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May 12, 2006

Melting ice, warming conditions don't deter polar trekkers

Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen are using special canoes to make the first ever summer expedition to the North Pole. (PHOTO COURTESY OF ROLEX AWARDS/MARC LATZEL)

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Two trekkers from the United States, Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen, are on a four-month trip to the North Pole and back. Their expedition, called "Project Thin Ice," is getting money from Greenpeace for their efforts in calling attention to global warming, and can be followed at www.oneworldexpedition.com.

Dupre and Larsen plan to pull and paddle specially modified canoes across nearly 1,500 kilometres of sea ice and open ocean to complete the "first ever" summer expedition to the North Pole.

The two attempted the Arctic Ocean crossing last summer, leaving from the northern coast of Russia. After 25 days on the ice, they gave up and were airlifted out. They had made only about 60 km of northward progress in 200 km of actual travel. Last week, they departed from Cape Discovery, off the coast of Ellesmere Island, heading north.

On their trek, they may run into groups heading in the other direction. That's because, while some groups have already made it to the North Pole - including the hardy Finnish Airborne Rangers - others are continuing past the pole to Canada or Greenland.

The dog sled team of Paul Landry, a former Iqaluit resident, is past the pole, after leaving from northern Russia more than two months ago.

Until now, the teams have relied on airplanes to get them over tough sections of ice and to bring them supplies, but companies say deteriorating ice conditions mean they cannot commit to an emergency pick-up.

You can follow Paul Landry's team at: www.adventureecology.com.

May 12, 2006

Flooding Alaskan villages may get bridges

Residents of two villages on the northwestern Alaska coast hope new money will help pay for evacuation routes to high ground, reports the Anchorage Daily News.

Kivalina and Shaktoolik are close to getting $555,000 from the Denali Commission to pay for emergency road plans.

The two Inupiat communities are losing ground to the Bering and Chukchi seas because warmer autumns create more storms and melt shorefast ice that once stopped waves.

Shaktoolik, between the Bering Sea and Tagoomenik River, has been overcome by severe floods in the last three years. With each big storm, the village of 224 becomes an island in the sea, and rivers and trails leading to the mainland disappear. Kivalina, an island 90 km. northwest of Kotzebue, has likewise been flooded repeatedly by waters from the Chukchi Sea.

In recent years, officials have considered relocating the villages, but cost estimates in the hundreds of millions of dollars have slowed the discussion. This may be the first time escape roads and bridges, offering a cheaper short-term fix, will be built, says the ADN.

For news from around the circumpolar world every day, go to www.sikunews.com.

Svalbard temperatures break all records

SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS

April weather readings for Norway’s High Arctic Svalbard Islands have produced new records.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute says the monthly temperatures for April on Svalbard surpass all previous records.

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