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Executive Summary for January 8th

We review and analyze the latest news and most important developments in the Arctic, including Russia’s plan to store nuclear waste in the permafrost, the U.N.’s response to Denmark’s tightened immigration rules and how shrinking sea ice may have helped marine archeologists find shipwrecks in Alaska.

Published on Jan. 8, 2016 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

Russia to Build Nuclear Waste Site Beneath Permafrost

An archipelago in the Russian Arctic is slated to become a storage site for nuclear waste. The regional government in Arkhangelsk has issued approvals for a low- and medium-level nuclear waste storage facility to be built within the permafrost in Novaya Zemlya, reports Bellona, an environmental nonprofit organization.

Novaya Zemlya, located between the Barents and the Kara seas, is one of 10 sites in northwestern Russia studied for suitability, the Independent Barents Observer reported in November. Its accessibility by sea and remote location are among the reasons given for locating the storage site on Novaya Zemlya. The area was previously used for underground nuclear tests.

The permafrost could add an extra layer of protection against any radioactive leakage. But others are concerned that warming temperatures in the Arctic could thaw the permafrost and compromise the safety of the site.

There are also concerns about shipping radioactive material along from the temporary storage sites to Novaya Zemlya.

Low-level nuclear waste can include equipment from nuclear power plants, such as protective shoe covers, mops, rags and tools. It generally loses most of its radioactivity within 300 years. Intermediate-level nuclear waste requires containment beyond several hundred years and shielding during handling.

U.N. Report Slams Denmark’s Tightened Immigration Rules

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has criticized proposals put forward by the Danish government, saying they were an “affront” to refugees’ dignity and would make it more difficult for refugees to reunite with their families, Reuters reports.

One of the introduced measures would allow police to confiscate belongings of asylum seekers. Another would require refugees to wait for three years before they could apply to reunite with family members.

“The proposals presented by the government are evidently aimed at conveying a message to make it ‘less attractive’ to seek asylum in Denmark, and is a deeply concerning response to humanitarian needs,” the report reads.

More than 1 million migrants and refugees arrived in Europe in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration. Denmark introduced temporary ID checks at its border with Germany on Monday, hours after Sweden tightened its border controls for travellers from Denmark. Sweden received more than 150,000 asylum applications in 2015.

Shrinking Sea Ice Helps Archaeologists Find Shipwrecks

Archaeologists scouring the floor of the Chukchi Sea believe they have found the wreckage of two whaling ships, the Alaska Dispatch News reports. The ships were lost off Alaska’s Arctic coast in 1871, when the shifting ice pack trapped more than 33 commercial whaling ships and forced the rescue of 1,200 people.

Archaeologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they found flattened ship hulls and whaling equipment, including anchors, fasteners, ballasts and brick-lined posts used to render whale blubber into oil. The team used sonar and sensing technology to pick up the “magnetic signature” of the two wrecks.

The retreat of the sea ice also played a part in the discovery. The lack of sea ice made it easier for archaeologists to access potential shipwreck sites, reported KTOO Public Media.

Recommended Reads

Top image: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has criticized Danish government proposals that would tighten borders. (AP Photo/Finn Frandsen/POLFOTO)

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