MELTDOWN! a Symposium on Global Warming Circumnavigation of Wrangel Island Aboard the Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov July

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

MELTDOWN! a Symposium on Global Warming Circumnavigation of Wrangel Island Aboard the Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov July MELTDOWN! A Symposium on Global Warming Circumnavigation of Wrangel Island aboard the Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov July 5–18, 2007 DETAILED PRELIMINARY ITINERARY (subject to amendment) HOME/ANCHORAGE, ALASKA Thursday, July 5 Fly from home to Anchorage, Alaska, and transfer independently to the Millennium Hotel for our overnight stay. Modern, bustling Anchorage offers quick access to the state’s vast wilderness of mountains, glaciers and forests. MILLENNIUM HOTEL (no meals) ANCHORAGE / ANADYR, RUSSIA Friday & Saturday, July 6 & 7 We take a morning flight from Anchorage to Anadyr, capital of Chukotka province, “losing” a day as we travel west across the International Date Line. After officially entering Russia (crossing frontiers can be an adventure in itself), you then transfer by helicopter to the Kapitan Khlebnikov waiting offshore. KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOV CHUKOTKA PENINSULA Sunday & Monday, July 8 & 9 Onboard presentations get under way with an introduction to the wildlife, geology, glaciology and history of Russia’s Far North. Your shore adventures begin on the remote, rugged Chukotka Peninsula, a naturalist’s paradise where high-latitude plants such as Arctic poppies and saxifrages are in flower. Explore the coast and nearby islands, home to myriad nesting seabirds, including Least Auklets, Crested Auklets, Tufted Puffins, Horned Puffins, guillemots. At ancient cultural sites, you can examine ceremonial grounds, learning about the early inhabitants of the Russian Arctic. We’re also hoping to explore Whalebone Alley, a sacred place for early native whalers on Ittygran Island, where you can wander among the 500-year-old skeletons of giant bowhead whales. KAPITAN BERING STRAIT & CAPE DEZHNEV Tuesday, July 10 We sail through the famed Bering Strait, the relatively narrow waterway separating Russia from the United States, with the island of Big Diomede, Russia’s furthest outpost, off our starboard bow. The politically significant strait is rich in wildlife, welcoming migratory seabirds in the summertime, as well as bowhead, gray and Minke whales. We plan to visit Cape Dezhnev, the easternmost point of Eurasia, where you can visit a weather station and walk to the monument to Russian navigator Semyon Dezhnev, who in the 1640s determined that Asia and North America were not attached. We then continue north along the Siberian coast and cross the Arctic Circle. KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOV KOLYUCHIN ISLAND Wednesday & Thursday, July 11 & 12 Our exact course northward will depend on ice and weather conditions, but count on being on deck to watch our impressive icebreaker plunge into the formidable pack ice of the Arctic Ocean. Our planned landings include the wildlife sanctuary on Kolyuchin Island, site of an abandoned weather station surrounded by thousands of nesting cormorants, murres, puffins and other species. At this time of year above the Arctic Circle, the sun never fully sets, so you can count on round-the-clock activities. KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOV WRANGEL ISLAND Friday & Saturday, July 13 & 14 Wrangel Island was discovered in 1820 by Baron Ferdinand Wrangel, though he did not set foot on shore; it appeared as a Fata Morgana – an optical illusion, caused by temperature inversion, that made the island appear to hover upside down on the horizon (an effect we may see on our voyage). A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wrangel Island has the Arctic’s largest winter population of denning polar bears and the world’s main concentration of walrus. Musk ox and reindeer thrive here, as do Tundra Geese. In 1992, a tooth was discovered on Wrangel apparently belonging to one of the last mammoths, which roamed here just 3,600 years ago. You explore alpine valleys and the snow-covered tundra in the company of Russian scientists charged with protecting the island. In the past, the Kapitan Khlebnikov has battled incredibly thick ice in Long Strait to get here; if we’re lucky with weather, we’ll be aloft in helicopters to watch our ship’s dramatic progress. KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOV CHUKCHI SEA, SIBERIAN COAST Sunday-Tuesday, July 15–17 Heading south, we leave the ice behind and explore Siberia’s coastal wilderness as well as remote villages of the Chukchi, one of the last groups to be subdued during the expansion of czarist Russia. We hope to visit at least two communities where the local people still herd reindeer and carry on traditional hunting. We may also call at Uelen, with its small museum devoted to carving and other traditional crafts and activities. KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOV ANADYR TO ANCHORAGE Tuesday, July 17 Returning to Anadyr, fly by helicopter to the airport and board our flight over the Bering Sea back to Anchorage – recrossing the International Date Line to reach Alaska the day before we leave Russia (departing Anadyr Wed, July 18, and arriving Anchorage Tuesday, July 17). MILLENNIUM HOTEL (B,L) ANCHORAGE / HOME Wednesday, July 18 Transfer independently to the Anchorage airport for flights home. (B) .
Recommended publications
  • Pamphlet to Accompany Scientific Investigations Map 3131
    Bedrock Geologic Map of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, and Accompanying Conodont Data By Alison B. Till, Julie A. Dumoulin, Melanie B. Werdon, and Heather A. Bleick Pamphlet to accompany Scientific Investigations Map 3131 View of Salmon Lake and the eastern Kigluaik Mountains, central Seward Peninsula 2011 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................1 Sources of data ....................................................................................................................................1 Components of the map and accompanying materials .................................................................1 Geologic Summary ........................................................................................................................................1 Major geologic components ..............................................................................................................1 York terrane ..................................................................................................................................2 Grantley Harbor Fault Zone and contact between the York terrane and the Nome Complex ..........................................................................................................................3 Nome Complex ............................................................................................................................3
    [Show full text]
  • The Importance of Protection 57 60 1
    Arctic Ocean B e a u Utqiagvik f o r t Wrangel 4 (Point Barrow) S e a Island 62 49 52 3 61 1 2 Pacific Walrus Haulout 21. Dezhnev Bay 42. Tyulen’e Ozero Bay 58 The Importance of Protection 57 60 1. Cape Blossom 22. Anastasia Bay 43. Srednyaya Bay 56 59 23. Bogoslava Island 44. Somneniye Chukchi Sea 2. Somnitelnaya Spit 55 24. Cape Tiomney 45. Olutorskaya Spit The Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary (WISGS) was established 51 3. Davidova Spit 54 25. Cape Sery-Anana 46. Lekalo Spit in 1960 to protect Pacific walrus haulout sites on seven small craggy 4. Gavai 39 53 5. Kolyuchyn Island 26. Verkhoturova Island 47. Cape Vankarem 47 27. Cape Golenishcheva 48. Cape Onmyn islands in northern Bristol Bay: Round Island, Summit Island, Crooked 48 6. Belyaka Spit 7. Strait of Neskenpil’gyn Lagoon 28. Cape Semionova 49. Ayon Island Island, High Island, Black Rock, and The Twins. Chukotka, Russia 5 7 30 50 29. Little Diomede Island 50. Cape Serdtse-Kamen’ t S o u 8. Unlisted 6 i e n u d a e b 30. Kotzebue Sound 51. Ryrkaipii r z t 9. Cape Inkigur 9 t 10 o The sanctuary includes the surrounding waters that support a diverse S K 31. King Island 52. Cape Shelagsky 10. Cape Dezhnev 16 12 11 group of marine mammals, seabirds, and other marine wildlife. 15 32. Gambell 53. Cape Lisburne g 29 11. Big Diomede Island 17 n Alaska, USA i 31 A b a r 33. Savoonga 54.
    [Show full text]
  • Beaufort Sea: Hypothetical Very Large Oil Spill and Gas Release
    OCS Report BOEM 2020-001 BEAUFORT SEA: HYPOTHETICAL VERY LARGE OIL SPILL AND GAS RELEASE U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Alaska OCS Region OCS Study BOEM 2020-001 BEAUFORT SEA: HYPOTHETICAL VERY LARGE OIL SPILL AND GAS RELEASE January 2020 Author: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Alaska OCS Region U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Alaska OCS Region REPORT AVAILABILITY To download a PDF file of this report, go to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (www.boem.gov/newsroom/library/alaska-scientific-and-technical-publications, and click on 2020). CITATION BOEM, 2020. Beaufort Sea: Hypothetical Very Large Oil Spill and Gas Release. OCS Report BOEM 2020-001 Anchorage, AK: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Alaska OCS Region. 151 pp. Beaufort Sea: Hypothetical Very Large Oil Spill and Gas Release BOEM Contents List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................................................................. vii 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 What is a VLOS? ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 What Could Precipitate a VLOS? ................................................................................................ 1 1.2.1 Historical OCS and Worldwide
    [Show full text]
  • Download Itinerary
    SHOKALSKIY | WRANGEL ISLAND: ACROSS THE TOP OF THE WORLD TRIP CODE ACHEATW DEPARTURE 02/08/2021 DURATION 15 Days LOCATIONS Not Available INTRODUCTION Undertake this incredible expedition across the Arctic Circle. Experience the beauty of the pristine Wrangel and Herald islands, a magnificent section of the North-East Siberian Coastline that few witness. Explore the incredible wilderness opportunities of the Bering Strait where a treasure trove of Arctic biodiversity and Eskimo history await. ITINERARY DAY 1: Anadyr All expedition members will arrive in Anadyr; depending on your time of arrival you may have the opportunity to explore Anadyr, before getting to know your fellow voyagers and expedition team on board the Spirit of Enderby. We will depart when everybody is on board. DAY 2: Anadyrskiy Bay At sea today, there will be some briefings and lectures it is also a chance for some ‘birding’ cetacean watching and settling into ship life. Late this afternoon we plan to Zodiac cruise some spectacular bird cliffs in Preobrazheniya Bay. Copyright Chimu Adventures. All rights reserved 2020. Chimu Adventures PTY LTD SHOKALSKIY | WRANGEL ISLAND: ACROSS THE TOP OF THE WORLD TRIP CODE ACHEATW DAY 3: Yttygran and Gilmimyl Hot Springs DEPARTURE Yttygran Island is home to the monumental ancient aboriginal site known as Whale Bone Alley, where whale bones stretch along the beach for 02/08/2021 nearly half a kilometre. There are many meat pits used for storage and other remains of a busy DURATION whaling camp that united several aboriginal villages at a time. In one location, immense Bowhead Whale jawbones and ribs are placed 15 Days together in a stunning arch formation.
    [Show full text]
  • THE PACIFIC WALRUS by KARL W
    332 Oryx THE PACIFIC WALRUS By KARL W. KENYON During recent years there have been repeated reports of extravagant exploitation of the walrus by Eskimos and these have been strengthened by aerial observation of many headless carcasses on beaches of the Bering Sea. So in 1958 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service decided upon an inquiry into the Pacific Walrus, and its hunting and utilization by Eskimo in the Bering Sea region. Biologists from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game co- operated in the work. Studies were conducted on St. Lawrence Island by Dr. Francis H. Fay and Mr. Averill Thayer, on Little Diomede Island by the late Mr. Stanley S. Fredericksen and the author, and on Round Island of the Walrus Islands in Bristol Bay, by Dr. Fay, Mr. James W. Brooks and the author. Dr. John L. Buckley of the Fish and Wildlife Service counted walruses on the ice of the northern Bering Sea from the air. The Eskimo hunters freely gave us their co-operation and good will, and this alone made the study possible. The economic incentive to exploit pinnipeds for oil and hides decreased after the chaotic slaughter of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when many species were seriously depleted. During the present century those which have continued to yield valuable products, such as elephant seals (Mirounga) and fur seals (Callorhinus and Arctocephalus), have been conserved. The Pacific walrus occupies a unique position in that the demand for its ivory, both carved and unworked, or raw, has increased in recent years, whereas measures introduced for conservation of the walrus have not yet been effective.
    [Show full text]
  • EDB Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2011
    Munich Personal RePEc Archive EDB Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2011 Vinokurov, Evgeny Euirasian Development Bank 2011 Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/49178/ MPRA Paper No. 49178, posted 22 Aug 2013 07:48 UTC EDB EURASIAN I N T E G R A T I O N YEARBOOK 2011 Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2011 Annual publication of the Eurasian Development Bank УДК 339.7 ББК 65.012.3 Е 91 Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2011. – Almaty, 2011. – p. 352 ISBN 978–601–7151–21–8 Annual publication of the Eurasian Development Bank Edited by Evgeny Vinokurov The Eurasian Development Bank is an international financial institution established to promote economic growth and integration processes in Eurasia. The Bank was founded by the intergovernmental agreement signed in January 2006 by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2009–2010 Armenia, Tajikistan, Belarus became full members of the Bank. Electric power, water and energy, transportation infrastructure and high-tech and innovative industries are the key areas for Bank’s financing activity. As part of its mission the Bank carries out extensive research and analysis of contemporary development issues and trends in the region, with particular focus on Eurasian integration. The Bank also hosts regular conferences and round tables addressing various aspects of integration. In 2008, the Bank launched an annual EDB Eurasian Integration Yearbook (in English) and quarterly Journal of Eurasian Economic Integration (in Russian). Both publications are available online at: www.eabr.org. The Bank’s Strategy and Research Department publishes detailed Industry and Country Analytical Reports and plans to undertake a number of research projects.
    [Show full text]
  • December 2018 Trends
    FROM THE COMMISSIONER Wrapping up four years of putting Alaska workers fi rst It has been the privilege of my • Merged two divisions and aggressively pursued life to serve as the commis- administrative effi ciencies that led to more grants sioner of Labor and Workforce for training Alaskans Development for the last four years in Gov. Bill Walker’s ad- • Contributed to the biggest year-to-year decrease ministration. I was honored to in proposed workers’ compensation rates in 40 do a job every day that aligns years through tireless efforts to increase effi ciency with my core values: ensure and lower medical costs in our workers’ compen- safety and health protections sation system for workers, advocate livable • Delivered major plans, including the Alaska LNG wages for families, and pro- Project Gasline Workforce Plan, the Alaska Ap- vide training opportunities that HEIDI DRYGAS prenticeship Plan, and the addendum to the equip Alaskans for jobs right Commissioner Alaska CTE Plan here in Alaska. • Passed AO 286 to ensure law-abiding state con- I cannot thank our department tractors are not outbid by unscrupulous bidders staff enough for their dedication to our mission and for who cut costs by deliberately or repeatedly depriv- their hard work these past four years despite challeng- ing employees of basic rights ing fi scal conditions. From division directors to frontline staff, I could not be prouder of what we’ve achieved • Eliminated subminimum wage for workers with together. disabilities These past few weeks, I’ve paused to refl ect and ap- These are just a few of our many accomplishments preciate the remarkable change for good the depart- since we took offi ce, and we made this signifi cant ment has delivered on behalf of Alaska’s workers: progress despite a 38 percent cut to our unrestricted general fund budget.
    [Show full text]
  • Siberian Coast & Polar Bears of Wrangel Island, Russia
    Siberian Coast & Polar Bears of Wrangel Island, Russia Aboard the Spirit of Enderby July 24–August 6, 2013 Tuesday / Wednesday July 23 / July 24 – Anadyr, Russia Arrival Over several days, North American trip participants slowly began to arrive in Nome, Alaska for our charter flights to Anadyr, Russia. Participants from other parts of the world made their way to Anadyr through Moscow. Altogether, passengers included passport holders from 11 countries. Many people had flown into Nome several days early, rented cars, and driven the local roads in search of accessible musk oxen in the meadows near town, Pacific and red-throated loons in small tundra ponds, and gulls, ducks and shorebirds along the coast. On July 23, most of our group consolidated their luggage in our Nome hotel lobby and had it loaded on a truck to be taken to our charter airline hangar, while we followed in a bus with our camera gear. Thick fog was drifting along the coast and, when we reached the hanger, we were informed the Nome Airport was closed to inbound air traffic. That posed no real problem for us because our small airplanes were already at the hangar in Nome, on stand-by and readily available, and, since the fog was intermittent, it seemed certain we would have almost no problem departing to Russia. A breakfast buffet was arranged in the hangar and we were regaled by local Nome personality Richard Beneville—who also organized our land-based transportation—with his tales of moving to Nome following his life as a theater actor in New York City and anecdotes of his decades-long life in hardscrabble Nome.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Transition in the North, Vol. 1, No. 4, May 1993
    \ / ' . I, , Social Transition.in thb North ' \ / 1 \i 1 I '\ \ I /? ,- - \ I 1 . Volume 1, Number 4 \ I 1 1 I Ethnographic l$ummary: The Chuko tka Region J I / 1 , , ~lexdderI. Pika, Lydia P. Terentyeva and Dmitry D. ~dgo~avlensly Ethnographic Summary: The Chukotka Region Alexander I. Pika, Lydia P. Terentyeva and Dmitry D. Bogoyavlensky May, 1993 National Economic Forecasting Institute Russian Academy of Sciences Demography & Human Ecology Center Ethnic Demography Laboratory This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DPP-9213l37. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recammendations expressed in this material are those of the author@) and do not ncccssarily reflect the vim of the National Science Foundation. THE CHUKOTKA REGION Table of Contents Page: I . Geography. History and Ethnography of Southeastern Chukotka ............... 1 I.A. Natural and Geographic Conditions ............................. 1 I.A.1.Climate ............................................ 1 I.A.2. Vegetation .........................................3 I.A.3.Fauna ............................................. 3 I1. Ethnohistorical Overview of the Region ................................ 4 IIA Chukchi-Russian Relations in the 17th Century .................... 9 1I.B. The Whaling Period and Increased American Influence in Chukotka ... 13 II.C. Soviets and Socialism in Chukotka ............................ 21 I11 . Traditional Culture and Social Organization of the Chukchis and Eskimos ..... 29 1II.A. Dwelling ..............................................
    [Show full text]
  • Report of Survey and Inventory Activities, Walrus Studies
    ll'tl-LKl"l'-'llul'\ L.r-rt1,..Lr-. I <; E SECTILI'• Al.if <; G JlJM:AlJ ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME J UN E A U, AL AS KA STATE OF ALASKA William A. Egan, Governor DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME James W. Brooks, Commissioner DIVISION OF GAME Frank Jones, Director RE P 0 RT 0 F S uRV E Y & I NV E NT 0 RY AC T I VI T I ES WALRUS STUDIES by John J. Burns Volume I Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project W-17-3, Job 8.0 and Project W-17-4, Job 8.0 (1st half) Persons are free to use material in these reports for educational or informational purposes. However, since most reports treat only part of continuing studies, persons intending to use this material in scientific publications should obtain prior permission from the Department of Fish and Game. In all cases tentative conclusions should be identified as such in quotation, and due credit would be appreciated. (Printed January, 197J) SURVEY-INVENTORY PROGRESS REPORT State: Alaska Cooperators: Alexander Akeya, Savoonga; Rae Baxter, Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Carl Grauvogel, Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Edward Muktoyuk, Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Robert Pegau, Alaska Department of Fish and Game; and Vernon Slwooko, Gambell Project Nos • : W-17-3 & Project Title: Marine Mammal S&I W-17-4 Job No.: Job Title: Walrus Studies Period Covered: July l, 1970 to December 31, 1971. SUMMARY The 1971 harvest of walruses in Alaska was 1915 animals. Of these, 1592 (83%) were bulls, 254 (13%) cows and 69 (4%) calves of either sex.
    [Show full text]
  • Friendship Flight #1 ALASKA Lilstorical LIBRARY
    Friendship Flight #1 ALASKA lilSTORICAL LIBRARY Governor Steve Cowper Nome, Alaska to Provideniya, U.S.S.R. June 13, 1988 r---------i 1~~!I!~~~I~I~I!i~~!'P Friendship Flight Governor Steve Cowper . ~ . " . ,'. .; . : .....; .' ',".,. ',' . ': .' ..~,...-, .. .' ~ Flight Schedule Alaska Friendship I Aircraft: 740 AS All Passenger: 80 passengers Captains: Steve Day, Captain in Charge; Terry Smith, Co-pilot Depart Anchorage: 7:50 a.m. June 13, 1988 Arrive Nome: 9:15 a.m. June 13, 1988 Depart Nome: 10:15 a.m. June 14, 1988 Arrive USSR: 8:00 a.m. June 14, 1988 Depart USSR: 8:00 p.m. June 14, 1988 Arrive Nome: 11:45 p.m. June 14, 1988 Depart Nome: 12:45 a.m. June 14, 1988 Arrive Anchorage: 2:05 a.m. June 14, 1988 Ptovidetuya Itinerary June 14, 1988 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Arrival. Welcome and drive from airport to Provideniya. Division into groups with identified leaders. 9:00- 12:00 p.m. Groups of 20 tour musuem, leather factory, port and kindergarten. 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Lunch, visit stores. 2:00- 5:00 p.m. Afternoon sessions (similar to morning tours with addition of industry and interests specific groups meeting). National concert/Native dance troupe (Siberian and Alaskan performers). 5:00 -7:00 p.m. Official banquet: toasts, gift and letter exchanges, personal greetings. 7:00 p.m. Return to airplane and board for Nome. Ibge2 Messagefrom Governor Steve Cowper Forty years ago, a barrier fell across the harshest environments. That they have been Bering Strait, closing a bridge between divided these past 40 years by international continents that had stretched for many tensions half a world removed from their own thousands of years.
    [Show full text]
  • ARCTIC GOVERNANCE: Understanding the Geopolitics Of
    ARCTIC GOVERNANCE: Understanding the geopolitics of commercial shipping via the Northern Sea Route By HANS-PETTER BJØRKLI Master Thesis Department of Comparative Politics June 2015 Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the implications of the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) with regard to governance in the Arctic. This topic is of importance as Arctic waters are getting bluer, more accessible, exploitable and attractive to investors, both public and private. Thus, numerous states and the international shipping industry are increasingly eyeing the NSR as an alternative trade route between Asia and Europe. However, the Arctic region and the NSR waters’ sovereignty remain unclear. Moreover, an increased density of international merchant vessels in the Arctic Ocean, a military reasserted Russia and the growing influence of China in international politics and trade suggest that the geopolitics of the Arctic may be challenged by the NSR. In this thesis, I have analysed the NSR’s effect on Arctic governance by applying classic theories of International Relations and illuminating the research question with data from expert interviews and a comprehensive document base. The findings indicate that liberalist values triumph realism, and that the NSR therefore does not have the potential to interrupt the current institutionalised and peaceful international political environment of the Arctic. Conversely, there is a possibility that conflicts in other parts of the world may disrupt the prosperity of international shipping via the NSR due to spillover effects. I Acknowledgements I owe my thanks to several people whom have provided me with guidance and motivation in the process of writing this thesis.
    [Show full text]