Few animals represent the face of the Arctic like polar bears. The largest bears in the world, polar bears are excellent swimmers who spend more time in the sea than they do on land. Sea ice is the platform from which they hunt the seals needed to obtain the necessary calories to survive.
Two of the most mythical whale species — the narwhal and beluga — have been hanging out together and may produce a fairy-tale-like hybrid species, the “narluga.” First seen in the St. Lawrence River in 2016, a lost male narwhal has been traveling with the beluga whale pod that adopted him ever since, and researchers […]
Today is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the achievements of women and girls around the world. This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias, and one field in which gender bias remains a persistent reality is the field of science and technology. According to the American Association of University Women, women only account for 28 percent […]
The Arctic is a vast expanse of blue and white that holds still in perpetual hushed simplicity. This frozen universe, mostly undisturbed by humans for thousands of years, has retained the pristine quietness of Earth when it was born. After millennia of natural protection by virtue of its extreme climate, the Arctic has the majesty […]
As the Arctic continues to warm, creatures who hadn’t previously inhabited the far northern landscape are taking up residence, including those who build their own homes: beavers. And they’re not only part of the migration of animals taking advantage of the warmer climate — their actions are exacerbating the climate crisis.
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent this week to sue the U.S. Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for allegedly failing to adequately protect polar bears from a Western Arctic exploration project. Under the Endangered Species Act, a notice of intent is required 60 days before the […]
Temperatures have been rising in the Arctic and Antarctic twice as fast as the rest of the globe, and it is changing the dynamics of the region. Beavers, whose damming activity increases the melting of permafrost, have been seen making the Arctic their new home, the ice shelf holding the enormous Thwaites Glacier in place […]
The 2021 Arctic Report Card is in, and it’s not looking good. The region continues to warm twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and this is having a direct impact on communities both near and far from Earth’s northernmost ecosystem, according to the annual report from the NOAA-led Arctic Program. “The Arctic […]
As the climate continues to warm, rain will replace snow as the primary form of precipitation in the Arctic decades earlier than previously thought, according to research. This will have profound implications for the planet. Snow still falls more frequently than rain in the Arctic, but the study suggests that will change. All the land […]