As forest fires wipe out Canada’s boreal forest, a study highlights the role these fires could play in slowing global warming.At present, over 200 fires are active in central and western Canada. One hundred of these are considered to be out of control. As people continue to be evacuated and Indigeno
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet could reach its tipping point with only minimal additional ocean warming – with long-term consequences for global sea levels. But a small window of time remains to take countermeasures. “With every decade we wait, with every (currently two tenth of a) degree of additiona
Military activities in the Arctic are intensifying without any real consultation with the Sámi. Despite their rights to these lands, their governance is poorly integrated, threatening a subsistence-based culture such as reindeer herding. Finnish social scientist Laura Junka-Aikio provides some insig
Jacqui Stuart, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Natalie Robinson, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)As Antarctic sea ice forms later and thinner, a hidden ecosystem is shifting: microalgal diversity is declining, disrupting a key food source for marine
This week's Polar Retrospective takes a look at ancient arctic birds that lived with dinosaurs, AI that helps protect migrating caribou across fragile sea ice, and wildfires in Canada. The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at
Three organizations have taken an important step toward a more species-appropriate life for whales and dolphins in captivity: They are developing the world’s first ocean sanctuaries as alternatives to keeping them in concrete tanks.Orcas are found in oceans around the world, travel hundreds of kilom
As food insecurity greatly affects Inuit communities, community workshops bringing together Elders, hunters, and scientists were held to discuss how to use DNA for Arctic wildlife and food security.Indigenous Elders, community members, hunters and trappers, regional tourism representatives and scien
Despite its unprecedented nature, Greenland Minister Vivian Motzfeldt’s visit to France in May 2025 went almost unnoticed. French polar policy expert Arthur Amelot explains this discreet diplomatic gesture. Yet it is rich in symbolism, and could mark the beginning of a strategic rapprochement betwee
Last Thursday in Bodø, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Norwegian Prime Minister Gahr Støre made official the creation of an air base north of the Arctic Circle. A strategic turning point in the face of Russia, which rekindles tensions over the militarization of the Arctic and the question of r
This week's Polar Retrospective takes a look at the setting course for Iceland and Scoresby Sound by the crew of Moscatel, new research warning of vanishing summer habitat for bowhead whales and Inuit-led cruises in Nunavut. The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s pol
A study highlights the role that penguin droppings play in cloud formation and their potential impact in reducing the effects of global warming.Anyone who has ever been near a penguin colony probably remembers the overwhelming smell that emanates from it. However, it would appear that penguin droppi
Even if humanity succeeds in slowing global temperature rise after temporarily exceeding the Paris climate target and bringing it back below 1.5°C in the long term, the world’s glaciers will continue to shrink for centuries, or even millenia.The Fjortende Julibreen (14th of July Glacier) on Svalbard
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is cutting funding for polar research in the USA. Could these disruptions to Antarctic research have an impact on Antarctic protection? In an interview, Evan Bloom, a former US diplomat specializing in polar affairs, explains the implications of the US
In a study published yesterday, scientists warn that the global warming target of +1.5°C is insufficient to protect the vast ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica from melting. They call for a new cooler target quickly. A new landmark review delivers a stark message: the global warming target of +1
A European report describes the conditions of detention in Nuuk prison and denounces a number of shortcomings, while also describing its positive aspects.Nuuk prison. Image: Kriminalforsorgen “The atmosphere seemed fairly relaxed,” describes a May 12 report by the European Committee for the Preventi
The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at the annual meeting of the French National Committee for Arctic and Antarctic Research, Russia’s push to build a fleet of 130 Arctic vessels to expand trade with China along the Northern
A study conducted by Arctida surveys Russian public opinion on the Kremlin’s plans for the Arctic. Environment, defense, and mining… here are some of the responses in figures. On April 2, the NGO Arctida published the results of a telephone survey it had conducted in Russia. The pollsters were able
A glacier in West Antarctica is flowing much faster than its neighbor and “stealing” its ice – an important discovery for a better understanding of Antarctica’s contribution to sea level rise.The Crosson and Dotson ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea are among the most rapidly changing ice shelves in We
In contrast to the warming of the Arctic, Denmark and Greenland have taken over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council during an icy phase and need to act as icebreakers. The Arctic, a realm of frozen seas and unique challenges, often demands powerful icebreakers to forge paths forward, yet in a del
Siri Veland (geographer), Skade Henriksen (artist), Anna Lindal (artist), and Marie Stougaard Østertorn (student and activist) explain the concept behind the Ilulissat Art and Science Hub. We open the doors to this anchor point, which marks the end of our series in this Greenlandic town. The sun dog
The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at Chile’s presidential commitment to the Antarctic, reports about US intelligence gathering in Greenland, and the emergence of new Arctic coastlines as glaciers retreat.As glaciers retrea
According to a new study, Arctic fjords could store carbon less effectively in the future as global warming progresses, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the climate.Several glaciers (still) flow directly into the Kongsfjorden on Svalbard, where the research settlement of Ny Ålesund is
Satellite data reveals tiny sea level dips that mark underwater waterfalls – cold, dense water plunging off Antarctica’s continental shelf. These flows help regulate Earth’s climate but are weakening as the planet warms.NASA ICE via Flickr, CC BYBeneath the surface of the Southern Ocean, vast volume
At the start of her political career last April, this business consultant won the highest number of votes in the Avannaata regional elections. Her socio-liberal vision of empowering Greenlandic society is based on an in-depth treatment of social affairs, with a view to promoting entrepreneurship and
