Arctic
Biden releases Arctic strategy with emphasis on competition with China and Russia
The 15-page document is intended to guide U.S. policy in the Arctic for the next 10 years.
Arctic leaders unsure what Russian aggression means for the region’s future
Diplomats, politicians and scientists at the major Arctic Encounter Symposium in Anchorage say Russia’s war in Ukraine has scrambled decades of plans and expectations in the high north.
Russian aggression casts long shadow at global Arctic conference in Anchorage
Diplomats and officials are wary the invasion of Ukraine threatens cooperation across the circumpolar north at a crucial time.
Senators, scientists and diplomats convene in Anchorage for major Arctic conference
After a pandemic hiatus, the Arctic Encounter Symposium is bringing hundreds of visitors from around the globe.
3 classic adventure books present the 1940s in Alaska’s Arctic
Book review: Written by Connie and Bud Helmericks, self-described “explorers” of Alaska’s Arctic regions, “We Live in the Arctic,” “Our Summer with the Eskimos” and “Our Alaskan Winter” have been newly reissued.
Anchorage telecom startup, with former mayor Berkowitz at the helm, plans trans-Arctic cable
The new project would cost more than $1 billion and stretch over 8,700 miles.
Arctic-superpower jostling heats up as Russia takes on key role
Russia’s Sergei Lavrov claimed this week that “this is our land and our waters” as NATO allies boost military activity
As Arctic sea ice melts, killer whales are increasingly preying on endangered bowhead whales, scientists say
Bowhead whales are an important food for Alaska Natives, and the increased presence of killer whales could affect hunting, experts say.
‘What choice do we have?’ As the Arctic warms, Alaska Inupiat adapt.
“People assume that we’re entering this new Arctic, when in reality we have faced adversity for thousands of years. We’ve always been able to adapt and be resilient."
As Alaska warms, one village’s fight over oil development and the future
On the North Slope, a new oil boom is on the horizon even as climate change arrives and greenhouse gas emissions climb.
Stronger winds in store for Northwest Alaska in coming decades, scientists say
As sea ice recedes, coastal communities are more at risk for the damaging effects of wind.
The Arctic may have crossed key threshold in a long-dreaded climate feedback
The consequences will be felt far outside the Arctic in the form of altered weather patterns, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and rising sea levels, according to a major new federal assessment of the region released Tuesday.
Russians spotted a polar bear painted with cryptic graffiti. Scientists are searching for answers.
The tag appears to be a reference to a famous Soviet tank introduced during World War II.
Bacteria from the ocean floor could be influencing Arctic weather
Seafloor microbes might be a key ingredient for Arctic cloud formation.
Western Alaska is still a long way from seeing significant Chukchi Sea ice
A climate specialist anticipates storms in February and March disrupting thin ice and impacting coastal communities as in the past two years.
In an Aleutian fishing port, cruise ships bring possibility and peril
Cruise ship visits are becoming the new normal in Unalaska, a proudly isolated Aleutian fishing community reckoning with what it means to be Alaska’s newest cruise destination.
With sea ice still melting, vessels doing Arctic transits stop at Nome late in season
Marine vessels of all sizes transiting through the Arctic Ocean this season, some starting from Nome, have a couple of options for ice-free routes.
Walloped by a heat wave, Greenland sees massive ice melt
The heat wave that smashed high temperature records in five European countries a week ago is now over Greenland.
Groups sue for information on Arctic refuge lease sale
Alaska Native and environmental groups say the U.S. Interior Department has withheld information on the sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For the biggest Arctic expedition ever, scientists will trap themselves in sea ice
Nowhere on Earth is warming as fast as the Arctic. Scientists will spend a year trapped in sea ice to understand what that means for the world.
Trump administration pushed to strip mention of climate change from Arctic policy statement
The administration initially objected to language that, while nonbinding, could be read as a collective commitment to address the effects of climate change in the Arctic, diplomats said.
Greenland’s accelerating ice loss is likely to get even worse
The rate of ice loss from Greenland has grown by a factor of six since the 1980s, scientists found. Half of the resulting sea level rise has occurred in just the last eight years.
New Coast Guard strategy for Arctic highlights ‘projecting sovereignty’ as China and Russia look north
The Coast Guard currently has only two surface ships capable of sailing in icy parts of the Arctic, and the Navy has none.
Grades keep slipping on the Arctic Report Card
Researchers at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union again sounded the alarm for a quiet place — the top of the world.
Big changes from warming climate boost risk of toxic algae blooms off Alaska coasts, report says
Last winter’s ‘remarkable’ shortage of ice in the Bering Sea added to the warming that is a factor in the blooms, scientists said.
The Arctic is in even worse shape than we realized
The Arctic Ocean has lost 95 percent of its oldest, thickest ice. If this thinning trend continues, scientists fear an added boost to global warming.
Fortify Mexican border or the Arctic? Congress split on funding icebreakers to counter Russia
The Coast Guard employed more than half a dozen of the massive ships back in the 1970s, but is down to two operable ones assigned to the Arctic.
Melting ice has US military looking north to the Arctic
As the ice melts, the U.S. is preparing for possible threats from Russia and China.
As sea ice melts, agency says harm to walruses not proven
How well walruses cope with less sea ice is at the heart of a legal fight over whether walruses should be listed as a threatened species, giving them an added protection against human encroachments.
This hissing, bubbling Alaska lake is frightening scientists
The first time Katey Walter Anthony saw Esieh Lake in the western Brooks Range, she was afraid it might explode. Across the Arctic, lakes are leaking dangerous greenhouse gases.