Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress
The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened concerns about the region's future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. On January 12, 2009, the George W. Bush Admini...
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ftdtic:ADA535511 2023-05-15T14:32:00+02:00 Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress O'Rourke, Ronald LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE 2010-10-15 text/html http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA535511 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA535511 en eng http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA535511 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. DTIC Geography *SHIPPING *INDIGENOUS POPULATION *CLIMATE *RESEARCH MANAGEMENT *ARCTIC REGIONS POLICIES NATIONAL SECURITY RISK WATER CANADA ALASKA GASES CONTINENTAL SHELVES RUSSIA MERCHANT VESSELS NORWAY POLLUTION LEGISLATION INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MINERALS SHORES SEA ICE GREENLAND PERMAFROST DENMARK UNITED STATES SHIPS GLOBAL ARCTIC OCEAN TEMPERATURE CONGRESS Text 2010 ftdtic 2016-02-23T05:30:45Z The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened concerns about the region's future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. On January 12, 2009, the George W. Bush Administration released a presidential directive, called National Security Presidential Directive 66/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 25 (NSPD 66/HSPD 25), establishing a new U.S. policy for the Arctic region. Record low extent of Arctic sea ice in 2007 focused scientific and policy attention on its linkage to global climate change, and to the implications of projected ice-free seasons in the Arctic within decades. The Arctic has been projected by several scientists to be perennially ice-free in the late summer by the late 2030s. The five Arctic coastal states--the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, and Denmark (of which Greenland is a territory)--are in the process of preparing Arctic territorial claims for submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Russian claim to the enormous underwater Lomonosov Ridge, if accepted, would reportedly grant Russia nearly one half of the Arctic area. There are also four other unresolved Arctic territorial disputes. The diminishment of Arctic ice could lead in the coming years to increased commercial shipping on two trans-Arctic sea routes. Current international guidelines for ships operating in Arctic waters are being updated, with a targeted completion date of 2010. Changes to the Arctic brought about by warming temperatures will likely allow more exploration for oil, gas, and minerals. Warming that causes permafrost to melt could pose challenges to onshore exploration activities. Increased oil and gas exploration and tourism (cruise ships) in the Arctic increase the risk of pollution in the region. CRS Report for Congress. Text Arctic Arctic Ocean Climate change Greenland Ice Lomonosov Ridge permafrost Sea ice Alaska Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database Arctic Arctic Ocean Canada Greenland Norway |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database |
op_collection_id |
ftdtic |
language |
English |
topic |
Geography *SHIPPING *INDIGENOUS POPULATION *CLIMATE *RESEARCH MANAGEMENT *ARCTIC REGIONS POLICIES NATIONAL SECURITY RISK WATER CANADA ALASKA GASES CONTINENTAL SHELVES RUSSIA MERCHANT VESSELS NORWAY POLLUTION LEGISLATION INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MINERALS SHORES SEA ICE GREENLAND PERMAFROST DENMARK UNITED STATES SHIPS GLOBAL ARCTIC OCEAN TEMPERATURE CONGRESS |
spellingShingle |
Geography *SHIPPING *INDIGENOUS POPULATION *CLIMATE *RESEARCH MANAGEMENT *ARCTIC REGIONS POLICIES NATIONAL SECURITY RISK WATER CANADA ALASKA GASES CONTINENTAL SHELVES RUSSIA MERCHANT VESSELS NORWAY POLLUTION LEGISLATION INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MINERALS SHORES SEA ICE GREENLAND PERMAFROST DENMARK UNITED STATES SHIPS GLOBAL ARCTIC OCEAN TEMPERATURE CONGRESS O'Rourke, Ronald Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress |
topic_facet |
Geography *SHIPPING *INDIGENOUS POPULATION *CLIMATE *RESEARCH MANAGEMENT *ARCTIC REGIONS POLICIES NATIONAL SECURITY RISK WATER CANADA ALASKA GASES CONTINENTAL SHELVES RUSSIA MERCHANT VESSELS NORWAY POLLUTION LEGISLATION INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MINERALS SHORES SEA ICE GREENLAND PERMAFROST DENMARK UNITED STATES SHIPS GLOBAL ARCTIC OCEAN TEMPERATURE CONGRESS |
description |
The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened concerns about the region's future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. On January 12, 2009, the George W. Bush Administration released a presidential directive, called National Security Presidential Directive 66/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 25 (NSPD 66/HSPD 25), establishing a new U.S. policy for the Arctic region. Record low extent of Arctic sea ice in 2007 focused scientific and policy attention on its linkage to global climate change, and to the implications of projected ice-free seasons in the Arctic within decades. The Arctic has been projected by several scientists to be perennially ice-free in the late summer by the late 2030s. The five Arctic coastal states--the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, and Denmark (of which Greenland is a territory)--are in the process of preparing Arctic territorial claims for submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Russian claim to the enormous underwater Lomonosov Ridge, if accepted, would reportedly grant Russia nearly one half of the Arctic area. There are also four other unresolved Arctic territorial disputes. The diminishment of Arctic ice could lead in the coming years to increased commercial shipping on two trans-Arctic sea routes. Current international guidelines for ships operating in Arctic waters are being updated, with a targeted completion date of 2010. Changes to the Arctic brought about by warming temperatures will likely allow more exploration for oil, gas, and minerals. Warming that causes permafrost to melt could pose challenges to onshore exploration activities. Increased oil and gas exploration and tourism (cruise ships) in the Arctic increase the risk of pollution in the region. CRS Report for Congress. |
author2 |
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE |
format |
Text |
author |
O'Rourke, Ronald |
author_facet |
O'Rourke, Ronald |
author_sort |
O'Rourke, Ronald |
title |
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress |
title_short |
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress |
title_full |
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress |
title_fullStr |
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress |
title_full_unstemmed |
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress |
title_sort |
changes in the arctic: background and issues for congress |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA535511 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA535511 |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Canada Greenland Norway |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Canada Greenland Norway |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Climate change Greenland Ice Lomonosov Ridge permafrost Sea ice Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Climate change Greenland Ice Lomonosov Ridge permafrost Sea ice Alaska |
op_source |
DTIC |
op_relation |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA535511 |
op_rights |
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
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1766305490231361536 |