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marine life

Vikings Likely Hunted Ancient Walruses in Iceland to Extinction, New Research Finds

Animals
Prehistoric and historic walrus skulls, tusks and bone fragments often wash ashore on the southern coast of Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland. Hilmar J. Malmquist

A unique subpopulation of ancient walrus in Iceland was likely hunted to extinction by Vikings shortly after arrival to the region, according to new research.

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public lands

Trump Moves to Open 1.5 Million Acres of Alaskan Refuge for Oil Drilling By End of the Year

Energy
An image of the trans-alaskan oil pipeline that carries oil from the northern part of Alaska all the way to valdez. This shot is right near the arctic national wildlife refuge. kyletperry / iStock / Getty Images Plus

The Trump administration has initialized the final steps to open up nearly 1.6 million acres of the protected Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to allow oil and gas drilling.

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trump administration public lands fossil fuels wildlife alaska polar bears caribou arctic national wildlife refuge arctic

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alaska

Disastrous Wildfires Sweeping Through Alaska Could Permanently Alter Forest Composition

Climate
Alaskan boreal forest. Scott Rupp, University of Alaska Fairbanks

From the Amazon to the last frontier of Alaska, fire season is raging on both sides of the equator and bringing with the flames long-term effects that could permanently alter the diverse ecosystems of both regions.

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alaska wildfires climate change arctic oceans
arctic

Microplastics 'From the Air' Found in Arctic Snow and Ice

Science
Sea ice in Lancaster Sound, where researchers found surprisingly high concentrations of microplastics. Franco Banfi / WaterFrame / Getty Images

Two groups of researchers have found microplastics in Arctic ice and snow, Reuters reported Wednesday.

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microplastics plastics plastic pollution sea ice arctic
arctic

Lightning Surprises Near North Pole With 48 Strikes

Science
Lightning strikes within 300 miles of the North Pole on Aug. 10. NWS Fairbanks

Forty-eight lightning strikes were detected within 300 miles of the North Pole on Saturday, The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang reported Wednesday. The event was so unusual that the National Weather Service (NWS) published a statement.

"This is one of the furthest north lightning strikes in Alaska forecaster memory," NWS Fairbanks, Alaska said.

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climate crisis climate change sea ice arctic
sea ice

Alaska's Sea Ice Has All Melted

Climate
Tribal elder Warren Jones stands on the edge of climate change erosion caused by melting permafrost tundra and the disappearance of sea ice which formed a protective barrier, as it threatens houses from the Yupik Eskimo village of Quinhagak on the Yukon Delta in Alaska on April 12, 2019. MARK RALSTON / AFP / Getty Images

The ice near Alaska's shores has melted away entirely, leaving the nearest ice shelf nearly 150 miles away, according to new satellite data from the National Weather Service, as The Independent reported.

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heat waves

Second Major Heat Wave This Summer Smashes Records Across Europe

Climate
People cool off in and around a large water pool at Trocadero, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower on July 25 in Paris, France. Owen Franken / Corbis / Getty Images

Europe's second extreme heat wave of the summer has lived up to predictions, smashing records across the continent.

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extreme weather climate crisis climate change greenland sea ice arctic heat waves
wildfires

'Unprecedented' Wildfires in Arctic Have Scientists Concerned

Climate
Satellite images show wildfires burning through the Central Siberian Plateau. Copernicus / Sentinel Hub / Pierre Markuse

So many wildfires are burning in the Arctic, they're visible from space, new images from NASA's Earth Observatory show. The satellite images reveal huge plumes of smoke wafting across uninhabited lands in Siberia, Greenland and Alaska, as CNN reported.

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wildfires arctic climate change climate crisis
extreme weather

What Caused This Year's Bizarre Winter and Spring Weather in the U.S. Heartland?

Climate

By Peter Sinclair

The weather in many areas across the U.S. has been – and certainly throughout America's heartland was for much of the past winter and spring – frightful.

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extreme weather climate change climate crisis arctic sea ice
sea ice

Arctic Fox’s Record-Breaking Journey Might Not Have Been Possible Without Sea Ice

Animals
A polar fox is fitted with a satellite tracking collar in Krossfjorden, Svalbard, a Norwegian Arctic archipelago, on July 29, 2017, as part of research conducted by the Norwegian Polar Institute. Norwegian researchers said July 2, that this young female arctic fox has been tracked walking from northern Norway to Canada's far north. Elise Stroemseng / Norwegian Polar Institute / Twitter

Scientists were left "speechless" by a female Arctic fox's record-breaking journey from Norway's Svalbard islands to northern Canada, BBC News reported Monday.

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wildlife arctic sea ice climate change
nuclear

'Floating Chernobyl?' Nuclear Plant Heads Across Arctic Circle

Energy
A view of Akademik Lomonosov, a floating nuclear power unit, on June 14 in Mumansk, Russia. Lev Fedoseyev / TASS via Getty Images

By Eon Higgins

Its official name is the "Akademik Lomonosov," but critics call it a "floating Chernobyl."

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