The Arctic Military Base Thread [merged]

[Bearpaw]

George----I am NOT talking about the Magnetic North Pole which wanders every day----I am talking about the axis of rotation of the earth---the true north pole----it moves too!  The first notice of it was in the late 1800's from the more accurate astrometry that became possible then.

The Magnetic North Pole has moved hundreds of miles since 1950---in fact over thousands of years the magetic poles will reverse----in the last million years the magnetic poles have swapped several times.  It is this swapping that allowed the verification of continental drift in the late 1950's-early 1960's.

The movement of both the poles make the geological positioning history of land masses quite complicated.

Bearpaw

 

[George Wallace]

I know True North, Grid North and Magnetic North are all different.  You may remember a few years ago all our maps were updated.  Now if you have an old issue map, you will find that the Grids may be out by a few hundred meters.  All Three North's change.

Now let's look at the distant future.  You will never find the Magnetic poles at 90 degrees to the the Axis of the planet.  The Magnetic Poles will never be at the Equator.  Nor will True North and True South.  The Magnetic and True North (and South) are related physical phenomenon.  Grid North and Grid South, are man made calibrations and will be amended as required.

[Edit to add]

We probably are in agreement, but debating two different approaches to the same conclusion.  The earth's crust/plates are in constant motion and are affected by the rotation on its' axis.  The Poles will remain fairly much attached to the axis, but the movement of the plates will not.

 

[PanaEng]

Bearpaw is right, the magnetic pole is not "attached" to the axis of rotation (the true north which also wobbles a bit) and in fact has, on several times during earths life, totally switched polarity abruptly. The axis of rotation does not change much - like trying to change the orientation of a spinning flywheel.

anyway, here is an update to the initial story.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/01/22/arctic-forces.html#socialcomments

cheers,
Frank

 

[54/102 CEF]

Ever wonder what's up there? Lots apparently

Here's a link to the Proteus Website at the US Army War College http://www.carlisle.army.mil/proteus/wfs-forecasts.cfm

Note item 9 (this is from an external source)

Now see this http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/archive/2009/03/24/the-canadian-army-s-push-into-the-arctic.aspx

Sounds like an action plan should be very visible to me..........

 

[George Wallace]

Note 9 was obviously written by someone who has never been to the Arctic, nor read about it.  Trees?  What trees?

 

[chrisf]

I've been to Alert. There's no trees. There is a single tree. Not plurals.

 

[GDawg]

They are also predicting a "billion millionaires by 2025"  : which would basically mean that 1 in 7 or 8 would be a millionaire. They must have a loose interpretation of millionaire or they are not currency specific.

 

[TCBF]

They are also predicting a "billion millionaires by 2025"  : which would basically mean that 1 in 7 or 8 would be a millionaire. They must have a loose interpretation of millionaire or they are not currency specific.

- Or they leave out the inconvenient fact that a loaf of bread will cost $5,000...

 

[daftandbarmy]

For the record, I am NOT a David Suzuki fan, but I found these programs quite interesting and informative... which means that my mind must have been manipulated in some subtle way which has not yet become clear to me. Hemp shirts anyone?

arctic mission

the great adventure - june 26
lords of the arctic - june 27
people of the ice - june 28
washed away - june 29



The Great Adventure launches Arctic Mission, a five-part series on the effects of climate change and industrialization on the Arctic on THE NATURE OF THINGS WITH DAVID SUZUKI.

In The Great Adventure, filmmakers Jean Lemire and Thierry Piantanida, and the crew of the Sedna IV undertake a five-month, 21,000-kilometer scientific mission to record the impact of global warming on the Arctic. In the stunning documentary, the crew navigates a three-mast ship through the legendary Northwest Passage - a treacherous, ice-filled channel that captured the imaginations of great explorers for centuries.

Award-winning THE NATURE OF THINGS director and wildlife specialist Caroline Underwood provides an in-depth examination of Arctic wildlife through the eight seasons of Inuit culture in Lords of the Arctic. The extraordinary footage of the region's seasonal and permanent residents - polar bears, thick-billed murres, bowhead whales, muskox, caribou and plankton - is a rare source of information on the effects of climate change on wildlife.

People of the Ice is a remarkable exploration of climate change through the eyes of several generations of Inuit. For 4,000 years, the Inuit have lived in harmony with their Arctic environment but, today, global warming threatens the nature of their habitat. Can the extraordinarily resilient people adjust to such dramatic change? Directed by Carlos Ferrand.

In Washed Away, filmmaker Patricio Henriquez visits communities struggling to save their ancestral land from the ecological impact of the industrialized world. Leading scientists talk about protecting future generations by reducing fossil fuel consumption but can they convince world leaders to act before it's too late?

Climate on the Edge takes an objective look at the global impact of climate change. Director Alain Belhumeur talks to scientists who predict a series of upheavals with devastating results. In the Arctic, the most acute indication of impending disaster is the melting of the permafrost - resulting in the shoreline release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, putting the survival of the Arctic ecosystem at great risk.

Arctic Mission was produced by Glacialis Productions in co-production with the National Film Board and Gedeon Programmes in association with CBC Television's THE NATURE OF THINGS; executive producer Michael Allder.



http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/show_arctic.html

 

[The Bread Guy]

Reviving necro-thread with the latest from MERX - looking for someone to build office and accommodation space in Nanisivik:

DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA (DCC) #IE100682 The design, construction, delivery and installation of new modular housing units, Nanisivik, Nunavut

The work includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the supply of labour, material, supervision and equipment necessary for the design, construction, delivery, installation and related site work of new modular housing units.

(....)

The estimated cost for this opportunity is in the order of $1,000,000.00 ....

A bit of background from one of the tender docs (PM me if you want a copy):

.... Presently, Canada does not have permanent military facilities in the High Arctic. With the increased concerns regarding the eventual melting of the Arctic caps, permanent military facilities along the Northwest Passage (NWP) are deemed necessary.  The proposed modular housing units at the forward operating base (FOB) Nanisivik will contribute to provide Canadian Forces (CF) with support in Canadian northern waters ....

This from the Statement of Work (.zip file attached, exclusive to MILNET.ca):

Work under this contract covers the design, supply, transportation, installation, and commissioning of a modular camp located north of the former Nanisivik mine site. The main function of the modular camp is to provide office, accommodation, and common spaces to support a six (6) person team.

Deadline:  May 4, 2010, 14:00 hours, local time (Eastern Daylight)

Reference Number  194600
Solicitation Number IE100682

 

[Snakedoc]

The facility seems quite small (though it is only for 6 people working up there).  Interesting to note the date of completion is slated for the end of October 2010.

 

[George Wallace]

The facility seems quite small (though it is only for 6 people working up there).  Interesting to note the date of completion is slated for the end of October 2010.

I would expect "Modular" housing to mean that they require only foundations built on site, and then "Modules" flown in and placed into position.  Something a little sturdier than an ACCO trailer or an ISSO Container.  Six months seems like a doable timeframe.

 

[The Bread Guy]

The facility seems quite small (though it is only for 6 people working up there).  Interesting to note the date of completion is slated for the end of October 2010.

Only a slight tweak in the work plan, this, from the original bid documents:

.... The Beneficial Occupancy Date (BOD) for the new facility is September 15, 2010. Beneficial Occupancy is defined to be Substantial Completion ....

It appears, according to the attached amendment, they're giving vendors an extra month.  No change, though, to these dates:

Building Occupancy Date - October 15, 2010
Final completion of all works - October 31, 2010

 

[Privateer]

Does anyone have any info on how the work at Nanisivik is progressing, or a link to a site with such information?  Just curious.  Thanks.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Does anyone have any info on how the work at Nanisivik is progressing, or a link to a site with such information?  Just curious.  Thanks.

Reviving necrothread with update:  maybe not as quickly as first hoped.

Environmental and funding concerns are adding years to the construction of an Arctic naval port considered crucial to enforcing Canadian control of the Northwest Passage.  The Nanisivik port in Nunavut was originally supposed to be at least partially up and running by next summer, following a promise made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2007.  But no construction is planned for this summer and defence officials admit that the refuelling station, intended to give the navy a permanent presence at the eastern gate of the contested passage, won't be operating for years.  "Construction work at the Nanisivik Naval Facility will begin in 2013," said a defence department spokesman in an email. "It is forecasted that the (facility) will be operational in 2016."  Officials weren't immediately available to explain why. But correspondence with the Nunavut Impact Review Board, which is conducting the project's environmental review, suggests the extra years have been added to the project through a combination of bureaucratic delays, funding problems and environmental liabilities lingering from the site's previous life as a lead-zinc mine.  "There are many challenges operating in the North and DND now has a better understanding of the site condition," wrote the spokesman ....

More in the Canadian Press story here, and at the Nunavut Impact Review Board (environmental screening documents) here.

 

[chrisf]

I would expect "Modular" housing to mean that they require only foundations built on site, and then "Modules" flown in and placed into position.  Something a little sturdier than an ACCO trailer or an ISSO Container.  Six months seems like a doable timeframe.

Foundations? You've been far enough north to know there's no trees, and you're asking about foundations? (Sorry, just noticed the first post was a little over a year old... either way, for anyone who's never been not many foundations up north...)

 

[Edward Campbell]

Foundations? You've been far enough north to know there's no trees, and you're asking about foundations? (Sorry, just noticed the first post was a little over a year old... either way, for anyone who's never been not many foundations up north...)

Good reminder. Here is a picture of some fairly typical (at least it was a few years ago) housing in Inuvik. Note the "foundations" and, especially, the charachteristic utilidors for hydro, water, sewage, cable and so on:

And lest someone think Inuvik is an isolated outpost, here is a picture of the toen of about 3,500 people, from the air:

Edit: typo

 

[a_majoor]

If by "foundations" you mean a series of pilings driven into the ground to support a modular structure attached later, maybe you are on to something. OTOH, given the sort of specialized infrastructure needed as well (insulated and suspended utilidors etc), then the amount of extra effort to deliver and hook up modulars would probably be equal to having a permanent structure in the first place. The only exception would be if the "modular" was a ship, and you were willing to let it overwinter in the manner of arctic expeditions in the age of sail. (Thinking about the Franklin expedition dosn't make this seem like a good idea...)

The other alternative might be to follow the model of modern Antarctic bases, which are essentially space stations on stilts (and the stilts are extendable to allow smow to blow underneath the station). You can imagine the cost of such a program with multiple pods capable of housing hundreds of service members, tech staff and life support equipment. It can be done, if anyone is willing to pony up...

 

[George Wallace]

Foundations? You've been far enough north to know there's no trees, and you're asking about foundations? (Sorry, just noticed the first post was a little over a year old... either way, for anyone who's never been not many foundations up north...)

In this case, you will notice that there are foundation supports/legs/whatever in place to support the structures.  The structures are not resting on the ground.  Please do not confuse "foundation" with "basement".

 

[chrisf]

If by "foundations" you mean a series of pilings driven into the ground to support a modular structure attached later, maybe you are on to something. OTOH, given the sort of specialized infrastructure needed as well (insulated and suspended utilidors etc), then the amount of extra effort to deliver and hook up modulars would probably be equal to having a permanent structure in the first place. The only exception would be if the "modular" was a ship, and you were willing to let it overwinter in the manner of arctic expeditions in the age of sail. (Thinking about the Franklin expedition dosn't make this seem like a good idea...)

The other alternative might be to follow the model of modern Antarctic bases, which are essentially space stations on stilts (and the stilts are extendable to allow smow to blow underneath the station). You can imagine the cost of such a program with multiple pods capable of housing hundreds of service members, tech staff and life support equipment. It can be done, if anyone is willing to pony up...

"Buildings on stilts" are pretty much the defacto method of modern arctic construction. The "modular" concept isn't new either, right back to jamesway huts.

6 months for construction once the enviromental assement is done is a pretty reasonable time frame, spread over how many years depends on how the materials over moved to the site.