Ice Persists in the Northwest Passage, Despite Global Warming
The decline of sea ice in the Arctic has made the passage increasingly viable for ships, but it’s still not always smooth sailing. For centuries,…
Arctic
Russian Arctic Losing Billions of Tons of Ice Each Year As Climate Warms
Glaciers and ice caps in two archipelagos in the Russian Arctic are losing enough meltwater to fill nearly five million Olympic-size swimming pools each year,…
Unexpected Discovery: Marine Bacteria in Canadian Arctic Capable of Biodegrading Diesel and Oil
Marine bacteria in the frigid waters of the Canadian Arctic are capable of biodegrading oil and diesel fuel, according to a new study published in Applied and…
Last Ice-Covered Parts of Summertime Arctic Ocean – a Refuge for Polar Bears, Seals, Walruses – Vulnerable to Climate Change
In a rapidly changing Arctic, one area might serve as a refuge – a place that could continue to harbor ice-dependent species when conditions in…
Oil Spill in the Canadian Arctic Could Be Devastating for the Environment and Indigenous Peoples
As melting sea ice brings more ships through the Northwest Passage, new research shows that Canada must prepare for the costs and consequences of an…
Discovery of Tiny Bones and Teeth Reveals Multiple Dinosaur Species Lived and Nested in the Arctic
In the 1950s, researchers made the first unexpected discoveries of dinosaur remains at frigid polar latitudes. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on June 24…
Were Dinosaurs Warm-Blooded? Research Team Discovers Arctic Dinosaur Nursery
Images of dinosaurs as cold-blooded creatures needing tropical temperatures could be a relic of the past. University of Alaska Fairbanks and Florida State University scientists…
Rising Greenhouse Gases Pose Climate Change Threat to Arctic Ozone Layer
New study shows climate change is increasing ozone depletion over the Arctic. There is a race going on high in the atmosphere above the Arctic,…
On Thin Ice: Arctic Coastal Sea Ice Thinning Twice As Fast As Thought
Research based on ice-thickness data from ESA’s CryoSat and Envisat missions along with a new model of snow has revealed that sea ice in the…
NASA: 2021 Arctic Sea Ice Maximum Extent Ranks Seventh-Lowest on Record
Sea ice in the Arctic appears to have hit its annual maximum extent after growing through the fall and winter. The 2021 wintertime extent reached…
Arctic Sea Ice Thinning Up to Twice As Fast as Expected
Sea ice in the coastal regions of the Arctic may be thinning up to twice as fast as previously thought, according to a new modeling…
Newly Discovered Atmospheric Circulation Enhances Heatwaves and Wildfires Around the Arctic
Scientists have uncovered a summertime climate pattern in and around the Arctic that could drive co-occurrences of European heatwaves and large-scale wildfires with air pollution…
Oceanographers Find “Heat Bombs” Destroying Arctic Sea Ice
A team led by physical oceanographers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego shows in a new study how plumes…
Sea Ice Highs and Lows 2020–21: Downward Trends in Polar Ice Continue
There were no records set in 2020-21, but the downward trends in polar ice continue. The amount of sea ice around Earth’s poles waxes and…
Navigating Beneath the Arctic Ice – Without GPS
A team of MIT engineers has developed a navigational method for autonomous vehicles to navigate accurately in the Arctic Ocean without GPS. There is a…
Lightning Strikes Will More Than Double in Arctic As Climate Warms, Driving Increased Wildfires and Warming
University of California, Irvine-led team reports that an increase in lightning will drive both wildfires and warming above Arctic Circle. In 2019, the National Weather…
Ancient DNA Reveals Arctic Was Once Lush and Green, Could Be Again
Imagine not a white, but a green Arctic, with woody shrubs as far north as the Canadian coast of the Arctic Ocean. This is what…
International Research Team Begins Uncovering Mystery Lurking Beneath the Arctic Ocean
New study on submarine permafrost suggests locked greenhouse gases are emerging. Something lurks beneath the Arctic Ocean. While it’s not a monster, it has largely…