04/18/2025 | Polar Journal AG Team

Meet Sofie Schultz Christiansen – Her story in languages

A translator and interpreter since she was a child, Sofie Schultz Christiansen told us about her story, her passion for languages, her travels and her life in Ilulissat. A translator and interpreter since childhood, Sofie Schultz Christiansen told us about her story, her love of languages, her trave

04/17/2025 | Camille Lin

Meet Palle Jerimiassen – 28 years of politics in Ilulissat

Having just announced his retirement from political life, the mayor of Ilulissat agreed to meet polarjournal.net and look back on his long career at the helm of the country’s 3rd largest city.Palle Jerimiassen, mayor of Ilulissat and the Avannaata region. Image: Camille LinIt stretches out above the

04/16/2025 | Mirjana Binggeli

The Baffin Island crossing was nothing new

A British adventurer recently found herself at the heart of a controversy after claiming to be the first woman to cross Baffin Island solo. Her claims prompted a backlash from Inuit in a backdrop of cultural reappropriation. Baffin Island, with Davis Strait in the background. Great, majestic landsca

04/15/2025 | Polar Journal AG Team

Diary of a journey to Greenland: melt day and ice childhood

Among the scenes that polarjournal.net witnessed this week were the sudden melting in April, the first signs that winter is ending, and an outing in the fjord with a group of children we met at the ILLU Science and Art Center.Straight out of the harbor. Image: Camille LinFor two weeks, polarjournal.

04/14/2025 | Polar Journal AG Team

The Polar Retrospective – An Icelandic exhibition in Greenland, the history of the most important ocean current and Nunavut on the show

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we look at an exhibition on the crest line between art and science by an Icelandic artist in Greenland, a new study tracing 800,000 years of climate-ocean interaction in the Southern Ocean and a Netflix

04/12/2025 | Polar Journal AG Team

Diary of a journey in Greenland: from the sky to the old church in Ilulissat

Among the scenes witnessed by polarjournal.net this week were a passage over Greenland in a small twin-engined plane and a the sounds of a baptism in a church in Ilulissat dating from 1771.The last days of winter in Ilulissat. Image : Camille LinFor a two-week period, polarjournal.net sent two repor

04/11/2025 | Administrator

Antarctica’s hidden threat: meltwater under the ice sheet amplifies sea-level rise

A new study shows how subglacial water could threaten the stability of the Antarctic ice cap. Which could add more than two metres than currently estimated to global sea levels by 2300. The icy continent might be under a new menace. Photo: Julia HagerBy Chen Zhao and Ben Galton-FenziOne of the bigge

04/10/2025 | Polar Journal AG Team

Meeting Karl Sandgreen in Ilulissat

Ice, fishing, education, municipal elections, Greenlandic independence and the tourist economy are all kinds of subjects that cross the mind of the CEO of the Icefjord Center, a resident of Greenland’s third-largest city.The architect was inspired by the flight of the snowy owl when he built the bui

04/09/2025 | Julia Hager

Tracking water vapor over Greenland’s ice sheet with a drone

A drone experiment over the Greenland ice sheet has made it possible for the first time to take detailed measurements of water vapor in the atmosphere over Greenland. This new technology could contribute to improving climate models and help to better estimate Greenland’s future contribution to globa

04/08/2025 | Camille Lin

France Pinczon du Sel and Éric Brossier – Part II: The art of sharing

In contact with researchers who came to live with them to study the pack ice, the two partners have imbibed a scientific culture that they strive to pass on to interested Inuit and southerners alike.A race in the snow. Image: Christian Morel During their 12 wintering trips, the crew of “Vagabond” ne

04/07/2025 | Polar Journal AG Team

The Polar Retrospective – A heckled polar ambition, insights from a megaberg, and biosecurity in Antarctica

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we look at the steering of France’s polar strategy, gliders collecting data from a megaberg and a research that shows evidence that biosecurity measures work.The Dumont-d’Urville station is a logistical

04/04/2025 | Mirjana Binggeli

“Honouring Our Future” at the NONAM

After Canada and Great Britain, the exhibition of regalia worn by young Indigenous graduates from the Yukon opens this weekend at NONAM. An opportunity to discover, through this symbolic garment, a little-known aspect of the culture of these communities in north-western Canada, between tradition and

Science

04/11/2025| Administrator

Antarctica’s hidden threat: meltwater under the ice sheet amplifies sea-level rise

A new study shows how subglacial water could threaten the stability of the Antarctic ice cap. Which could add more than two metres than currently estimated to global sea levels by 2300. The icy continent might be under a new menace. Photo: Julia HagerBy Chen Zhao and Ben Galton-FenziOne of the bigge

04/09/2025| Julia Hager

Tracking water vapor over Greenland’s ice sheet with a drone

A drone experiment over the Greenland ice sheet has made it possible for the first time to take detailed measurements of water vapor in the atmosphere over Greenland. This new technology could contribute to improving climate models and help to better estimate Greenland’s future contribution to globa

04/03/2025| Julia Hager

Vast ecosystem of microalgae accelerates ice melt on Antarctic ice cap

For the first time, researchers investigated an algal bloom on an Antarctic ice cap and discovered an astonishing diversity of microbial life. However, the coloration accelerates the melting. A drone image shows how pigment-rich algae communities give the ice cap of Robert Island in the Antarctic a

04/02/2025| Camille Lin

Concordia – “A livable, energy-efficient, easy-to-install system”

The Franco-Italian station is celebrating its twentieth year of operation, perched high above Antarctica. Project manager Patrice Godon tells us about the challenges involved in building the station, from the point of view of polar expertise. Concordia is an observation point of worldwide importance

03/28/2025| Julia Hager

Afforestation in the Arctic only a sham solution to global warming

In Arctic regions, afforestation can accelerate warming rather than slow it down, warns a new study. Instead of planting trees, researchers recommend preserving open tundra and large herbivores. The treeless tundra absorbs significantly less solar radiation than forests. When the open areas are cove

03/27/2025| Mirjana Binggeli

Forel, a Swiss research vessel for the scientists

From mapping fjords to studying particles, the Forel research vessel leads multidisciplinary expeditions in the Arctic to better understand the impact of global warming and marine ecosystems. A true floating laboratory that looks like a Swiss Army knife. Designed for coastal environments, the Forel’

03/21/2025| Mirjana Binggeli

An Antarctic South-African station on the edge of fear

An alleged assault on a South African Antarctic station is currently making headlines. Although the phenomenon is rare, it is not exceptional. Isolation, boredom and confinement in a hostile environment can put the nerves of scientific and station personnel to the test. An alleged assault on a South

03/20/2025| Julia Hager

Pleistocene glacial ice discovered in the permafrost of the Canadian Arctic

On Bylot Island in the Canadian Arctic, bodies of ice have been hidden in the permafrost since the early Pleistocene – well protected from external influences and several warm periods. The age of the ice is estimated to be more than 770,000 years. Glacial ice buried in the permafrost was exposed in

Politics

04/17/2025, Camille Lin

Meet Palle Jerimiassen – 28 years of politics in Ilulissat

Having just announced his retirement from political life, the mayor of Ilulissat agreed to meet polarjournal.net and look back on his long career at the helm of the country’s 3rd largest city.Palle Jerimiassen, mayor of Ilulissat and the Avannaata region. Image: Camille LinIt stretches out above the

04/16/2025, Mirjana Binggeli

The Baffin Island crossing was nothing new

A British adventurer recently found herself at the heart of a controversy after claiming to be the first woman to cross Baffin Island solo. Her claims prompted a backlash from Inuit in a backdrop of cultural reappropriation. Baffin Island, with Davis Strait in the background. Great, majestic landsca

03/17/2025, Dr. Michael Wenger

Greenland’s Political Marriage: Navigating the Harbor of Governance

After the election in Greenland, it is unclear with whom the big winner, the Demokratiit wants to sail into the safe harbour of a stable political marriage.Calm conditions in Aappilattoq, South Greenland. A symbol for the future government in Nuuk? Photo: Michael WengerGreenland’s recent elections h

03/12/2025, Camille Lin

The Demokraatit party must forge alliances

At a press conference held at the International Press Centre, Rasmus Leander Nielsen, professor at the University of Greenland, discusses the potential coalitions that Demokraatit could form.With the result of this election, Denmark is faced with a more pronounced questioning of Greenland’s status.

03/12/2025, Camille Lin

A right turn for Greenland

The Demokraatit party wins Greenland’s March 11 elections. A turnaround in the island’s politics. Demokraatit party HQ at the election results on the evening of March 11. Image: Screenshot / DR.DK A militarized threat, a courtesy call and an investment proposal… The American president’s initiatives

02/28/2025, Ole Ellekrog

Greenland’s online spaces are at risk – and the stakes have never been higher

Just two months ago, a report concluded that Greenlandic Facebook feeds were free of foreign disinformation. Now, after the country has been the center of the world’s attention, one of the authors of the report is not confident that this conclusion would hold true today.WARNING: The above image is n

02/24/2025, Polar Journal AG Team

The Polar Retrospective – Russia-US Arctic oil talks, a withdrawn documentary, ‘glacial fracking’, and Greenlanders’ genes

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we look at the latest statement of Russian official Kirill Dmitriev, a now withdrawn documentary, glacial fracking, and a new study on Greenlandic genes. The question of financing Russian industrial proj

02/13/2025, Ole Ellekrog

Three topics that will decide Greenland’s upcoming election

On March 11th, Greenland will hold a parliamentary election with much more international attention than usual. Polar Journal AG looks at three topics that form divisions among the campaigning politicians. On March 11th, Greenland will hold a parliamentary election with more international attention t

Society

04/18/2025, Polar Journal AG Team

Meet Sofie Schultz Christiansen – Her story in languages

A translator and interpreter since she was a child, Sofie Schultz Christiansen told us about her story, her passion for languages, her travels and her life in Ilulissat. A translator and interpreter since childhood, Sofie Schultz Christiansen told us about her story, her love of languages, her trave

04/15/2025, Polar Journal AG Team

Diary of a journey to Greenland: melt day and ice childhood

Among the scenes that polarjournal.net witnessed this week were the sudden melting in April, the first signs that winter is ending, and an outing in the fjord with a group of children we met at the ILLU Science and Art Center.Straight out of the harbor. Image: Camille LinFor two weeks, polarjournal.

04/12/2025, Polar Journal AG Team

Diary of a journey in Greenland: from the sky to the old church in Ilulissat

Among the scenes witnessed by polarjournal.net this week were a passage over Greenland in a small twin-engined plane and a the sounds of a baptism in a church in Ilulissat dating from 1771.The last days of winter in Ilulissat. Image : Camille LinFor a two-week period, polarjournal.net sent two repor

04/08/2025, Camille Lin

France Pinczon du Sel and Éric Brossier – Part II: The art of sharing

In contact with researchers who came to live with them to study the pack ice, the two partners have imbibed a scientific culture that they strive to pass on to interested Inuit and southerners alike.A race in the snow. Image: Christian Morel During their 12 wintering trips, the crew of “Vagabond” ne

04/01/2025, Camille Lin

Eric Brossier and France Pinczon du Sel – Part I: Tandem in the cold

Attracted by the beauty of the Arctic and in search of rational explanations of how it works, the two partners immersed themselves in a frozen landscape. Ideal conditions in which to meet modern-day Inuit and share a few ancestral customs. This is a two-part article. Here’s the first, and we’ll see

02/17/2025, Polar Journal AG Team

The Polar Retrospective – Erased graffiti, an updated map, Arctic killer whales, and a Finnish inconvenience

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we look at a mission to clean up a graffitied building in Antarctica, a new South Orkney Islands map, an increase in Arctic killer whales, and rising tourism prices in Finland. Visiting the Arctic can be

02/11/2025, Camille Lin

“Did it pass too close, was it too late to reverse?”

Hervé Baudu, professor of nautical sciences at the École Nationale Supérieure Maritime and member of the Académie de Marine, talks about the collision of the 50 Let Pobedy and the polar seminar of the Arctic Council's Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME), co-organi

02/10/2025, Polar Journal AG Team

The Polar Retrospective – Plastic in Antarctica, Nunavut renewable energy and Belgium polar heritage

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. From last week we chose: the discovery of microplastic around the Union Glacier, a renewable energy project in Iqaluit and the Belgica pennant classified as part of national heritage.Union Glacier camp from the ai

Culture

04/04/2025, Mirjana Binggeli

“Honouring Our Future” at the NONAM

After Canada and Great Britain, the exhibition of regalia worn by young Indigenous graduates from the Yukon opens this weekend at NONAM. An opportunity to discover, through this symbolic garment, a little-known aspect of the culture of these communities in north-western Canada, between tradition and

02/27/2025, Mirjana Binggeli

Talking about Nanuk, the Inuit narratives about polar bears

As we celebrate International Polar Bear Day today, Polar Journal AG invites you to discover Nanuk Narratives, an online documentary series that sheds light on the link between Inuit and polar bears.Nanuk, nanuq, nanoq. Whatever the dialect, the term always refers to its majesty, the polar bear. Pho

02/19/2025, Mirjana Binggeli

Arctic culture in sound and music at the Museum of Contemporary Circumpolar Art

The Museum of Contemporary Circumpolar Art (MCCA) in Bern is kicking off the year in music and style with a new exhibition devoted to Arctic sounds. The opening takes place this Thursday, February 20, with a performance by the Inuit throat-singing duo PIQSIQ.From 20 February to 21 June, the MCCA in

02/07/2025, Mirjana Binggeli

An Arctic Day on the move and in voices at the NONAM

NONAM organizes an Arctic Day this Sunday in Zurich, with a focus on movement and voice. The program includes Inuit sports games and a famous duet of throat singers. The PIQSIQ duo will perform this Sunday at NONAM. Photo: Inuksuk Mackay For this year’s Arctic Day, the North American Native Museum (

02/06/2025, Camille Lin

A designer who envelops bodies in the spirit of the Sami people

A shift in direction in 2008 enabled Anne Berit Anti to tell the story of her people through fashion. With one foot in modernity and one in tradition, she invites everyone to wear original creations inspired by life on the tundra. Some of the patterns used by Anne Berit Anti refer to traditional nec

01/17/2025, Mirjana Binggeli

Christiane Ritter, a woman in the polar night

A Woman in the Polar Night has become a classic of its kind, and is now being reprinted in French. An opportunity to revisit the tale of a polar adventurer like no other. Christiane Ritter overwintered in Spitsbergen between 1934 and 1935. Photo: Bjørn Klauer Summer 1934, Spitsbergen. Christiane Ri

12/20/2024, Mirjana Binggeli

Inuit art on show at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Attributed to Bobby Quppaapik Tarkirk, this delicate work shows birds carved in soapstone and serpentine and perched on a caribou antler. Probably Bobby Quppaapik Tarkirk (1934-2000), Untitled (Birds in a Tree), late 1960s-early 1970s. MMFA, gift of the Museum of Inuit Art, Toronto. Photo: MMFA, Chr

12/13/2024, Mirjana Binggeli

Katajjaq, an Inuit voice

The katajjaq, a throat singing game typical of Canada's Inuit, has enjoyed a revival in recent decades. So much so that it has become a strong marker of Inuit identity. The essence of katajjaq. Two women standing face to face, singing. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve probably come across thi

Economy

04/10/2025, Polar Journal AG Team

Meeting Karl Sandgreen in Ilulissat

Ice, fishing, education, municipal elections, Greenlandic independence and the tourist economy are all kinds of subjects that cross the mind of the CEO of the Icefjord Center, a resident of Greenland’s third-largest city.The architect was inspired by the flight of the snowy owl when he built the bui

02/18/2025, Camille Lin

Nunavut, a bright spot in the Arctic’s socio-economic doldrums

The economic dynamism of Canada’s north did not go unnoticed by Business Index North researchers when they looked at economic development in the Arctic.Hope Bay gold mine, Nunavut region. Image: TMAC Resources “Canada’s northern territories are emerging as growth leaders, with Nunavut and Yukon expe

11/20/2024, Camille Lin

Krill – “This year, unfortunately, we did not reach an agreement”

At the 43rd meeting of the CCAMLR Commission, the divergence of vision between environmental conservation and sustainable fishing came face to face to the extent that no agreement was reached on the future of krill fishing. On the one hand, a project for a marine protected area around the Antarctic

10/29/2024, Camille Lin

“These companies are destroying the environment and harming the local people in Chukotka”

The Beringovsky mine has been operated since 2016 by an Australian company, which withdrew from the project this summer. The company avoided Western sanctions thanks to a complex set-up of Cyprian and Russian companies, but none of this would have been revealed had the mine not been the scene of an

10/25/2024, Julia Hager

The Arctic is getting more light pollution due to increasing industrial activities

The pan-arctic map illustrates the extent of human activity at night. Color coding: black – unlit, orange – lit, yellow – increasing illumination, purple – decreasing illumination. Map: Cengiz Akandil, University of Zurich; Natural Earth The area affected by oil and gas production and mining in the

10/22/2024, Camille Lin

“In the Arctic, there are no small accidents”

Safety is an issue for shipping in the Arctic, where emergency infrastructures are rare. Over the last ten years, the distance covered by the Polar Code has doubled, and the number of ships has increased. Image: Air Force / Joint Arctic CommandThe challenges of maritime safety in polar zones were d

10/14/2024, Dr. Michael Wenger

The Polar Retrospective – Antarctic awakening

The Antarctic season start at Port Lockoy will kick off soon. (Photo: Michael Wenger)The Polar Retrospective looks at stories of the past week that are related to the Arctic and Antarctic and focuses on one or more aspects. This week will look at the start of the Antarctic tourism season along the A

10/08/2024, Ole Ellekrog

In shrinking Soviet towns, Northern Sea Route promise is keeping hope alive

A sea port in Tiksi photographed in 2019, when Olga Povoroznyuk visited the remote Siberian town. Photo: Olga PovoroznyukA research project at the University of Vienna is attempting an, at the moment, difficult task: to conduct anthropological research on the Russian Arctic. Preliminary results show

Tourism

03/26/2025, Camille Lin

“Is there a lack of awareness of the risks associated with outdoor activity?”

The absence of an insurance offer adapted to polar operators linked to France is felt by professionals in the sector who responded to a survey by the Chaire Enjeux Polaires.Customers and polar guides take turns looking after the itinerant camps on Arctic excursions. Image: Julia HagerAvalanches, bea

03/19/2025, Gastautor

Tourism in Greenland: a fragile balance, an update after the elections

In an article for Polar Journal AG, Marie-Noëlle Rimaud advocates “finding a way out from the top, through intelligence”. The lecturer and researcher in tourism economics and management calls for the development of a win-win strategy between foreign investors in the tourism sector and the island’s i

03/13/2025, Dr. Michael Wenger

Adult-Themed Cruise to Antarctica: Theme Park Tourism or Isolated Incident?

An unusual event in Antarctic tourism unfolded in January 2025, prompting discussions about the evolving nature of travel to this unique region. The expedition vessel of a well-known cruise line was fully chartered by a travel agency to host an “adult-themed” voyage, marketed as the “7th Continent A

11/19/2024, Mirjana Binggeli

Managing the route, from Australia to Greenland’s Arctic Circle Trail

When a passion for hiking, writing, and photography leads to managing Greenland’s most famous trail. Lisa Germany’s job allows her to combine some of her greatest interests. Photo: Lisa GermanyHiking in the magnificent Greenlandic backcountry as your job? For many, this may seem like the ultimate fa

11/08/2024, Camille Lin

Marie-Noëlle Rimaud, islander, polar explorer and pioneer

Her passion for sailing opened up opportunities in Greenland. Illustration: Gisèle Durand RuizPolar tourism in Greenland is not a subject frequently addressed in French economic and social sciences. Yet Marie-Noëlle Rimaud is now able to capture what was once just over the horizon, and observe it th

10/22/2024, Camille Lin

“In the Arctic, there are no small accidents”

Safety is an issue for shipping in the Arctic, where emergency infrastructures are rare. Over the last ten years, the distance covered by the Polar Code has doubled, and the number of ships has increased. Image: Air Force / Joint Arctic CommandThe challenges of maritime safety in polar zones were d

10/19/2024, Julia Hager

Podcast Radio Arctic – Tourism Trajectories

The Arctic has become an increasingly popular travel destination in recent years. In the new podcast, Radio Arctic discusses the future of tourism in the Arctic with various experts. The Arctic is no longer just a destination for daring explorers and adventurers but has transformed into an increasin

10/17/2024, Ole Ellekrog

In Antarctica, this Slovenian mountaineer finally found a job that will keep him coming back

This year, Aleš Česen will return for his sixth season in Antarctica and the otherworldly continent continues to fascinate him. Photo: Courtesy of Aleš ČesenAleš Česen is a celebrated mountaineer but stresses that no special training is required to work in Antarctica. All you need is reliability and

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