Arctic Archives - State of the Planet

A New Global Archive Helps Researchers Chart Changes in Arctic Animals’ Behavior

Researchers from around the world have established a new archive of data documenting changes in the movements of animals in the far north.

by |November 5, 2020
glacier in svalbard

Video Projected on Glacier Beckons Worldwide Climate Action

Youth and Greenpeace activists projected a video onto a glacier in Svalbard, following a trend of using glaciers to call attention to the climate emergency.

by |October 15, 2020

Warmer Temperatures Drive Arctic Greening

Using satellite images spanning decades, a new study has found that the northern tundra is becoming greener, as warmer air and soil temperatures lead to increased plant growth.

by |September 22, 2020

Twin Ice Caps in Canadian High Arctic Have Disappeared

In another sign of the warming Arctic, satellite images from July 2020 show that the St. Patrick Bay Ice Caps on Canada’s Ellesmere Island have completely melted, as predicted in 2017.

by |August 27, 2020

Treading on Shrinking Ice

In a new book, glaciologist Marco Tedesco takes the reader on a personal journey through his sometimes dangerous work.

by |August 11, 2020
fisherman on ice

A Sustainable Arctic Has to Include Indigenous Groups

Assimilation and colonization are still happening in our own backyard.

by Isabelle Cojocaru-Durand |May 15, 2020

Increasingly Mobile Sea Ice Means Arctic Neighbors May Pollute Each Others’ Waters

The movement of sea ice between Arctic countries is expected to significantly increase this century, raising the risk of more widely transporting pollutants like microplastics and oil, according to new research.

by |March 18, 2020

Ozone-Depleting Substances Caused Half of Late 20th-Century Arctic Warming, Says Study

A study finds that ozone-depleting substances caused about a third of all global warming from 1955 to 2005, and half of Arctic warming and sea ice loss during that period.

by |January 20, 2020
map of peat samples

Northern Peatlands Contain Twice as Much Carbon as Previously Thought

New findings double potential emissions from these areas, with big implications for climate modeling.

by |October 21, 2019

Photo Essay: Living on the Ice in Juneau, Alaska

We’re developing a technique that uses ice-penetrating radar to measure how quickly snow turns to ice. To take our measurements, we needed to camp out in the Juneau icefields for a few weeks.

by |July 26, 2019