Latest news with #ArcticOcean
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
‘Great wall' built to prevent Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., from falling into the ocean
It took approximately 200,000 tonnes of rock and $50 million, but the 'Great Wall of Tuktoyaktuk' is complete. The wall will protect the Northwest Territories hamlet from further coastal erosion and possibly falling into the Arctic Ocean.
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Chinese research ship detected off Alaskan coast, Coast Guard says
A China-flagged research vessel was detected Friday off the coast of Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard reported Saturday that the Xue Long 2, an icebreaker, was detected about 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska, in the U.S. Arctic. The Xue Long 2 is operated by China's Polar Research Institute. The ship was in the U.S.'s Extended Continental Shelf, or ECS, which is a portion of the continental shelf that goes beyond 200 miles nautical miles off the coast, according to the State Department. The ship was determined to be 130 nautical miles inside the ECS. "The U.S. has exclusive rights to conserve and manage the living and non-living resources of its ECS," the Coast Guard said in its news release. A Coast Guard C-130J Hercules, a long-range surveillance aircraft, responded to the ship. The Coast Guard also released a photo of the vessel. "The U.S. Coast Guard, alongside partners and other agencies, vigilantly monitors and responds to foreign government vessel activity in and near U.S. waters to secure territorial integrity and defend sovereign interests against malign state activity," said Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District, in a statement. CBS News reached out the Coast Guard for clarification on how it was dealing with the vessel. Earlier this week, Canada's CBC News reported that the Canadian military was monitoring the movements of the Xue Long 2 in the Arctic. In a statement provided to the CBC Tuesday, Maj. Alexander Naraine, a spokesperson for the military's joint operations centre said that the Xue Long 2 was "not currently in Canadian territorial waters." Canada was using a Lockheed CP-140 Aurora aircraft based out of Alaska to "actively" monitor the Chinese ship, Naraine said. This comes after four Russian military planes were spotted and tracked flying near the Alaskan coast Tuesday by North American Aerospace Defense Command. The aircraft flew through a section of international airspace called the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. While the Alaska ADIZ is considered part of international airspace, it is defined as an area where sovereign U.S. airspace ends but "that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security," according to NORAD. In January, American and Canadian fighter jets were scrambled after Russian warplanes were also spotted in the Arctic, NORAD said. The Russian warplanes remained in international airspace. And in July 2024, the U.S. intercepted several Chinese or Russian bombers near the Alaskan coast. At the time, a U.S. defense officials said it marked the first time ever that Russian and Chinese aircraft have jointly entered the Alaska ADIZ, and the first time Chinese H-6s have encroached off Watson, Emily Mae Czachor and Stephen Smith contributed to this report.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Thrill-seeking tourists stunned by 'amazing' sight as polar travel booms
Surrounded by a frozen and unforgiving landscape, tourists recently watched on as two polar bears picked apart the carcass of a dead whale floating among icebergs in the frigid Arctic. Stunning images of the "unforgettable moment" were captured from the passenger vessel, with a marine biologist on board telling Yahoo News Australia it was "the best sighting of this kind" in the 18 years he's worked as a guide. "Our guests got to witness two bears near a dead whale floating amongst the ice," marine biologist Mikolaj Golachowski explained. "It was a foggy day, so everything kept coming in and out of view. But then it cleared and we saw a bear (most likely a female) walking close to the ship, heading towards the carcass, then spending about an hour on top of it, feeding. "After that, she left to disappear into the returning fog... It does happen, but in my 18 years of working as a guide in the Arctic, this was the third and by far the best sighting of this kind. Reasonably close and long. "That was amazing!" he said. The moment on July 11 was cherished for how special it was, and it's scenes like this that are seeing more travellers keen to throw some warm clothing into a suitcase and jet off to the ends of the Earth. As a result, Polar tourism is booming as more and more visitors flock to the once out-of-reach environment. But the trend has raised concerns about the potential costs to the environment. "Interest in travelling to the Arctic has grown year on year over the last few years," a spokesperson for Quark Expeditions, a tour company specialising in Arctic and Antarctic travel, told Yahoo News. While the company focuses primarily on tourism around the North Pole, between 14-16 per cent of people exploring Antarctica with the company are Australians, it said. Tourists flock to polar regions as 'sustainability' is questioned Both the Arctic and Antarctica are experiencing booms in tourism, and scientists are urging authorities to focus on sustainability as demand skyrockets. Antarctica While tourism to Antarctica remains exclusive and very expensive, it has slowly started to grow in popularity. Visitors have increased more than tenfold in the last 30 years, according to data from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. 🐋 Quiet change seen off Australia's coast linked to 'worrying' event 🥺 Emotional decision looms as ancient site faces extreme storm 📚 Backlash over radical climate change plan for Aussie schools Unchecked tourism growth in the southern polar region is cause for concern, scientists say. Approximately two-thirds of Antarctic tourists land on the continent, threatening fragile ecosystems there by compacting soils, trampling vegetation, introducing non-native microbes and disturbing breeding colonies of birds and seals. Darla Hatton MacDonald and Elizabeth Leane, both professors at the University of Tasmania, explained the polar region is already under increased pressure due to climate change, and tourism will only exacerbate the issue, tipping the delicate ecosystems into decline. The Arctic In June, United Airlines commenced direct flights from the US to Greenland to accommodate the growing interest in polar explorations. The 2,200-metre runway recently built at Nuuk airport also expands options for tourists eager to travel to the country, without the commitment of flying first to Denmark or Iceland and changing at a remote airport in Kangerlussuaq. However, cruise ships remain the most popular mode of transport, with tourists heading for the Arctic via Norway. More than 1.5 million cruise passengers visit Norwegian ports every year, according to the Norwegian Coastal Administration. Elina Hutton, Arctic tourism researcher, said the influx of tourism is damaging sensitive polar ecosystems. She believes Arctic governments need to put tighter controls on cruise ships to restrict the number of visits, throwing into question whether tourism should be embraced, Reuters reports. "Do we need to be able to travel everywhere? Do we need to be able to fly to Antarctica and cruise to the North Pole? I know it would be fun — but is it something that we need to be able to do?" she said. "It can't be sustainable." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former NFL TE Jimmy Graham, rowing crew complete 584-mile Arctic Challenge in 10 days
Jimmy Graham may not have officially retired from the NFL, but the longtime tight end is keeping busy after rowing over 584 nautical miles in 10 days. The 38-year-old's latest pursuit saw him train for the past 18 months to take part in the Arctic Challenge, a journey across the Arctic Ocean with three other team members in hopes of setting a Guinness World Record. Advertisement The crew of Graham, Andrew Tropp, and Hannah and John Huppi — the first mixed-gender team of four to row across the Arctic Ocean and the first all-American team to row across a polar ocean, broke the previous record held by a team of four of 15 days, 5 hours and 32 minutes, which was set in 2023. The conditions, as you could imagine, were rough with the team forced to drop anchor twice during their journey. Not to mention the cold, rain and wind causing issues with recharging their electronics. The team began their trek on July 4 from Tromsø, Norway and arrived in Longyearbyen, Svalbard on July 14. According to the Arctic Challenge, the average travel time south to north is about 16.5 days. Advertisement This journey also wasn't without purpose. The crew set a goal of raising $1 million — one dollar for every meter across the Arctic Ocean — for Covenant House New Orleans and Laureus Sport for Good New Orleans. This kind of adventure isn't unusual for Graham, who served a lead navigator during the trip. He owns 10 different aviation licenses and is an avid cyclist. While football might be in the past, Graham has been planning his future, as he told Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan on his podcast in January 2024. "It just really gives me something to look forward to and something that athletically I can push myself in a new direction," Graham said. "And I don't have to take hits anymore. I can just sit there and just get to work." A five-time Pro Bowler and First-team All-Pro in 2013, Graham recorded two 1,000-plus yard receiving seasons and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2013 with 16. Advertisement After sitting out the 2022 season, Graham returned to New Orleans on a one-year deal in 2023, his last in the NFL. He played in 13 games and scored four times.
Washington Post
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
A rap festival near the Arctic Ocean delights crowds under the midnight sun
UTSJOKI, Finland — It was well past midnight when Mihkku Laiti appeared on stage to perform at an open-air music festival in the Finnish village of Utsjoki, north of the Arctic circle. Despite the time, Lapland's famous midnight sun was still up. During the summer months the sun doesn't go down at all in Utsjoki, which is less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Arctic Ocean.
