A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) swims alongside five dolphins through the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts. The aerial photograph was taken on 24 June 2020 as part of scientific observations. (Image: Allison Henry / NOA
Emperor penguins with a chick on Antarctic sea ice. New satellite observations show that emperor penguin colonies by no means remain in the same place throughout the entire breeding season. They can split up and, depending on ice conditions and the time of year, sometimes move to significantly diffe
Satellite view of the Totten Ice Shelf in East Antarctica. The rugged ice surface meets sea ice and open water, which appear black in the satellite image. The Totten Glacier is one of the most significant outflow areas of the East Antarctic ice sheet and is highly sensitive to changes in the ocean a
In early March, an iceberg blocked the northern jetty used to supply Neumayer Station III in Atka Bay, Antarctica. Just as the wind had carried the iceberg to the edge of the ice shelf, it blew it away again after a few days. (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institute / Peter Jonczyk)The Southern Ocean and An
Polar bears are specifically mentioned by the Ig Nobel-winning researchers as animals that engage in kissing under their definition, alongside a diverse range of animals including ants and birds. (Image: Alan D. Wilson / CC BY-SA 3.0 / cropped)A 2026 Ig Nobel Prize went to scientists who redefined w
On 9 September 2026, the Tara Polar Station reached its planned drift area in the central Arctic Ocean. In the background is the Chinese research icebreaker Xue Long 2, which helped Tara navigate through the pack ice to the selected ice floe. There, at 82°24′ N, 155°03′ E, the planned drift through
The Chilean research and logistics settlement centred around the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Base on King George Island. The island is considered a possible terminus for a future fibre-optic link between South America and Antarctica. (Photo: Mefisto29 / Wikimedia Commons)Antarctica could, for t
The Gamburtsev Mountains lie entirely beneath the massive East Antarctic ice sheet. Geophysical measurements offer a glimpse of the rugged mountain landscape that has been hidden beneath the ice for millions of years. (Graphic: Zina Deretsky/NSF)Why did Antarctica become covered in ice as early as a
A large colony of emperor penguins gathers on the ice in front of the mighty Dawson Lambton Glacier in Antarctica. Numerous chicks in their grey downy plumage stand amongst the adult birds. (Photo: Heiner Kubny)Emperor penguins are more dependent on fixed breeding sites than many other seabirds. How
The Bharati research station in the Larsemann Hills of East Antarctica is India’s most modern Antarctic base. Since 2012, it has served as a base for international research projects on climate, geology, glaciology and oceanography. (Photo: NCPOR)India aims to raise public awareness of its polar and
“Our partnership with narwhals” – this is how the study’s authors describe their work, referring to the tagged animals as “unconventional research partners.”A group of narwhals has helped scientists fill major gaps in observations of East Greenland’s coastal waters, providing measurements from place
A comparison of fossilised and modern penguin bones. The fossils from Seymour Island were analysed using micro-X-ray fluorescence to reveal chemical traces of past environmental and climatic conditions in Antarctica. (Photo: Boyang Xia et al. / Fossil Record)Millions of years old penguin bones from
Thawing permafrost on the coast of Qikiqtaruk (Herschel Island) in the Canadian Yukon. Sliding slopes transport sediments and organic carbon into the Arctic Ocean. (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institute / Jaroslav Obu)In the long term, the Arctic Ocean could store significantly more carbon from thawing pe
The photograph shows Jill Mikucki and Peter Doran taking samples at Blood Falls in January 2023. (Photo: Bryan Minnear)Beneath the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica lies what appears to be a biological legacy from a time when seawater extended far into what are now the McMurdo Dry Valleys. At the famous
With every gulp, fin whales take in huge quantities of krill and seawater. New research shows that their baleen should actually become clogged in the process. When filtering its food, the fin whale forces the seawater it has taken in through its baleen. New research shows how the elastic baleen prev
Young southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) have made themselves comfortable right between the buildings of the Australian research station on Macquarie Island. Seals regularly gather there among the station buildings, and researchers must share the limited space with the island’s animal inhabi
The Russian Geographical Society says it plans to document hundreds of objects linked to Russian history on Svalbard for a new Arctic heritage database and atlas. Barentsburg, seen from Grønfjorden, is Svalbard’s only permanently inhabited Russian settlement. (Image: Svalbard Photography)The Russian
From the tropics to Antarctica, Indonesia and Ukraine are finding new opportunities for scientific cooperation. With decades of Antarctic experience, a permanent research base and regular expeditions, Ukraine is opening its polar infrastructure to Indonesian researchers through a new scientific part
Artist’s impression of the new Scott Base on Ross Island. The new development includes modern research and operational buildings as well as an upgraded energy infrastructure, and is due to be completed by 2030. (Artist’s impression: Antarctica New Zealand)New Zealand has signed the construction cont
A fin whale swims through the calm waters of Greenland. These large baleen whales are now being spotted with increasing frequency off the coast of East Greenland too. (Photo: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid / Visit Greenland)A remarkable change is taking place off the east coast of Greenland. Fin whales, humpback
A grey petrel (Procellaria cinerea) glides elegantly across the Southern Ocean with its long, narrow wings. This endangered seabird species spends most of its life on the open sea and returns only to breed on a few sub-Antarctic islands such as Macquarie Island. (Photo: Australian Antarctic Division
The nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy. Those behind the experiments say that conducting such work regularly and at the required frequency is only possible with the support of Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet. (Image: Christopher Michel / CC BY 2.0 / cropped)First-of-their-kind experimental l
Acyrthosiphon svalbardicum, egg-laying female. (Photo: Dominik Chłond)When people think of Svalbard, they usually picture polar bears, reindeer, arctic foxes and barren tundra landscapes. Hardly anyone would suspect that aphids also belong among the inhabitants of the far north. Yet it is precisely
CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent on the way to the north-poleThe Canadian Coast Guard’s largest and most powerful icebreaker, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, reached the Geographic North Pole on 16 August during its 2026 Arctic deployment. The voyage forms part of a multi-year Canadian mission to collect seabed a
