US seeks restrictions on tourism to Arctic-Antarctic region

October 14th, 2009 Explorers: North Pole summers ice free in 10 yearsLONDON — The North Pole will turn into an open sea during summer within a decade, according to data released Wednesday by a team of explorers who trekked through the Arctic for three months The Catlin Arctic Survey team, led by explorer Pen Hadow, measured the thickness of the ice as it sledged and hiked through the northern part of the Beaufort Sea in the north Pole earlier this year during a research project. Their findings show that most of the ice in the region is first-year ice that is only around 1.8 meters (six feet) deep and will melt next summer.

September 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - New findings by scientists indicate that that Arctic ice would last decades longer than thought, and the region won't experience ice-free summers until 2030 or 2040. Some models had previously predicted that the Arctic could be ice free in summer by as soon as 2013, due to rising temperatures from global warming.

September 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that the Arctic sea ice cover appears to have reached its minimum extent for this year, the third-lowest recorded since satellites began measuring sea ice extent in 1979. The study was carried out by researchers from to the University of Colorado at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center.

September 17th, 2009 Arctic sea ice melt still heavy, but no recordWASHINGTON — The summer melt of Arctic sea ice wasn't quite as bad this year as the last two years. But it still ranked as the third biggest melt on record.

August 26th, 2009 Russia to seek help probing Arctic Sea mysteryMOSCOW — Russian authorities say they will ask other nations to help answer questions about a freighter embroiled in a high-seas mystery. But an official suggests Russia wants firm control of the probe into the voyage of the Arctic Sea and its alleged hijacking.

July 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study by scientists has shown a dramatic increase in the amount of fresh water in the Arctic Ocean. Fresh water flowing into or out of the Arctic Ocean plays an important role in ocean circulation and may be a factor in the response of the world ocean to climate change.

May 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - New Antarctic seabed sonar images have revealed that the extent of ice covering the continent of Antarctica at the end of the last ice age around 10,000 years ago was much larger than it is today, which could help scientists to predict future sea-level rise. Using sonar technology from onboard ships, scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the German Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) captured the most extensive, continuous set of images of the seafloor around the Amundsen Sea embayment ever taken.

April 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has determined that increased growth in Antarctic sea ice during the past 30 years is a result of changing weather patterns caused by the ozone hole. The research, done by scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and NASA, indicates that while there has been a dramatic loss of Arctic sea ice, Antarctic sea ice has increased by a small amount as a result of the ozone hole delaying the impact of greenhouse gas increases on the climate of the continent.

April 18th, 2009 LONDON - Countries with ties to Antarctica have adopted US proposals to limit tourism in the region, in a bid to protect the fragile ecosystem of the continent, BBC reported Saturday. Parties to the Antarctic Treaty agreed to limit the size of cruise ships and the number of tourists taken ashore at a meeting in the US city of Baltimore.

April 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An uncharted reservoir of briny liquid, buried under an inland Antarctic glacier, supports unusual microbial life in a place where life is unthinkable. After sampling the outflow from below Taylor Glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, researchers believe that microbes have adapted over the past 1.5 million years to manipulate sulphur and iron compounds to survive, without photosynthesis.

April 5th, 2009 LONDON - An ice bridge linking a shelf of ice the size of Jamaica to two islands in Antarctica has snapped, BBC reported. Scientists say the collapse could mean the Wilkins Ice Shelf is on the brink of breaking away, and provides further evidence of rapid change in the region.

March 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, dust trapped deep in Antarctic ice sheets is helping scientists unravel details of past climate change. The study, carried out by the Universities of Edinburgh, Stirling and Lille, has found that the very coldest periods of the last ice age correspond with the dustiest periods in Antarctica's past, thus establishing a link between the two.

March 27th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia will create by 2020 a group of forces to protect its interests in the Arctic but does not plan to militarise the region, a spokesman for the Russian Security Council said Friday. The spokesman further said the council had recently posted on its web site a document, 'The fundamentals of Russian state policy in the Arctic up to 2020 and beyond,' which outlines the country's strategy in the region, including the deployment of military, border and coastal guard units 'to guarantee Russia's military security in diverse military and political circumstances.' 'However, it does not mean that we are planning to militarise the Arctic.

January 29th, 2009 BRUSSELS - NATO may have to play a bigger role in the Arctic as the melting of the ice cap would create security and environment challenges, a top official said. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a seminar in Reykjavik, Iceland that the increased shipping activity in the Arctic as a result of the melting of the ice cap may lead to more accidents requiring search and rescue missions.

January 27th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Gujarat Tourism is hosting the India Travel Mart (ITM) here from Jan 30 to Feb 1, officials said Wednesday. Malaysia and Dubai are partner countries for this international travel and tourism exhibition while Uttarakhand is the partner state.