11/13/2026 | Marcel Schütz
Searching for the Northern Lights During the Polar Night on Svalbard
Northern Lights above Sarkofagen (Photo: Marcel Schütz)Around 1,000 kilometres north of Tromsø lies one of the northernmost permanently inhabited regions on Earth. While winter days grow shorter on the European mainland, the sun disappears completely below the horizon on Svalbard for several months.
11/12/2026 | Heiner Kubny
South Korea sets its sights on the icebreaker market
Artist’s impression of the new Swedish icebreaker, which is to be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The 126-metre-long vessel is due to be delivered in 2029 and will support shipping in the Baltic Sea in future. (Illustration: PolarJournal)South Korea aims to play a greater role i
11/12/2026 | Heiner Kubny
From a desert state to a polar nation
Emirati polar researchers Ahmed Al Kaabi (left) and Badr Al Ameri are involved in Antarctic research as part of the Emirates Polar Programme. The two scientists from the National Centre of Meteorology are working closely with the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute. (Photo: Emirates Polar Programme / NCM)
11/11/2026 | Rosamaria Kubny
51 previously unknown viruses discovered in Antarctica
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) against a black background. These tiny crustaceans form an important food source for numerous animals in the Southern Ocean. A new study suggests that certain RNA viruses may be spread via the Antarctic food web. (Photo: Uwe Kils / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
11/11/2026 | Rosamaria Kubny
How emperor penguins master their extreme dives
An emperor penguin swims beneath the Antarctic sea ice. These birds can dive to depths of several hundred metres and go without breathing for an astonishingly long time. Researchers are investigating how they store their oxygen reserves and use them during the dive. (Illustration: PolarJournal)Emper
11/10/2026 | Rosamaria Kubny
Fewer catches for more pollock
A pollock (Pollachius virens) at the Ozeaneum in Stralsund. This species is widespread in the waters off northern Norway and the Barents Sea and is of great economic importance. Due to declining spawning stocks, Norway is reducing the catch quota for north-east Arctic pollock by 22 per cent in 2027.
11/10/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Antarctic lake offers insights into the early Earth
Conical stromatolites on the seabed of the Antarctic sub-sea. These structures, some of which are metres high, are built up by microbial communities and are reminiscent of life forms that existed on Earth billions of years ago. They are of particular interest to astrobiology as they provide insights
11/10/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Icebergs could slow down the weakening of the deep-ocean current
Table-icebergs drift amongst dense sea ice in the Weddell Sea. Ocean currents can carry these massive ice masses far to the north, where they release their meltwater into the ocean only once they are far from the Antarctic coast. (Photo: John Sonntag / NASA Operation IceBridge)The increasing loss of
11/09/2026 | Heiner Kubny
The deepest hole on Earth is in the Arctic
Artist’s impression of the Kola Superdeep Borehole (SG-3) on Russia’s Kola Peninsula during its operational period. Using the massive Uralmash-15000 drilling rig, Soviet scientists aimed to penetrate up to 15 kilometres into the Earth’s crust. In 1989, they reached a record depth of 12,262 metres. (
11/09/2026 | Einar Johansen
Professor Molchanov remains in Barentsburg as Moscow renews protest
Professor Molchanov (Photo: Heiner Kubny)Two months after the Professor Molchanov was detained in Svalbard, Russia has again summoned a Norwegian diplomat. Days earlier, the Nord-Troms and Senja District Court had dismissed the Russian mining company Trust Arktikugol’s application for the vessel’s r
11/08/2026 | Rosamaria Kubny
Antarctic fish reveal their secret to survival
The Antarctic spinyhead fish (Harpagifer antarcticus) lives in the icy coastal waters of the Southern Ocean. Its cells are adapted to temperatures close to freezing. New research provides, for the first time, detailed insights into the processes that enable survival under these extreme conditions. (
11/08/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Antarctic radar helps to better predict extreme weather
Northern lights above the PANSY radar at the Japanese Syowa Station in East Antarctica. The radar system, comprising more than 1,000 antennas, continuously measures winds at various altitudes in the atmosphere, thereby providing valuable data for weather and climate research. (Photo: Yuki Onishi / N
Privacy policy