On the morning of November 19, 2025, a special kind of magic lay over the Yokosuka Naval Base. The Japanese observation vessel Shirase was preparing to embark on its journey to Antarctica. More than 500 relatives and friends came to bid farewell. (Photo: JARE67 Miho Ikeda)On the morning of 19 Novemb
Norway has decided to halt deep-sea mining plans in Arctic waters until at least 2029. The move, announced on 1 December 2025, is part of a political compromise tied to the 2026 state budget. No new licenses will be issued during the current legislative term, and public funding for seabed mineral ma
Migratory birds such as the barnacle goose are increasingly struggling with timing. (Photo: Heiner Kubny)Climate change is altering the rhythm of nature, particularly noticeably in the Arctic. Spring now begins much earlier there than it did just a few decades ago. For many migratory bird species th
Eddies of varying sizes form in all oceans. They have a significant influence on how heat and energy are transported within the ocean. (Image: NASA)Deep beneath the glassy surface of the oceans, a fascinating yet threatening spectacle unfolds. In the silent, dark depths where humans cannot reach, sw
The gestation period of elephant seals lasts around eleven months in total. This includes a three- to four-month embryonic diapause before the embryo resumes development. The actual pregnancy then lasts seven to eight months until the pup is born. (Photo: Keiner Kubny)New research findings from the
Sampling from a gentoo penguin colony. (Photo: INACH)In a globally unprecedented event for polar science and virology, a team of researchers from the University of Chile and the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) has, for the first time, successfully sequenced the complete genomes of the highly pat
On the southwestern edge of Greenland lies the ghost town of Ivittuut. Once a lively settlement due to its global importance in the production of metallic aluminum. From Arctic hamlet to globally significant settlementOn the southwestern edge of Greenland, on the quiet Arsuk Fjord, lies Ivittuut – t
The Rothera Research Station is a base of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) on the Antarctic Peninsula, located on Adelaide Island. (Photo: BAM)The Antarctic season 2025/26 marks a milestone for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and its Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Project (AIMP), as the
An international team of scientists has discovered a unique permineralized fern fossil in Antarctica, which has been named Escuderia livingstonensis. (Photo: INACH)A spectacular fossil discovery on Livingston Island sheds new light on the prehistoric vegetation of Antarctica. Escuderia livingstonens
Elevated radon levels have been measured in the north of Novaya Zemlya. (Graphic: Heiner Kubny)Members of the Arctic Floating University expedition working on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago have detected an increase in radioactivity. The scientists observed an increase in radon flux, which, according
Handover of the “Memorandum of Arrangement.” Photo: New Zealand EmbassyBern – This week, New Zealand’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Craig Hawke, handed over the Memorandum of Arrangement between Antarctica New Zealand and the Swiss Polar Institute to the President of the Swiss Polar Institute, Prof. F
The research icebreaker Polarstern on its expedition to northern Greenland. (Photo: AWI, Marcel Nicolaus)The little-explored region in northern Greenland was the last area of investigation that the Polarstern explored on three Arctic expeditions since the end of May 2025. In this largely unexplored
The emperor penguin colony at Taylor Glacier has remained stable over the last 20 years, with a population of 2,500 birds. (Photo: Scott Crabbe)A lucky handful of Mawson expeditioners visited the Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony in July, to collect photos for the annual population census. No mo
Fish of the cod family range from 15 centimeters to two meters in length. Cod is also an important food fish.The Barents Sea faces the threat of an environmental disaster following the potential collapse of the fisheries agreement between Norway and Russia. In July 2025, the Norwegian government, fo
The second-generation Metop satellites are proof of European innovation and technical excellence in the field of space and Earth observation. (Image: ESA)A new addition to the weather satellite family of the European Organisations for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Metop-SGA1 was suc
Silje van Mierlo on the helicopter deck of the Norwegian research vessel Kronprins Haakon (photo: Vegard Stürzinger)Longyearbyen (Svalbard), November 9, 2025 – After roughly two and a half weeks of research in the far north, the Norwegian icebreaker Kronprins Haakon returned to the port of Longyearb
The whales are returning to Antarctica earlier than before. (Photo: Zoia Shvydka)Ukrainian scientists have recorded the early return of humpback whales to the Antarctic Peninsula region — the area where the Ukrainian Vernadsky Station is located. This observation has also been confirmed by the inter
Polar lights over Zurich: Those who were outside with their camera were able, with a bit of luck, to capture a very special moment.(Photo: Mike Jakob)The spectacular natural phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis – better known as the Northern Lights – is typically observed in high northern latitudes. In
Russia and China will train Specialists for Maritime Navigation in Polar RegionsHangzhou, November 4, 2025 – Russia and China will jointly train specialists for navigation in polar waters, according to a memorandum signed during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to China, the Russian
Seals depend on ice floes for rest. (Photo: Heiner Kubny)Three Arctic seal species are threatened with extinction, according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The update also shows that more than half of the world’s bird species are threatened with extinction. The upda
As part of this expedition, China plans to drill into deep lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for the first time. Using hot water and melt drilling systems, boreholes will be drilled through more than 3,000 metres of ice. Departure ceremony for the Chinese polar research icebreakers Xuelong and X
Never before have such ancient ice cores been recovered. (Photo: BAS)Ancient ice from Antarctica, obtained as part of the Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice project, contains unique climate records spanning at least the last 1.2 million years. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) team in Cambridge, together wi
Svalbard – On October 21, 2025, the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard was opened once again. More than 21,000 new samples from 20 international gene banks made their way into the frozen mountain above the airport of Longyearbyen. The Global Seed Vault on Svalbard. It is opened about three times a year t
The tongue of the Hektoria Glacier in February 2024. The glacier continues to calve huge icebergs into the sea. (Photo: Naomi Ochwat)Glaciers around the world are losing mass due to climate change, and Antarctica is also affected. The process at the Hektor Glacier was tracked via satellite for the f
