Snow and Ice Data Center reports that in response to the setting sun and falling temperatures, ice extent will now climb through autumn and winter. However, a shift in wind patterns or a casino virtuel en ligne period of late season melt could still push the ice extent lower.

 

The minimum extent was reached three days later than the 1979 to 2000 average minimum date of September 13.

 

This year's minimum extent is 18% below 2007 and 49% below the 1979 to 2000 average. Overall there was a loss of 11.83 million square kilometers (4.57 million square miles) of ice since the maximum extent occurred on March 20, 2012, which is the largest summer ice extent loss in the satellite record, more than one million square kilometers greater than in any previous year.