Opening Speech of the ICEDIVE 84 Conference by His Royal Highness Prince Bertil of Sweden I am very pleased to be invited to open the International Conference ICEDIVE 84, dealing with medical and technical problems of diving and related underwater activities in arctic conditions. Until recent times, the arctic was considered astrange and remote area of minor importance. However, in a world with diminishing natural resources, arctic areas have become a region of global importance because of their enormous resources and strategie position. Certain experts believe that more than 50% of oil reserves are "sleeping" in these northern areas which are cold, harsh and hostile to man. Operations in arctic areas are extremely difficult, expensive, and demand high levels of technical, scientific and physiological achievement. One should recall for example, that Alaskan oil investment onIy became economically viable after the 1973-1974 price explosion. Recent political/military troubles in the Gulf have increased interest in the development of polar resources. This conference is unique as it is the first time that medical and technical specialists interested in the problem of diving in arctic conditions have met in an international forum. Development of the arctic resources is a matter of international urgency, and it pleases me that scientists from the USA, Canada, the USSR, Australia and Europe have gathered here in Stockholm to present their experience and to discuss problems in this field.

"This book treats not only Wilkins's Nautilus expedition of 1931 but the diesel- and battery-powered submarine operations of the l94Os and l95Os as well as the era of nuclear-powered boats. It shows how rapid advances in science and technology helped overcome so many obstacles that today the Arctic Ocean is considered the submariner's private sea." "Author Marion Williams, a member of the U.S. Navy's submarine service for many years, tells the story from the viewpoint of the submariners themselves. To do so, he consulted countless official and unofficial documents and recently declassified reports, interviewed participants, and drew on his own professional knowledge. He provides dramatic details of every operation and also describes the military and political ramifications of each cruise. The narrative is certain to appeal to readers of all ages who enjoy tales of exploration and discovery. Dozens of photographs, many never before published, help bring the story to life."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

For the purpose of publication of these Proceedings, the original conference programme has been rearranged to provide a more logical sequence of presentation. The beginning sections give the inaugural speech and the six keynote addresses which were delivered at the opening plenary session. Following these are the working papers, published more or less in the same sequence in which they were presented in the original programme. The order of presentation does not necessarily emphasise the importance of any one aspect of the Arctic Systems over others. The final reports of the six working groups and their conclusions and recommendations are edited in such a manner as to present them in a standardised format for easy comprehension. The editors accept responsibility for any distortion inadvertently introduced in the summarising and editing processes. Later sections of the Proceedings give a background to the Conference organization and deliberations, and an independent critique of the meeting. The directors and those who attended the Conference were conscious of the debt of gratitude owed by them to the Conference chairmen, rapporteurs, authors of working papers, and many individuals for their contributions to the success of the meeting. We wish to thank them and it is a pleasure to record their names in these Proceedings. Inaugural Speaker Dr. J. Rennie Whitehead, Canada Banquet Guest Speaker Honourable Mr. T. Alex Hickman, Canada Keynote Addresses Mr. C. Bornemann, Denmark Dr. A.E. Collin, Canada Dr. R.E. Francois, U.S.A.

Climate change in the Arctic Ocean has stirred a remarkable surge of interest and concern. Study after study has revealed the astonishing speed of physical, chemical, ecological, and economic change throughout the expanse of the Arctic. What is more, the consequences of the changing Arctic are not restricted to the Arctic itself, but affect everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, ranging as they do from extreme weather to resource availability and food security, with implications for politics, economics, and sociology. The challenge is to comprehend the full extent and variety of these consequences, and meeting this challenge will demand a multi- and transdisciplinary understanding. Only by this means can we hope to map out a knowledge-based ecosystem and move toward knowledge-based resource management—the essential precondition for any sustainable future. In this book, leading international experts, from many felds of science and across the entire pan-Arctic region, give their specifc takes on where the Arctic Ocean is heading. All have taken care in their writing not to exclude non-experts, in the conviction that multi- and transdisciplinarity can only be achieved when communication and outreach are not tribal in nature. The recurrent guiding theme throughout these pages is “Whith -er the Arctic Ocean?” Taken in concert, the essays synthesize the current state of scientifc knowledge to project how climate change may impact on the Arctic Ocean and the continents around it. How can and how should we prepare for the imminent future that is already lapping at the threshold of the commons? What readers will hopefully take from this multi- and transdisciplinary endeavor is not the individual perspective of each contribution, but the picture that emerges across the entire suite of essays. As we move into a near future that will encompass both the probable and surprises, this book attempts to conjure the multi-dimensional space in which a sustainable future must be brought into being.

This volume brings together multiple perspectives on both the changing Arctic environment and the challenges and opportunities it presents for the shipping sector. It argues for the adoption of a forward-looking agenda that respects the fragile and changing Arctic frontier. With the accelerated interest in and potential for new maritime trade routes, commercial transportation and natural resource development, the pressures on the changing Arctic marine environment will only increase. The International Maritime Organization Polar Code is an important step toward Arctic stewardship. This new volume serves as an important guide to this rapidly developing agenda. Addressing a range of aspects, it offers a valuable resource for academics, practitioners, environmentalists and affected authorities in the shipping industry alike.

Until recently, the prevailing view of marine life at high latitudes has been that organisms enter a general resting state during the dark Polar Night and that the system only awakens with the return of the sun. Recent research, however, with coordinated, multidisciplinary field campaigns based on the high Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard, have provided a radical new perspective. Instead of a system in dormancy, a new perspective of a system in full operation and with high levels of activity across all major phyla is emerging. Examples of such activities and processes include: Active marine organisms at sea surface, water column and the sea-floor. At surface we find active foraging in seabirds and fish, in the water column we find a high biodiversity and activity of zooplankton and larvae such as active light induced synchronized diurnal vertical migration, and at seafloor there is a high biodiversity in benthic animals and macroalgae. The Polar Night is a period for reproduction in many benthic and pelagic taxa, mass occurrence of ghost shrimps (Caprellides), high abundance of Ctenophores, physiological evidence of micro- and macroalgal cells that are ready to utilize the first rays of light when they appear, deep water fishes found at water surface in the Polar night, and continuous growth of bivalves throughout the winter. These findings not only begin to shape a new paradigm for marine winter ecology in the high Arctic, but also provide conclusive evidence for a top-down controlled system in which primary production levels are close to zero. In an era of environmental change that is accelerated at high latitudes, we believe that this new insight is likely to strongly impact how the scientific community views the high latitude marine ecosystem. Despite the overwhelming darkness, the main environmental variable affecting marine organisms in the Polar Night is in fact light. The light regime during the Polar Night is unique with respect to light intensity, spectral composition of light and photoperiod.

U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase. How can we best prepare to respond to such an event in this challenging environment? Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment reviews the current state of the science regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region north of the Bering Strait, with emphasis on the potential impacts in U.S. waters. This report describes the unique ecosystems and environment of the Arctic and makes recommendations to provide an effective response effort in these challenging conditions. According to Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment, a full range of proven oil spill response technologies is needed in order to minimize the impacts on people and sensitive ecosystems. This report identifies key oil spill research priorities, critical data and monitoring needs, mitigation strategies, and important operational and logistical issues. The Arctic acts as an integrating, regulating, and mediating component of the physical, atmospheric and cryospheric systems that govern life on Earth. Not only does the Arctic serve as regulator of many of the Earth's large-scale systems and processes, but it is also an area where choices made have substantial impact on life and choices everywhere on planet Earth. This report's recommendations will assist environmentalists, industry, state and local policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of this special region to preserve and protect it from damaging oil spills.