NYT: Under All That (Arctic) Ice, Maybe Oil

[DeepModem Mom]

Under All That Ice, Maybe Oil
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Published: November 30, 2004


The ice-cloaked Arctic Ocean was once apparently a warm, biologically brewing basin so rich in sinking organic material that some scientists examining fresh evidence pulled from a submerged ridge near the North Pole say the seabed may now hold significant oil and gas deposits.

This is just one of many findings from a pioneering expedition that in late summer sent dozens of scientists and technicians on three icebreakers - one with a drilling rig nine stories tall - into the drifting, crunching plates of sea ice to retrieve the first long-term record of climate and ocean conditions there. The expedition drilled 1,400 feet deep, retrieving cores of sediment that, with some gaps, span 56 million years. Scientists from around the world gathered in Bremen, Germany, this month to analyze the samples....

***

So far, the coring project has mainly garnered the attention of climate experts, but word is slowly spreading among geologists focused on oil as well.

Petroleum deposits are already charted along the shallow shelves fringing the Arctic from the North Slope of Alaska to northernmost Europe. But the cylinders of dark, ancient rock extracted from the submerged mountain range, the Lomonosov Ridge, are the first hint that such deposits may lie in the two-mile-deep basins near the top of the world....

***

Already, under a provision in the Law of the Sea Treaty, Denmark, Russia and other countries with Arctic territory are sending out mapping expeditions aimed at expanding their seabed claims. The United States, under pressure from some conservative Republican senators who oppose many such international compacts, has not ratified the treaty. But new American Arctic surveys are planned, in part on the presumption that the United States will ratify the treaty soon....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/science/earth/30core.html?oref=login

[LifeDuringWartime]

1. great

what next, theres oil on mars?

[Karenina]

2. South American Indians

view oil as the "blood" of Mother Earth. Suck it dry and we'll see where and what the consequences are.

[RFM]

3. phew, so global warming is a good thing... quick call rummy

and tell to hold off on wwIV

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Hi, RFM -- welcome to DU!

[RFM]

6. hey, DeepModem Mom

thanks for the welcome :hi:

[Pulse]

4. Global Warming

I think it's sad because I saw a documentary about the way global warming is affecting the wildlife in the Artic region.

The animals might become extinct. They're having problems getting around and finding food.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. Welcome to DU, Pulse --

I also have great concern for the Arctic wildlife.

[Laelth]

8. I once believed (and still want to believe)

... that the New York Times was one of the few, remaining, true-journalism, liberal news outlets in the US. This piece shreds that belief. There's no news in this piece. It's pure speculation, and right-wing propaganda at that. As others have noted, the message is clear. "See, global warming isn't so bad. We might get more oil!"

I am disheartened and revolted. :puke:

-Laelth

[Tace]

9. Whew! For Some Reason, On 1st Skim, I Thought They Meant Antarctica

Arctic drilling will surely have great negative ecological impact. But I thought at first they were talking about the virgin continent of Antarctica.

I won't be surprised to see wars fought in my lifetime over drilling at the South Pole.