10/24/2026 | Yana Kirichenko
The hidden effects of reindeer grazing
Reindeer in Lapland, Finland. (Image: Simo Räsänen (Ximonic) / CC BY-SA 3.0 / cropped)Reindeer leave more than hoofprints where they graze. Recent findings contribute to understanding the effects of grazing in Finland’s boreal forests.Reindeer grazing changes the vegetation we see above ground, but
10/23/2026 | Liam Anderson
Antarctic Ice Loss Is Now Virtually Inevitable
The map shows where Antarctica’s floating ice shelves are losing or gaining ice at their undersides. Particularly significant changes are occurring in West Antarctica and on the Antarctic Peninsula. The map is based on satellite data from NASA’s Terra and Aqua missions. (Graphic: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UC
10/23/2026 | Polar Journal
A landmark win for Sámi literature
Sigbjørn Skåden, winner of the 2026 Nordic Council Literature Prize for Láŋtdievvá / Planterhaug. (Image: Knut Åserud / Cappelen Damm / press use)For only the second time in its history, the Nordic Council Literature Prize has gone to a Sámi-language work. What earned this year’s winner such recogni
10/22/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Svalbard’s glacier fronts are retreating at record speed
The Monacobreen in Liefdefjord in north-western Svalbard. This glacier, which flows into the sea, is one of those whose front has retreated particularly rapidly over the past two years. (Photo: Andreas Weith / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)Spitsbergen’s sea-outlet glaciers have retreated at an exc
10/22/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Greenland sharks cope surprisingly well with by-catch
A Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) glides through the cold water beneath the Arctic sea ice. These extremely long-lived sharks grow very slowly and can live for several centuries. (Image: AI-generated / PolarJournal)The Greenland shark can live for several centuries and is one of the most m
10/21/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Spitsbergen’s glaciers release methane from the subsoil
Silje Waaler takes a water sample from the glacial stream at the end of the Svalbreen glacier on Spitsbergen. Researchers have found elevated concentrations of methane in such meltwater. The methane originates mainly from ancient rock layers beneath the ice and is transported out of the glacier with
10/21/2026 | Heiner Kubny
When forests still burned at the South Pole
An artist’s reconstruction of an Antarctic landscape around 90 million years ago: during the Cretaceous period, the climate near the South Pole was significantly warmer, with dense forests and wetlands. Charcoal particles in sediments show that this vegetation was repeatedly affected by forest fires
10/20/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Faster Glaciers Are Accelerating Greenland’s Ice Loss
Icebergs and pack ice off the Jakobshavn Isbræ on Greenland’s west coast. This massive outlet glacier transports large amounts of ice from the Greenland ice sheet into the Ilulissat Icefjord and is one of Greenland’s fastest-moving glaciers. (Photo: Heiner Kubny)Greenland has lost more than six tril
10/20/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Ten years of the airlift for Australia’s Antarctic research
A C-17A Globemaster III during its first test flight to Wilkins Aerodrome near Casey Station in November 2015. Since then, these transport aircraft have been a vital part of Australia’s Antarctic logistics. (Photo: Glenn Jacobson / Australian Antarctic Division)For ten years, the Australian military
10/19/2026 | Heiner Kubny
Russia is expanding its Arctic LNG fleet
The 295-metre-long LNG tanker ‘North Moon’ at sea. Built in South Korea in 2024, the vessel is classified as Arc4 ice-class and can carry around 174,000 cubic metres of liquefied natural gas. In October 2026, it was renamed ‘Melicertes’. (Illustration: PolarJournal)Russia is continuing to expand its
10/19/2026 | Yana Kirichenko
Why Arctic shorebirds change breeding grounds
A pectoral sandpiper, one of the shorebird species included in the study of breeding-site return rates. (Image: Public Domain)Many birds return to familiar breeding grounds each year. A new study explores why shorebirds breeding in Arctic tundra are particularly likely to change locations between su
10/18/2026 | Rosamaria Kubny
Bird flu reaches Alaska’s polar bears
Two wildlife researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) examine a polar bear lying on the sea ice. Such examinations enable the collection of biological samples, which can be used, amongst other things, to assess the animals’ state of health and detect possible infections. (Video: U.S. Geolo
Privacy policy