The week-long Arctic Frontiers conference kicked off on Sunday as about 1,300 delegates from around the world gathered in the northern Norwegian city of Tromso to discuss the balance between industrial and environmental interests in the Arctic.

At an opening ceremony at the Fram Centre in central Tromso Sunday evening, Jan-Gunnar Winther and Harald Steen from the Norwegian Polar Institute presented the 2015 Norwegian Winter Research Expedition to the Arctic Ocean, which shows a thinning ice with dramatic consequences in the region.

During the tenth Arctic Frontiers conference, slated for Jan. 24 to 29 and titled "Industry and Environment," policymakers, researchers, businessmen and others are expected to give their views on the balance between resource utilisation and preservation in the region.

The conference organizers believe the Arctic is a global crossroad between commercial and environmental interests as many actors are investigating ways to utilize its substantial natural resources while others view the region as a particularly pristine and vulnerable environment.

Delegates will explore ways to achieve a well-planned, well-governed and sustainable development in the Arctic during various sessions of the conference, most of them will be held at University of Tromso, the world's northernmost university.

The Arctic Frontiers conference has become one of the main platforms for discussions of Arctic issues to ensure a sustainable development in the region over the past decade. Endit

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