The climate in the north is more predictable than in the south, which makes growing herbs and livestock there more promising than in Russia's climatically unstable central and southern regions, Moscow State University geography department senior researcher Yury Golubchikov, said.
Scientific stations should come to the Arctic before businesses begin encroaching; they must have enough time to protect polar areas from human influence, RAS Institute of Geography Deputy Director Arkady Tishkov told RIA Novosti.
Arctic Facts
10%
The average area, per decade, by which Arctic sea ice has shrunk during late summer since 1979. Many scientists now believe the Arctic Ocean could be seasonally ice-free within a few decades.
100+
The distance in miles that isotherms (bands of average temperatures) have shifted northward during the last 30 years. This means that the Arctic—as defined by temperature—is shrinking.
1,650
The estimated amount of carbon, in gigatons, locked up in northern permafrost. As temperatures rise, the reservoir is leaking carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere.
FEED