State-of-the-art Vessel for Arctic Climate Study

State-of-the-art Vessel for Arctic Climate Study

For nearly four decades, marine scientists have longed for a state-of-the art research vessel that could explore the Arctic’s ice-clogged waters, while having little impact on the environment.

At long last, their dream ship soon will become a reality.

“It’s going to be a great tool for science,” said Matthew J. Hawkins, program officer for ship acquisition in the National Science Foundation’s division of ocean sciences.  “It is definitely a next generation research vessel--the first of its kind.”

The R/V Sikuliaq, a 254-foot oceanographic research ship, expected to be one of the most advanced university research vessels in the world, likely will be ready for use by 2014, with construction scheduled to begin in October.

Its name, pronounced “see-KOO-lee-auk,” is an Inupiat word that refers to “young ice,” “new ice,” or “thin ice,” and describes ice without snow that is safe to walk on. The new vessel, when complete, will be able to break ice as thick as three feet, and navigate in seasonal sea ice and open ocean waters near Alaska, including the Chukchi, Beaufort and Bering Seas, as well as the eastern Arctic.

There is considerable scientific interest in the Arctic region, particularly in the context of climate change. Researchers expect dramatic changes in biological productivity as a result of progressive warming, continuing ice recession, changing ocean currents, ocean acidification and varying climatic conditions.

“Changing Arctic climate may well be one of the critical drivers for climate change over the entire planet,” Hawkins said.  “All of these scientific missions and activities are of continuing interest and great importance, not only to the U.S., but also to the economic and environmental welfare of the entire globe.”

During the summer of 2008, an Arctic ice melt opened the Northwest Passage for the first time since satellite records began, making the waters more navigable.

“Along with the significant ecosystem changes and impact on coastal communities, this change could impact national security and commerce by providing regular trade routes further into regions along the north coast of Alaska,” Hawkins said. “Opening this fragile area to commerce will heighten the importance of scientific research to understand the effects.”

The Arctic region is undergoing rapid changes, he said. “Perennial sea ice is decreasing at an estimated 9 percent per decade, potentially leading to a summer ice-free Arctic Ocean by the end of the century or even sooner,” he said.

“We need to learn more about the impacts of climate change, and understand the natural processes around us,” he added. “This is just the tool to do that. Having this ship is particularly important for our emphasis on climate research. Being able to have it now, with the current focus on climate change, really was an alignment of the planets.”

The ship is the first funded by the National Science Foundation since the 1980s. The total project will cost $199.5 million. Of that, $148 million comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Ship building is a particularly good industry for economic stimulus because it requires goods and services from virtually every major sector of the economy. Even after completion, U.S. jobs will benefit through the hiring of crew, routine repair and re-stocking of consumable products, keeping in mind that ships essentially are floating cities in miniature.

Moreover, Marinette Marine Corp, which has the construction contract, is located in Marinette, Wis., an area in the northeastern part of the state on the shores of Green Bay, which has been particularly hard-hit by the economic downturn. The project has helped retain more than 200 local jobs. “It is what stimulus funds were designed to do,” Hawkins said.

The National Science Foundation will own the ship, while the University of Alaska, Fairbanks will operate it  as part of the U.S. academic research fleet. Scientists in the United States and within the international oceanographic community will use it through the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System.

Researchers will be able to collect sediment samples directly from the seafloor, and use  remotely operated vehicles and a flexible suite of winches to raise and lower scientific equipment, and conduct surveys throughout the water column and sea bottom using an extensive set of research instruments. The ship also will be able to transmit real-time information directly to classrooms all over the world.

The ship will produce a low environmental impact, Hawkins said. “ It is designed to have a minimal influence on its own environment, including low underwater radiated noise for fisheries and acoustics research, and reduced stack emissions to enable atmospheric research,” he said.

The Sikuliaq can hold as many as 26 scientists and students at one time, an estimated 500 people annually.  The vessel will be able to spend as many as 300 days at sea every year, and is expected to operate for at least 30 years.

“Committing to construction of this highly capable vessel represents a major NSF contribution to the International Polar Year legacy, advancement of U.S. Arctic Policy, as well as the effort to better understand global issues, including climate change and ocean circulation,” Hawkins said.

Fires in Russia Shrink

Wall Street Journal, 17 August 2010, by the associated press

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704868604575432811028179170.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

MOSCOW—Russia's wildfires receded Monday, as forecasters expected cooler weather for Moscow after temperatures hit record highs in recent weeks.

Fires were burning on 113,000 acres on Monday morning, compared with 132,000 acres a day earlier and 478,000 acres on Aug. 7, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Nearly three dozen peat fires are still smoldering. But the peat-fire smoke that had covered Moscow had mostly cleared on Monday after having reappeared Sunday. Visibility was about 2½ miles, up from several hundred yards when the smoke was at its densest.

Heat, drought and wildfires have killed dozens of people in Russia and destroyed millions of acres of wheat.

A heat wave unprecedented in 130 years of record keeping sparked the thousands of fires, most of them in western Russia. Heat and smog from the fires blanketed Moscow for a week this month. More than 50 people have died in the wildfires across Russia, and more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed.

Firefighters have succeeded in pushing back some of the wildfires, and meteorologists said a cold front was advancing from the northwest that would hit the Moscow region late Monday, bringing heavy rains and cooler temperatures.

The blazes and drought have cost Russia one-third of its wheat crop, prompting the government to ban wheat exports through the end of the year in a move that has sent world grain prices to new highs. The government promised subsidies to farmers and warned traders that it would closely monitor prices to protect domestic consumers.

The fires are an indication that global warming is causing more weather extremes around the world, said Alexander Bedritsky, the Kremlin's weather adviser, on Monday. He cited other disasters that he believes may be related to rising world temperatures, including flooding in Pakistan and the 2003 heat wave in France. Taken together, they "are signs of global warming," said Mr. Bedritsky, who also serves as president the World Meteorological Organization.

Russia's economy largely depends on exports of oil and gas, and government officials have traditionally been cautious on climate change issues.

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