Pentagon Arctic report calls for more investment in sensors, equipment to keep up with Russia, China
A new Pentagon strategy says the U.S. must invest more to upgrade sensors, communications and space-based technologies in the Arctic to keep pace with China and Russia who are increasingly operating there, including in joint military exercises.
![Putin hails Russian military's performance in Arctic drills](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/L23ZLjwl-obDlqzr-2TBJGh7ACo=/1600x904/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/XYKH34MGJJDXDF223KWVQWPI5A.jpg)
Putin hails Russian military's performance in Arctic drills
In this handout photo taken from a footage released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on March 26, 2021, A Russian nuclear submarine breaks through the Arctic ice during military drills at an unspecified location. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday hailed the military's performance during recent Arctic drills, part of Moscow's efforts to expand its presence in the polar region. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)MOSCOW โ Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday hailed the military's performance during recent Arctic drills, part of Moscow's efforts to expand its presence in the polar region. Navy chief Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov reported to Putin that the exercise has featured three nuclear submarines simultaneously breaking through Arctic Ice, and warplanes flying over the North Pole. The video also showed three nuclear submarines that smashed through the Arctic ice next to one another.
![EXPLAINER: Topsy-turvy weather comes from polar vortex](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/9-CK--Jl28wmecKqZ2u85pBy8_s=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YTFSSDOTIZDEHI7KQPTEQCCW6U.jpg)
EXPLAINER: Topsy-turvy weather comes from polar vortex
Meteorologists blame the all-too-familiar polar vortex. That's the polar vortex, which spins like a whirling top at the top of the planet. AdThis particular polar vortex breakdown has been a whopper. Warming in the Arctic, with shrinking sea ice, is goosing the atmospheric wave in two places, giving it more energy when it strikes the polar vortex, making it more likely to disrupt the vortex, Cohen said. PATTERN HAS BEEN OBSERVED FOR DECADESThere were strong polar vortex disruptions and cold outbreaks like this in the 1980s, Cohen said.
![Beam me up, Scotty! Rare light pillars shine during Arctic blast](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/2hIG094vo0D2j6DDwOHX4pzSO7I=/1600x1200/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TXCS7G5TYRE4PI6YG5YWE6EZTM.jpg)
Beam me up, Scotty! Rare light pillars shine during Arctic blast
This allowed the National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota to freeze a pair of pants standing up. ๐ฅถ๐ฅถ๐ฅถ Posted by US National Weather Service Duluth Minnesota on Sunday, February 7, 2021The National Weather Service in Milwaukee, Wisconsin threw hot water into the frigid air. https://www.weather.gov/mkx/ Posted by US National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Wisconsin on Sunday, February 7, 2021Early Monday morning, Bill Taylor, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in North Platte, Nebraska photographed light pillars. Bill Taylor - National Weather Service North Platte, Nebraska (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.) For areas like North Platte, temperatures each morning will be at or below freezing through at least Valentineโs Day.
![Hot again: 2020 sets yet another global temperature record](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/sFnKHw-e1G9Hzby7gyhXRcorVT8=/1600x1055/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YC5Q5XRHJNE3XKCQXTPV5L57PE.jpg)
Hot again: 2020 sets yet another global temperature record
(AP Photo/Scott Sonner)Earthโs rising fever hit or neared record hot temperature levels in 2020, global weather groups reported Thursday. โWeโre expecting it to get hotter and thatโs exactly what happened.โNOAA said 2020 averaged 58.77 degrees (14.88 degrees Celsius), a few hundredths of a degree behind 2016. Japanโs weather agency put 2020 as warmer than 2016, but a separate calculation by Japanese scientists put 2020 as a close third behind 2016 and 2019. Earth has now warmed 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times and is adding another 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 Fahrenheit) a decade. Schmidt said fewer cooling aerosols could be responsible for .09 to .18 degrees (.05 to .1 degrees Celsius) warming for the year.
![โSudden stratospheric warmingโ could make for more bitter cold, winter weather chances down the road](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/muKfAk6v0GM1NEpYBep_6Sg8Nvw=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/2P47VFS4P5GURGSN6IY64OIFPE.png)
โSudden stratospheric warmingโ could make for more bitter cold, winter weather chances down the road
Stratospheric warming and what it could mean down the roadROANOKE, Va. โ The Polar Vortex has been making its annual rounds on social media again. Itโs really a normal, cyclical feature in our atmosphere that got attention during an Arctic air outbreak in January of 2014. Rather, pieces of it can break off or split and cause bitter cold in parts of the U.S. and other mid-latitude countries. Sudden stratospheric warmingThis sudden stratospheric warming episode causes the vortex to weaken, allowing Arctic air to spill into parts of the United States. Thereโs evidence of this warming happening right now (January 7, 2021), which could mean an episode of Arctic chill in another 10-14 days.
![Trading Wednesdayโs winter coat for a rain coat (again) late Friday](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/BSS5qkZrlV30Va4Va2qXWDDMLc4=/970x545/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/DJSIJQNS7BHZNJFT6ZEX3QXHPI.png)
Trading Wednesdayโs winter coat for a rain coat (again) late Friday
High temperature forecast for Wednesday, 12/2/2020With our storm system moving north, the wind will still remain intact throughout the day but relax more at night. Low temperature forecast for Thursday morning, 12/3/2020Thursday starts out sunny with afternoon highs rising into the 50s. Energy from the north combines with moisture from the south to produce a round of heavy rain Friday night into early Saturday morning. FutureTracker - Friday eveningSome areas are looking at another 1 to 2 inches of rain by the time rain moves out midday Saturday. You may want to make a Plan B for anything Friday evening, but most of the weekend is in decent shape as this system moves to the northeast pretty quickly.
![Earthโs hottest September on record was in 2020](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/GoPIReLyUF57H5qi-pBu5GC7JgY=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/C27XP5E5ABHHHHWSH2OM7G72SA.png)
Earthโs hottest September on record was in 2020
ASHEVILLE, N.C. โ Last week, we told you that the Arctic saw its second-lowest sea ice minimum on record in September. That mark beats out September 2015 and 2016, which were previously tied as the hottest on record. BREAKING: Earth just had its hottest #September on record, according to @NOAA #climate scientists. What's more, 2020 is on track to rank among the world's hottest years ever recorded. 2020 as a whole will likely end as a top three hottest year on record.
![Scientists return from Arctic with wealth of climate data](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/esS90qpH0PN4v-4jgCVkrryxhhw=/1600x1078/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/A3K6TTG34BBLDLZAIOA4WJ7UGM.jpg)
Scientists return from Arctic with wealth of climate data
The icebreaker Polarstern, carrying scientists on a year-long international effort to study the high Arctic, has returned to its home port in Germany. The RV Polarstern arrived Monday in the North Sea port of Bremerhaven. โWe went above and beyond the data collection we set out to do," said Melinda Webster, a sea ice expert at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, whose work is funded by NASA. โThis is an extremely exciting time to get into Arctic science because of the changes that are happening," she said. โWe are watching the Arctic sea ice die,โ said Rex, adding that he thinks it's possible there may be no summer sea ice in the Arctic soon.
![Warming shrinks Arctic Ocean ice to 2nd lowest on record](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/CSU3kkqP9ST-S_NO80XXDG320Po=/1600x992/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/VZTICVMRW5CPZHA4XMTEWE6IXE.jpg)
Warming shrinks Arctic Ocean ice to 2nd lowest on record
Ice in the Arctic Ocean melted to its second lowest level on record this summer, triggered by global warming along with natural forces, U.S. scientists reported Monday. The extent of ice-covered ocean at the North Pole and extending further south to Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia reached its summertime low of 1.4 million square miles (3.7 million square kilometers) last week before starting to grow again. Arctic sea ice reaches its low point in September and its high in March after the winter. This year's melt is second only to 2012, when the ice shrank to 1.3 million square miles (3.4 million square kilometers), according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, which has been keeping satellite records since 1979. In the 1980s, the ice cover was about 1 million square miles (2.7 million square kilometers) bigger than current summer levels.
![UN agency laments summer's 'deep wound' to Earth's ice cover](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/iKuCPQz0rCbdziHcPAFB-KupQ80=/1600x926/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6ORVV6JMZNBOZFJFOAIFI226W4.jpg)
UN agency laments summer's 'deep wound' to Earth's ice cover
GENEVA The United Nations weather agency says this summer will go down for leaving a deep wound in the cryosphere -- the planets frozen parts -- amid a heat wave in the Arctic, shrinking sea ice and the collapse of a leading Canadian ice shelf. The weather agency said in a statement that many new temperature records have been set in recent months, including in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk. The town, located in Siberia above the Arctic Circle line, reached 38 degrees Celsius (100 F) on June 20. She noted a heat wave across the Arctic, r ecord-breaking wildfires in Siberia, nearly record-low sea ice extent, and the collapse of one of the last fully intact Canadian ice shelves. The WMO is preparing to release on Sept. 9 a report on the impact of climate change on the cryosphere.
![Dutch man killed by polar bear on Norway's Svalbard Islands](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/8xTPIx5dKk7GFNNR9UFknOkhQ8Y=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ODNPKITQAVGQLOSG6EDA55EQYY.jpg)
Dutch man killed by polar bear on Norway's Svalbard Islands
The Longyearbyen camp site after a polar bear attacked the site and killed a man in Norway's remote Svalbard Islands in the Arctic, Friday Aug. 28, 2020. The polar bear was killed. (Line Nagell Ylvisaker / NTB scanpix via AP)COPENHAGEN A polar bear attacked a camping site Friday in Norway's remote Svalbard Islands, killing a 38-year-old Dutch man before being shot and killed by onlookers, authorities on the Arctic island said. This is also a strong reminder that we are in polar bear country and must take the precautions to secure ourselves, Elvedahl later said. ___A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the last fatal polar bear mauling was in 2011, not 2001.
![Scientists on Arctic mission make unplanned detour to pole](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/4iEaMnuujV4cW3NRTxrFZGjCi50=/1600x894/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/JPK64LXRFZBUZC5A65F5C22F6U.jpg)
Scientists on Arctic mission make unplanned detour to pole
BERLIN A German icebreaker carrying scientists on a year-long international expedition in the high Arctic has reached the North Pole, after making an unplanned detour there due to lighter-than-usual sea ice conditions. Expedition leader Markus Rex said Wednesday the RV Polarstern was able to reach the geographic North Pole because of large openings in sea ice above Greenland, where shipping would normally be too difficult. The mushy ice conditions the Polarstern encountered this year provide further evidence of the warming that scientists say is taking place in the Arctic. The MOSAiC expedition involves scientists from 17 nations, including the United States, France, Russia and China. The coronavirus pandemic almost caused the mission to be cut short, as travel restrictions made resupply and crew rotations difficult.
![Canada's last intact ice shelf collapses due to warming](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/AjsSiWIhwEBe51q8I4_TqYA5GOE=/1024x768/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ITWGXYRI3JDG3AWWDM564IIFDE.jpg)
Canada's last intact ice shelf collapses due to warming
Much of Canada's remaining intact ice shelf has broken apart into hulking iceberg islands thanks to a hot summer and global warming, scientists said. Canada's 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf on the northwestern edge of Ellesmere Island had been the country's last intact ice shelf until the end of July when ice analyst Adrienne White of the Canadian Ice Service noticed that satellite photos showed that about 43% of it had broken off. The biggest is nearly the size of Manhattan 21 square miles (55 square kilometers) and 7 miles long (11.5 kilometers). Without a doubt, it's climate change, Copland said, noting the ice shelf is melting from both hotter air above and warmer water below. By 2005 it was down to six remaining ice shelves but the Milne was really the last complete ice shelf, she said.
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US names new Arctic envoy in push to expand reach in region
WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Wednesday named a special envoy for the Arctic, filling a post that had been vacant for more than three years as the administration seeks a greater role in the region and tries to blunt growing Russian and Chinese influence there. Pompeo has spoken in the past about the Trump administration's determination to prevent Russia and China from playing a dominant role in the Arctic, which is heavily affected by climate change. Russia has expanded military bases in its Arctic regions, and China has sought to declare itself a near-Arctic nation despite having no territory near the area. DeHart is 28-year foreign service officer and was most recently senior adviser for security negotiations and agreements. 2 diplomat in Norway, which has extensive Arctic interests.
![Climate change makes freak Siberian heat 600 times likelier](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/-RrZciLgNXxGQCgS7TmExRSBjnM=/1600x2132/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/4RYGUB7KLRGCDJOIYMRVYZ37AY.jpg)
Climate change makes freak Siberian heat 600 times likelier
(Olga Burtseva via AP)Nearly impossible without man-made global warming, this years freak Siberian heat wave is producing climate changes most flagrant footprint of extreme weather, a new flash study says. International scientists released a study Wednesday that found the greenhouse effect multiplied the chance of the regions prolonged heat by at least 600 times, and maybe tens of thousands of times. World Weather Attributions past work has found some weather extremes were not triggered by climate change. This event is really worrying, said study co-author Olga Zolina, a climate scientist at the P.P. These types of studies allow people and world leaders to connect the dots between extreme weather events and climate change and prepare for them, said French climate scientist Valerie Masson-Delmotte, who wasnt part of the research.
![Russia detains managers of plant that spilled fuel in Arctic](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/uj2JAHCBsfSq6hlIK2YIniYiuLs=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LZX4MIRD4VH7LMN6CYRKKHP2WE.jpg)
Russia detains managers of plant that spilled fuel in Arctic
MOSCOW Russian authorities have detained three top managers of an Arctic power plant that leaked 20,000 tons of diesel fuel into the ecologically fragile region. Together with Vyacheslav Starostin, another manager at the plant arrested and charged earlier this month, they may face up to five years in prison. Much of the spilled fuel fouled waterways in the Norilsk area and there is concern it could affect wildlife or make its way into the Arctic Ocean. Some of it has seeped into a lake, connected by a river to the Kara Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean, but local authorities hope to contain it there. The power plant is operated by a division of Norilsk Nickel, whose giant plants in the area have made Norilsk, 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) northeast of Moscow, one of the most heavily polluted cities in the world.
![Siberian governor says leaked oil spilled into Arctic lake](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Q8oQ5ag-D1YjVioJQ0o2AgCdBrI=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RUJ3WTPLYZG6TBEEFZWQP2SFWU.jpg)
Siberian governor says leaked oil spilled into Arctic lake
This handout photo provided by Vasiliy Ryabinin shows oil spill outside Norilsk, 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) northeast of Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 29, 2020. Russian authorities have charged Vyacheslav Starostin, the director of an Arctic power plant that leaked 20,000 tons of diesel fuel into the ecologically fragile region on May 29, 2020, with violating environmental regulations. (Vasiliy Ryabinin via AP)MOSCOW Some of the 20,000 tons of diesel oil that leaked from a power plant has seeped into a fragile Arctic lake, the regional governor said Tuesday. The fuel leaked when a storage tank at the power plant in Norilsk collapsed. The director of the power plant was charged Monday with violating environmental regulations.
1 to 2 feet of snow blanketed most of our area 10 years ago
ROANOKE, Va. โ Weโve certainly been cold enough for snow the past couple of mornings, but thereโs been no storm system around to tap into the Arctic chill. Many of you remember the snowstorm that dropped one-to-two feet over parts of the area. 10 Newsโ Rachel Lucas recalls being stuck in her apartment in Athens, West Virginia for four days in a row. Meanwhile, a low pressure system brought in the moisture as it rode up the East Coast. Roanoke received about 43โณ of snow, Lynchburg about 34โณ and Blacksburg 53.6โณ throughout the entire cold season.
![Tracking two blasts of Arctic air within the next week](https://media.wsls.com/photo/2019/11/06/CPC%206-10%20Temp_1573026580350.png_22443276_ver1.0_1280_720.jpg)
Tracking two blasts of Arctic air within the next week
By Thursday, we're tracking the first strong cold front of the next seven days. That cold air will be enough for some snow showers around Snowshoe, Quinwood, Burkes Garden, Mountain Lake and Whitetop late Thursday evening. You can thank Alaska for this batch of cold air coming in. We thaw out nicely Sunday afternoon, but our next blast of Arctic air is not far behind. However, most forecast data shows this once again being an example of cold, Arctic air chasing the moisture out of the area.
![Scientists find highest-ever 'flares' of methane in Arctic waters](https://sharedmedia.grahamdigital.com/photo/2019/09/24/Walrus%20in%20Arctic%20Ocean.jpg_22320302_ver1.0_1280_720.jpg)
Scientists find highest-ever 'flares' of methane in Arctic waters
ARCTIC OCEAN - Russian scientists studying Arctic waters found the most powerful ever methane jets shooting up from the seabed to the water's surface, they said. The methane emissions in the Arctic, fueled by the melting of permafrost on the sea floor, are one driver of climate change, NASA said. The team studied more than 60 sites known to have had methane emissions at the water's surface in the past. He said the methane emissions, which look like torches or flares, are "all increasing." The methane releases contribute to global warmingSemiletov said so far the increasing methane emissions are a "significant contribution" to global warming, "but not catastrophic."