Arctic Global “doomsday” vault opened. Washington post photo.
Deep beyond the rim of the Arctic Circle on a Norwegian archipelago the Svalbard Global Seed Vault stands rimmed in hoar frost and surrounded by permafrost. The vault, which holds roughly 860,000 and 4,000 plant species seeds from nearly every country on Earth, is a safeguard against climate change and major planet transformations. Even if Earth lost electrical power, the seeds stored within the vault could survive two centuries minimum.
The fact the vault needed to be opened by The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (or ICARDA) is concerning. Is global warming affecting how our reserve seed inventory is managed? The center relocated from Syria to Beirut in 2012 due to conflict in the region. They now have requested 130 boxes of the originally stored 325 boxes of seeds stored in the vault. ICARDA needed these samples as part of its ongoing role of growing seeds and distributing them throughout the world to various nations.
ICARDA’s mission partly focuses on researching and cultivating plants that are able to adapt to shifting climate patterns most importantly in dry areas of Africa, Australia and the Middle East. Over 40 per cent of the Earth’s surface is classified under dry regions and 2.5 billion people reside in these areas. The Syrian conflict interrupted the center’s critical and important work.
Many of the world’s first grains and cereals are believed to have derived from the Levant in Syria widely considered a cradle of civilization now besieged by intense conflict and mass exodus.
Alex De Vries – Magnifico took this “outstanding”,(see what I did there?), northern lights photograph in Churchill last evening. The aurora borealis continues to impress into September. These spectacular sights we have been seeing bode well for polar bear season which is just a couple of weeks away. With some clear nights throughout the fall season travelers should get some special evenings with the northern lights glowing in the sky above Churchill. Enjoy!
Northern lights above Churchill. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.
So I guess I lied about the last beluga whale photos I posted by writing they would the final shots of the season. These clear underwater shots by Douglas Kahle are some real gems. We can’t seem to get enough looks at these incredible mammals that return to the Churchill waters every year.
Google Earth map of beluga whales moving north for the winter.
Almost all of the belugas are on their journey north by now, many to the Hudson Straits area where they will overwinter. The straits have open water or polynas that allow the whales to surface for air from time to time as needed. The above map is from 10 days ago so whales are further north and traversing the Hudson Bay at this point.
Beluga underwater in Churchill. Douglas Khale photo.
Pod of belugas underwater. Douglas Kahle photo.
Curios and friendly beluga whales in Churchill. Douglas Kahle photo.
Beluga spyhopping underwater in Churchill. Douglas Kahle photo.
Northern lights in Churchill continue through the summer and into fall. Katie de Meulles captured this image last night with the lights of Churchill in the background. With polar bear season just around the corner, travelers to Churchill will be eager to catch a glimpse of lights while tracking polar bears out on the tundra. Looking like a phenomenal season ahead with many polar bears and great aurora action skyward!
Northern lights with Churchill in the background. Katie de Meulles photo.
Grain vessel awaits docking at the Port of Churchill. Photo Steve Selden
The Churchill shipping season is off to a late start this fall, nearly a month behind its regular schedule for shipping grain and wheat products from the port to various countries worldwide.
Late harvest, shallow inventory as well as shipping industry variables have created a created a time sensitive shipping schedule to attain the slightly lower average tonnage threshold according to Merv Tweed, OmniTRAX Canada president. OmniTRAX is the owner/operator of the Port of Churchill and they hope to reach 400,000 to 500,000 tonnes of grain by November and the end of the shipping season.
With this goal about 12 and 15 ships will make Churchill a port of call this year. Between now and the first week of November, the port will have to hustle to meet the quota projected. Sea ice will begin to clog passages at that time and ships will be unable to safely pass through Hudson Bay to reach Churchill.
Port of Churchill frozen and shut down for the season. Photo Steve Selden
“We’re seeing the volumes increase. The biggest challenge the grain sellers have is just getting the ship allocation,”stated Tweed. “No one seems to know why (the ships are late in arriving), other than that it was a late grain season.”
Lentils have made a return to the shipping docket as two ships are now scheduled for this season after a few years absence from the product ledger.
“We are hoping it will become a bigger opportunity as the market for lentils grows,” Tweed said. “It may become the specialty crop that we grow our business on just based on the amount of production coming out of northern Saskatchewan.”
Northern Saskatchewan is the prime supplier to the port of Wheat and grain products across the board with 70 per cent production from that region.
A few years ago, OmniTRAX announced plans to get into the crude oil shipping business, however that agenda has not materialized amid public outcry. Tweed indicated that oil transport is no longer being pursued. The surprise announcement that a $22 million Churchill Marine Observatory to study the detection, impact and mitigation of oil spills in the Arctic raises questions as to future possibilities of such commerce.
For now only grain products will leave the port and this season will be a condensed and frantic one to say the least!
Thomas Mangelsen, one of the premier wildlife photographers on the planet, journeyed to Churchill and the Hudson Bay region four years ago and captured this unbelievable footage of polar bear cubs and mother emerging from their den to play. The denning area located in the Wapusk National Parc is one of the most concentrated denning areas in the world. Still, the timing for capturing such incredible polar bear behavior is not always predictable. In fact days may go by before a photographer gets any action at all. Enjoy!
