Arctic Watch

Facts About the Arctic

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    Tundra plants can eek out an existence in the very short summers of the Canadian High Arctic such as here on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Photo credit: Anne Bjorkman.
    Climate

    Arctic plants react to climate change in unexpected ways

    Researchers tracked more than 2,000 plant communities in Arctic over four decades, and found that some species thrived while others declined.

    Posted on Editor
    Analysis

    Peter Hadfield versus Tom Nelson

    This article not directly related to Arctic sea ice, but instead is one of our (very!) occasional series on the psychology of anthropogenic global warming “skepticism”.

    Posted on Editor
    Climate

    Facts About the Arctic in May 2025

    JAXA/ViSHOP extent is no longer “lowest for the date”! After “flatlining” for most of April the metric is now in the midst of a close knit group of the other years in the 2020s.

    Posted on Editor
    The Aurora Borealis, known as the Northern Lights, illuminates the sky as seen from a passenger plane flying to Europe as it passes the southern coast of Greenland, April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
    Habitat

    To the ends of the Earth: The Arctic’s battle for sustainable tourism

    Tourism, for a resource-dependent economy like Greenland, which is almost entirely dependent on fisheries, represents a good way to build greater resilience through economic diversification.

    Posted on Editor
    Credit: Science of The Total Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176274
    Industry

    PFAS are polluting the Arctic, threatening both humans and animals

    Scientists say that PFAS, nicknamed “forever chemicals,” are building up in animals like polar bears, seals, and birds and at alarming levels in the Arctic.

    Posted on Editor
    Damien Haogak sees the impact of climate change, rising costs of living and the lack of investments in Arctic infrastructure. He’s looking for a federal party that sees the value in investing in the Arctic beyond a military presence. (Submitted by Damien Haogak)
    Habitat

    Politicians talk about Arctic sovereignty

    The pandemic meant I didn’t have many opportunities to return home, and I was happy to be back Arctic.

    Posted on Editor
    Agricultural land constitutes a vanishingly small portion of the land resources in northern Norway. In Nordland County, agricultural land makes up only 2 percent of the total land area. For the counties of Troms and Finnmark, the proportions are 1.5 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively. Cultural landscapes are being increasingly overgrown due to structural changes, and there is a limited amount of land that can be reclaimed and used for food production. Photo: Finn Arne Haugen / NIBIO
    Habitat

    Sustainable governance of agricultural land in Arctic Norway

    Agriculture in Arctic relies on preserving its limited production base.

    Posted on Editor
    A polar-centric view of the northern hemisphere reveals the Arctic’s inherent and enduring geographic centrality, of increasing geopolitical salience as the polar-thaw continues. Photo: Malte Humpert
    Analysis

    Geological and Prehistoric Foundations of Arctic Geopolitics

    To fully understand contemporary Arctic geopolitics and its significance to world politics, it is essential to understand the geopolitical connections interlinking the Arctic region to the rest-of-the-world.

    Posted on Editor
    Caribou Carpaccio. Credits: Arctic Kingdom
    Habitat

    Food, transitions and Indigenous knowledges in Arctic

    Finding new pathways towards resilient societies in the High North, in the Arctic.

    Posted on Editor