Arctic Watch

Facts About the Arctic

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International experts convene to discuss pressing environmental issues in the High North

On May 12, McGill University co-hosted the final day of the Arctic Frontiers Summit in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Arctic Frontiers. Over 60 participants, including representatives from the governments of Canada, Norway, and Quebec, as well as McGill faculty,…

UK launch new Arctic and Antarctic expeditions

The UK Polar Network and Clean Planet Foundation, with polar explorer Antony Jinman, have launched Science Expedition for young polar researchers. The UK Polar Network and Clean Planet Foundation have launched an Arctic and Antarctic Science Expedition. Antony Jinman is…

Arctic hazards loom over Blinken on his Northern NATO tour

NATO is embracing Finland – and Sweden too, Washington hopes – giving the alliance a new reach in the Far North.

Springing into summer

The seasonal decline in Arctic sea ice extent was moderate through much of May before picking up pace over the last few days of the month. Meanwhile, Antarctic sea ice extent remained far below previous satellite-era record lows for this…

Ice Age Volcano Spewing Methane Discovered on Arctic Seabed

An ancient, methane-spewing volcano has been discovered at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. The volcano, which lies at the center of a 1,000-foot-wide crater at a depth of 1,300 feet, likely formed as a result of a catastrophic burst…

Equinor’s Arctic LNG Plant to Resume Production

Norway’s Equinor plans to restart production at its Arctic liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Hammerfest on June 8 after it was shut down on May 31 due to a gas leak, the company said in a market message on…

The Northwest Passage in 2023

Prompted by a comment by Tom in the June open thread, the time has evidently come to open the 2023 Northwest Passage passage thread. First of all let’s get our bearings with the help of this map of the area:…

Five Misconceptions in Arctic Geopolitics

There are some misconceptions that keep appearing around Arctic geopolitics, regardless of how much research is published that aims at countering false narratives, dispelling myths or showcasing nuance.

Facts About the Arctic in June 2023

By way of a change, which is allegedly as good as a rest, let’s start the new month with a very pretty and almost cloud free “pseudo-colour” image of the Lena Delta and adjacent areas of the Laptev Sea: “False…