Space Norway, SubCom Announce Contract-in-Force for Arctic Way Cable System
Space Norway and SubCom announced that a contract is in-force for the survey, design, supply and installation of the Arctic Way Cable System. Providing necessary route diversity to a region with rapidly increasing data traffic demands, the new system will become a critical asset for transmitting data between the Norwegian mainland, Jan Mayen, and the Svalbard archipelago.SubCom will produce the components for Arctic Way at its manufacturing campus in Newington, NH, USA. The trunk-and-branch, repeatered system will be approximately 2,350 km in length with direct shore end landings in Bodø, Norway
Arctic Sea Ice Hits Record Low Maximum Extent for the Year
Arctic sea ice has likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 14.33 million square kilometers (5.53 million square miles) on March 22, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder.The 2025 maximum sea ice extent is the lowest in the 47-year satellite record, falling short of the previous record low of 14.41 million square kilometers (5.56 million square miles) set on March 7, 2017.“This new record low is yet another indicator of how Arctic sea ice has fundamentally changed from earlier decades,” said NSIDC senior
MoU Signed for Pan-Arctic Cable System
Cinia Oy, NORDUnet A/S, Tusass A/S, the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition, GlobalConnect AB, and Tampnet A/S have signed a European Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), recognizing the strategic value of a Pan-Arctic Cable System (PACS) and the contribution such a cable system will make to the global digital connectivity infrastructure.The MoU affirms the partners’ vested interests in establishing and executing a long-term strategy for jointly realizing the development and implementation of a pan-Arctic submarine cable system.Polar Connect is a proposed subsea cable on a direct route east of Greenland
Autonomous Multi-Vehicle System Designed for Long-Term Arctic Studies
Long-term data collection is needed to understand Arctic marine ecosystem changes as sea ice melts in response to climate change.However, direct observation is challenging as satellite sensors have a coarse spatial resolution and cannot detect the fine fractal structure of the ice. Deploying human-crewed ships to the area also is difficult due to extreme weather conditions and risks posed by floating broken ice. Moreover, traditional ocean observation methods offer limited temporal and spatial coverage, while drones and AUVs are hindered by energy constraints that restrict their research potential.
An Arctic “Beyond Recognition” Expected by 2100
on the current pledges of countries for limiting their emissions of greenhouse gases, global temperatures are projected to reach 2.7 degrees Celsius beyond pre-industrial levels by the end of this century.A new review paper, published in Science on February 6, 2025, highlights the expected changes to the Arctic, the fastest-warming region on Earth. The paper, “Disappearing landscapes: The Arctic at +2.7°C global warming,” was led by Julienne Stroeve, senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and professor at the Centre for Earth Observation Science at the
Most Coastal Arctic Infrastructure at Risk by 2100
Erosion, sea level rise and melting permafrost will wreak havoc on buildings and communities in the far north, according to the first pan-Arctic risk assessment of coastal threats.The new study has produced the first map of all coastal communities and infrastructure across the Arctic, showing the vulnerability of the built environment to threats from climate change. Erosion is currently the biggest threat to Arctic coastlines; some places are already experiencing erosion up to 20 meters (67 feet) per year. But rising seas and shifting storm patterns are predicted to emerge as threats in coming decades
Arctic Sea Ice Could Reach Turning Point by 2027
The first summer on record that melts practically all of the Arctic’s sea ice, an ominous milestone for the planet, could occur as early as 2027.That’s according to an international research team, including University of Colorado Boulder climatologist Alexandra Jahn and Céline Heuzé from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The team used computer models to predict when the first ice-free day could occur in the northernmost ocean.When the Arctic Ocean has less than 1 million square kilometers of ice, scientists say the Arctic is ice free.In September, the National Snow and
Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Seventh Lowest Extent on Record
Arctic sea ice has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 4.28 million square kilometers (1.65 million square miles) on September 11, 2024, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder.The 2024 minimum is ranked seventh lowest in the 46-year satellite record. The last 18 years are the lowest 18 Arctic sea ice extents in the satellite record.The overall, downward trend in the minimum extent from 1979 to 2024 is 12.4 percent per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average. From the linear trend, the loss of sea ice is about 77
Canada Launches Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel
;s northernmost tip. Nappaaluk was a renowned leader, harvester, teacher, consultant, navigator, astronomer and meteorologist. As a knowledge keeper, he was committed to protecting and promoting Inuit language and culture and did so his entire life by teaching others how to survive and thrive in his Arctic homeland.The CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is a key deliverable for the Canadian Coast Guard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The vessel is expected to be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard in 2025
February 2025
