Where is the Arctic
 heading to?

A conference in Moscow (Sept.2010)
 and on sea ice recovery recently. 
Posted: 27 September 2010

"Mutual trust" will be the key to developing the vast resources of the Arctic and protecting its fragile ecosystems, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at a conference in Moscow from 22-23 September 2010. During the two-day event, participants discussed all things Arctic from every possible perspective, including the perspectives of every country with Arctic territory (Russia, 

Canada, the United States, Denmark, Norway, etc), as the forum had been called: “The Arctic: Territory of Dialog”. More than 300 scientists, government officials and businesspeople from more than 15 countries attended. The press took notice as compiled by RIANOVOSTI (see the list below), which includes reference  to The New York Time and The Independent. 

The overall mode was positive. Russia called for dialog and cooperation. “The price of the 'Arctic issue' is much higher than, for example, the billions of barrels of oil and gas that can be produced there, which are a subject of so much discussion in many countries." Said Putin warning that : "With an irresponsible attitude to the Arctic today, we may face global problems tomorrow as opposed to global benefits." 

Presumably one of the serious setbacks may come form a lack of a better understanding of the physical mechanism of the Arctic ocean. It was thoroughly discussed in the recently published book: “Arctic Heats Up – Spitsbergen 1919-1939”.   Understanding this first Arctic warming in the last Century would explain a lot including about how to protect the Arctic from human induced changes. But they prefer to make big claims. "Nowhere else on Earth are we seeing such dramatic changes in the surface of the Earth as we are seeing in the Arctic Ocean," said Olav Orheim, senior adviser to the Research Council of Norway. 

At least during the last few days the Arctic sea ice grew rapidly (see the Fig.1 & 2)

FN:      Spreen, G., L. Kaleschke, and G. Heygster (2008), Sea ice remote sensing using AMSR-E 89 GHz channels, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2005JC003384 

Excerpt from RIANOVOSTI (topic: Arctic) between 24 to 27 September 2010

 ·  Russia affirms its status as Arctic power
18:13   27/09/2010   
Not only is the Arctic crucial politically, it is one of the most important issues on the global economic and geopolitical agenda. What were the most striking features of last week’s international forum The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue, held in Moscow, and why was it so important? How justified are Russia’s claims to offshore arctic territories? Viktor Boyarsky, Chairman of the Russian Geographical Society’s Polar Committee, shared his thoughts on the subject in an interview with Andrei Zolotov, Jr., editor in chief of RussiaProfile.org.

·  Putin seeks accord over Arctic energy
16:08   24/09/2010   
Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister, urged Arctic nations yesterday to cut a deal on how to explore the region's rich mineral resources, and dismissed dire warnings of looming battles over its oil and gas wealth.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/putin-seeks-accord-over-arctic-energy-2088064.html

 ·  Putin Calls for 'Trust' in Developing a Thawing Arctic
16:05   24/09/2010   
"Mutual trust" will be the key to developing the vast resources of the Arctic and protecting its fragile ecosystems, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said today.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/09/23/23climatewire-
putin-calls-for-trust-in-developing-a-thawin-21915.html 

 ·  Vladimir Putin at the Arctic Forum
15:51   24/09/2010  
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended the international forum The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue on September 23.

·  Putin proposes nature preserves to protect the Arctic 
13:51   24/09/2010   
At the international forum The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spoke about the importance of preserving the unique environment of the region and denied rumors of an impending “battle” for mineral resources in the Arctic. Putin noted that such predictions are designed to provoke disputes between Arctic nations and then “fish in troubled waters.”

·  Arctic Forum - a public chamber for the Arctic
11:12   24/09/2010   
The international forum The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue wrapped up today in Moscow. During the two-day event, participants discussed all things Arctic from every possible perspective, including the perspectives of every country with Arctic territory (Russia, Canada, the United States, Denmark, Norway, etc).