The birds were marked and then visited a year later to compile the info (Photo: GettyImages)Carsten Egevang, a researcher at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, has compiled a video which shows the travelling of the Arctic Tern.
The video talks about the migratory odyssey of the Arctic tern. These terns fly from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back every year.
During its lifetime, the tiny bird flies the equivalent of three round trips between the Earth and the Moon.
The birds were marked and then visited a year later to compile the information. It took some time to spot the birds again!
This amazing story has been put together in this video:
Iceland from space (GettyImages)Iceland is falling behind when it comes to usage of tidal power. The small nation in the Northern Atlantic is surrounded by ocean, yet it has failed to use its forces for energy.
Research on tidal power has been miniature in Iceland. Geothermal energy has been the focal point.
A total of 21 members out of 63 in the Parliament in Iceland have put forward a suggestion of more research and more money looks likely to be put in the research.
A database of information will be set up in Iceland on the usage, which is long overdue. An expert thinks that this is one of the biggest unused energy resources in Iceland.
Icelandic company Valorka has been granted the IIA 2011 awards for its invention, the Valorka turbine. IFIA (International Federation of Inventors) grants this awards and the company has high hopes for the turbine.
Valdimar Össurason is the inventor and owner of Valorka. "The Irish have researched their potential energy efficiency from tidal power to around 240tw hours per year. If we localize that to Iceland, it would be 330tw hours per year. That is 20 times the energy usage in Iceland, per year," he said.
A prototype for testing underwater will be made is his research is successful.
(Photo: GettyImages)The probability of snowy cold winters in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Scientists of the Research Unit Potsdam of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association have made this discovery.
The scientist have decrypted a mechanism in which a shrinking summertime sea ice cover changes the air pressure zones in the Arctic atmosphere and impacts our European winter weather. If there is a larce scale melt in the summer, like in recent years, two important effects are intensified.
Firstly, the retreat of the light ice surface reveals the darker ocean, causing it to warm up more in summer from the solar radiation.
Secondly, the diminished ice cover can no longer prevent the heat stored in the ocean being released into the atmosphere (lid effect). As a result of the decreased sea ice cover the air is warmed more greatly than it used to be particularly in autumn and winter because during this period the ocean is warmer than the atmosphere.
"These higher temperatures can be proven by current measurements from the Arctic regions," reports Ralf Jaiser, lead author of the publication from the Research Unit Potsdam of the Alfred Wegener Institute. The warming of the air near to the ground leads to rising movements and the atmosphere becomes less stable.
“We have analysed the complex non-linear processes behind this destabilisation and have shown how these altered conditions in the Arctic influence the typical circulation and air pressure patterns," explains Jaiser.
Photo: (GettyImages)ACI’s 3rd Polar Shipping event will discuss in depth the business developments in the Arctic and the opportunities created for the shipping industry. The summit will be held in London, England, on the 30th of May, running until the 31st.
Providing a platform for networking and exchanging ideas on operational efficiency, safety, insurance and risk-management in the Arctic, the summit’s aim is to offer delegates a tool for business development and improvement of their bottom line.
Exploring new opportunities and rising to their challenge through the industry’s best practices whilst achieving financial targets is the ultimate goal of this event
Tero Vauraste from Arctica Shipping will host the keynote address, representitives from Maersk and other big shipping companies will also post their addresses.
Interactive roundtable discussion will also be held.
The Features of the week have started publishing again here at Arctic Portal. Every other Friday we post a new feature.
Todays feature is about the Alaska Center for Energy and Power. The powerful institution is seeking a renewable energy specialist.
ACEP has been developing various research projects. They include diesel efficiency, energy economics, energy storage, geothermal, biomass, methane capture, alternative fuels, in-river hydro, tidal energy, and wind power.
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