A scientific study shows that the powerful greenhouse gas methane is escaping from the Arctic seabed. This could be a response to climate change and higher ocean temperatures and accelerate climate changes even more.

Russia continues its arctic research program with drifting ice stations in the high latitudes. The icebreaker “Yamal” sails out to pick up scientists who have spent nearly a year on an ice floe and to find a suitable place for a new station.

President Dmitry Medvedev is in his upcoming state of the nation speech expected to present several proposals on the liberalization of regional election laws.

During a ceremony Monday morning in Yellowknife, Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay announced Canada’s first army reserve company based in the Northwest Territories is in place. Not only is this the first unit in the NWT, it is the only active Canadian army reserve company in the far north.

The Canadian military is this week conducting several operations in the Arctic is a bid to show the country’s increasing presence and strength in region.

According to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, the Arctic atmospheric conditions this summer have been similar to those of the summer of 2007, the year when the Arctic ice cap reached its record low.

Norwegian energy major StatoilHydro confirms that it will invest billions in a train two at the Melkøya LNG plant on the Barents Sea coast. Concrete plans will be ready in 2010, company representative Knut-Erik Dalland says.

Andrew Derocher, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, Canada has just returned from a six week trip to Canada’s Arctic region. This was by no means a first trip for Derocher, who, according to his own estimation, has trekked to the Arctic between 50 and 80 times to research and study polar bears. The professor has been studying the Arctic’s polar bears since 1984, using his research to get a better understanding of the Arctic ecosystem. His work is also used to aid in the conservation and management of the polar bears.

Norway and Russia will this month begin a joint mapping of undiscovered natural resources in the Barents Sea and around the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.