Last winter, the thickness of sea ice in large parts of the Arctic fell by nearly half a metre (19 per cent) compared with the average thickness of the previous five winters. This followed the dramatic 2007 summer low when Arctic ice extent dropped to its lowest level since records began. (Credit: ESA)From Times Online:
Competition for resources in the Arctic Circle could provoke conflict between Russia and Nato, a newly appointed commander at the alliance warned yesterday.
Russia has recently been aggressive in its pursuit of claims to parts of the region and in February sent a submarine to the floor of the sea symbolically to plant a Russian flag. Admiral James Stavridis said that military activity and trade routes would also be potential sources of competition around the polar cap.
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My Comment: I am very skeptical of these claims. The fact is that the Arctic is very cold, and when statistics go back to the 1950s we find that ice thickness has been constant. On a personal note, I lived in Kujuaaq (Northern Quebec) for a year in the mid 1980s. I was back there 2 years ago for a few weeks. Guess what .... nothing has changed. It is still cold, and the ice is always there. More importantly .... long time residents (in Northern Quebec) do not see the changes that scientists who live in warmer climates are claiming.
Naturally .... the main stream media in the United States and Europe ignores these press reports.
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