Arctic Watch

Facts About the Arctic

Editor

EU Countries Continue to Import $1bn of Russian Arctic LNG Every Month

Almost two years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European countries continue to import Russian Arctic liquefied natural gas at record levels.

The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 27 November, 2023

Inuit-Owned Mineral Exploration Company Takes Over Road and Port Project in Western Arctic

Russia’s Arctic oil exports surge but risks still hamper new trade route

Russian crude exports to China via its Arctic shipping route shortcut surged to a record high in 2023 as Moscow continued to pivot east to find buyers for oil shunned by Western refiners, according to tanker tracking data.

Why can’t we explore the Arctic?

With a frigid and hostile environment, the Arctic is one of the last frontiers yet to be fully explored. As climate change gradually melts the polar ice caps, revealing vast reservoirs of untapped fossil fuels, the question emerges: Which nation will assert its claim…

Industrial pollution in the Russian Arctic is an environmental nightmare

Several large industries have been operating in the Russian Arctic for decades — many of them dating back to Soviet times — and are having an unprecedentedly destructive impact on the region’s environment.

Ancient methane escaping from melting glaciers could potentially warm the planet even more

As mighty glaciers melt in the Arctic, new research finds million-year-old methane gas trapped beneath the ice is surfacing, with a potential to further warm the planet.  “Glacial retreat is the big driver of gas escape here,” said Andy Hodson,…

Battle for Arctic territory pits US against China and Russia

Democrats and Republicans in Washington are finding unity in a mutual concern over China’s and Russia’s rush to take control of the Arctic region. Several thousand miles north of the U.S.-Canada border, off the Alaskan coast, Chinese and Russian entities are attempting to expand their…

A brief winter pause

While autumn sea ice growth is in full swing, brief pauses are not unusual.

Two New BU Classes to Offer a Wider, Deeper Look at the Arctic

What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic. Rapid global warming, extractive capitalism, threats to wildlife, ecotourism, indigenous rights disputes, even a bit of international friction—it’s all happening above roughly 66° 34′ north latitude—aka the Arctic Circle. Four…