Arctic

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Climate Scientist Is Claimed by Ice Melt

Renowned Arctic expert Konrad Steffen dies after falling through ice

(Newser) - He was a renowned climate scientist who spent his life studying melting ice in the Arctic and warning the world about the consequences. And it was those very dangers that claimed the life of Konrad Steffen, reports USA Today . The 68-year-old fell through ice at his Swiss Camp in Greenland...

New Study Has Grim News on Polar Bears

They could be almost completely extinct by 2100

(Newser) - Polar bears are likely to be almost completely extinct by the end of this century if climate change continues at its current pace, a new study warns. Scientists already knew polar bears were in deep trouble—they depend on sea ice to survive, and sea ice is disappearing—but researchers...

Humans and Sled Dogs: a 10,000-Year History
Scientists Make Surprise
Find on Ancient Sled Dogs
NEW STUDY

Scientists Make Surprise Find on Ancient Sled Dogs

They were helping humans far longer than thought, at least 10K years

(Newser) - Ancient dogs specially adapted to the cold have been helping humans survive in the Arctic for a surprisingly long time—more than 10,000 years—a new study suggests. "Until now, we have thought that sledge dogs were only [2,000 to] 3,000 years old," says Mikkel...

Trump's Plan for the Poles: an Icebreaker Fleet by 2029

Memo asks for review of possible locations, icebreaker capabilities

(Newser) - Countries including China and Russia are increasing their military presence in the high Arctic, and US President Trump is looking to follow suit. Trump has ordered an assessment of possible US bases at the North and South poles along with plans for a fleet of icebreakers to be ready by...

Odd Find in Arctic: 'What on Earth Were They Doing There?'

Several new chlamydia species found in high-pressure, oxygenless environment

(Newser) - Not many studies have been conducted on the diversity and ecological systems of the bacteria that causes chlamydia. So, per Newsweek , researchers from Sweden's Uppsala University and Norway's University of Bergen headed up to Loki's Castle—a field of hydrothermal vents in between Norway, Iceland, and Greenland—...

Russian Opposition Leader: Staffer Abducted, Sent to Arctic

Alexei Navalny says Ruslan Shaveddinov was forcibly 'conscripted' for military service

(Newser) - The Russian military says it's simply making a 23-year-old draft dodger fulfill his one-year conscription—but President Vladimir Putin's main opponent is calling what happened earlier this week a kidnapping. The Guardian reports that Ruslan Shaveddinov, an activist and project manager at opposition leader Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption...

Russian Navy Boat Gets Sunk by Angry Mammal

Seems a walrus was protecting her cubs

(Newser) - A Russian Navy vessel was apparently sunk last week by an ill-tempered walrus, CBS News reports. Researchers on an Arctic tugboat had boarded a rubber landing craft for shore when the marine mammal attacked. "During the landing at Cape Heller, a group of researchers had to flee from a...

This Is a Hotel. If You're Brave Enough

The Finnish travel company Luxury Action offers heated domes in the Arctic

(Newser) - Want a unique vacation? Try going to sleep with the northern lights and waking up to polar bears. Yep, a Finnish travel company has devised a way for people to vacation in the Arctic, the Washington Post reports. Called North Pole Igloos , it will allow travelers to sleep in one...

In Sunken Terror , One Door Remains Closed
Eerie Wreck Looks Like
the Crew Left Yesterday
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Eerie Wreck Looks Like the Crew Left Yesterday

Parks Canada dives into the HMS Terror

(Newser) - Turns out a haunting remnant of seafaring hasn't changed that much since 1845. A remote-controlled vehicle sent to investigate the sunken HMS Terror —which carried 133 men to their doom in the Arctic—found neatly organized desks and beds, glasses and plates on shelves, and scientific instruments in...

Microplastics Abound in Arctic Snow
Microplastics
Abound in
Arctic Snow
new study

Microplastics Abound in Arctic Snow

Scientists say air is carrying particles to remotest corners of the world

(Newser) - Scientists say they've found an abundance of tiny plastic particles in Arctic snow, indicating that so-called microplastics are being sucked into the atmosphere and carried long distances to some of the remotest corners of the planet. The researchers examined snow collected from sites in the Arctic, northern Germany, the...

'Terrifying' Arctic Find: 200 Dead Reindeer

Climate change blamed for difficult conditions in Norway

(Newser) - In an ongoing bout with climate change, Arctic reindeer aren't doing so hot. Some 200 of the animals have been found dead on Norway's Svalbard archipelago, each below the average weight of 150 to 200 pounds. The Norwegian Polar Institute, which made the discovery during the annual wild...

Canadian Arctic Now Looks Like Swiss Cheese
More Bad News as
Canadian Arctic Melts
NEW STUDY

More Bad News as Canadian Arctic Melts

Permafrost thawing 70 years sooner than expected, with consequences

(Newser) - In 2016, researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks hopped in a plane, heading for remote sites in the Canadian Arctic. "What we saw was amazing," Vladimir Romanovsky tells Reuters . "It's an indication that the climate is now warmer than at any time in the last...

Chinese Activity in Arctic Concerns Pentagon

Civilian projects could support military expansion, report warns

(Newser) - The Pentagon sees signs of an increased Chinese presence in the Arctic region, which could include submarines intended to deter nuclear attack. The assessment was part of the Defense Department's yearly report to Congress on China's military. Arctic states are concerned about China's objectives in the region,...

Massive Earthquake Shakes Remote Research Station

6.8 undersea quake struck in Arctic Ocean

(Newser) - A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 struck in the Arctic Ocean Friday, northwest of a largely uninhabited and remote Norwegian island, officials said. No injuries or damage were immediately reported. The Norwegian earthquake center NORSAR says the quake was recorded at 2:49am in the sea...

Container Ship Set for Arctic Marks a 'Turning Point'

Maersk's 'trial' has environmentalists on edge

(Newser) - The world's largest container shipping company will follow explorers who sought sea passages through the Arctic half a millennium ago, though likely with more success thanks to global warming. In what NPR calls a turning point, Denmark-based Maersk will send the first container ship—a 42,000-ton vessel housing...

'Scary' First Hits Arctic's Thickest Ice

Oldest section of sea ice has already shattered 2 times this year

(Newser) - Scientists called it "the last ice area," believing the oldest and thickest section of Arctic sea ice north of Greenland would be the last to remain as our planet warms. Turns out, it's already broken up twice this year, reports the Guardian . More than 13 feet thick...

Starving-Bear Photographer: Maybe We Made 'a Mistake'

Cristina Mittermeier mulls her incredibly famous footage

(Newser) - An estimated 2.5 billion people saw the image: a starving polar bear struggling across an Arctic landscape. "The mission was a success, but there was a problem: We had lost control of the narrative," writes Cristina Mittermeier in National Geographic . Accompanied by a photographic team, she snapped...

Dying in This Tiny Town Is Against the Law

Longyearbyen wants to stave off infections

(Newser) - A recent anthrax outbreak in Russia seems to confirm what a Norwegian town already knew—that dying should remain illegal, WN.com reports. The Arctic town of Longyearbyen, where 2,100 people brave bitter temperatures, has outlawed death since 1950. The reason: Permafrost keeps bodies from decomposing in the town...

'We Stood There Crying': Crew Films Starving Polar Bear

Conservation group says it illustrates threat to the bears as ice retreats from Arctic

(Newser) - The video is tough to watch: A crew from the conservation group Sea Legacy came across a starving polar bear in Canada's Baffin Islands that clearly didn't have long to live. "We stood there crying—filming with tears rolling down our cheeks," photographer Paul Nicklen tells...

Tanker Is 1st Ship to Cross Arctic Without Icebreaker

Shrinking ice and new technology helped

(Newser) - For the first time in history, a ship was able to traverse the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic without the help of an accompanying icebreaker thanks to new tanker technology—and climate change. The New York Times reports the Christophe de Margerie, carrying liquefied natural gas from Norway to...

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