Arctic Portal Portlets | Arctic Portal

Fishing within the Circumpolar north has been and is a significant economic resource as well as a practice that has become rooted in the culture of fishing nations utilizing the resource. For instance in the Icelandic sagas, the fish was considered to be a gift from the gods and free for all who sought it. This economical activity has shaped the cultural values in the area and is an important factor in the daily life of the coastal residents in the Arctic.

The Arctic Portals Climate Change and Sea Ice Portal is intended to give individuals access to material according to each ones need in connection to the subjects This will consist of recent news articles, scientific reports and other relevant material.

Climate Change or Global Warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near surface air and oceans since the mid 20th century. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that increasing greenhouse gas concentration resulting from human activity such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation are the biggest contributors to global warming. The Sea Ice section of the portal refers to Sea Ice monitoring, and specifically the rapid decline reported 2007 and 2010

In the recent years, the world’s attention has turned to the Arctic, not least because of its vast energy resources. Due to the climate change and its significant impact to the Arctic environment resources that have long been unreachable are becoming feasible for exploitation. The Arctic Energy Portal aims at providing a comprehensive information gateway to the Arctic energy projects, new developments and controversies concerning the resource exploitation.

The Arctic ice cap has been receding at an unprecedented rate and recent advancements in shipping technologies in addition to an increasing interest in the Arctic’s resources have made the matter one of the most prominent issues in the northern hemisphere. Existing shipping lanes barely manage the current traffic and are incapable of servicing the largest container vessels of today. It is to be expected that with growing technology and a receding ice cap shipment through the Arctic will become a viable option in the future. The Arctic Shipping Portal is intended to give the user a possibility to follow the issues of trans-Arctic shipping, giving each user access to the appropriate material.