Arctic

Inuit throat-singing duo PIQSIQ release their new album. Aptly titled Legends, this new work immerses listeners in the world of traditional Inuit storytelling.

"The Sámi want to be part of the defense value chain, so to speak"

The Norwegian Sámi Parliament urges greater inclusion in defense planning, citing poor coordination and risks to their culture amid rising military activity. They call for dialogue with authorities, protection of Sámi resources, and representation in NATO planning. Martin Rimpi, senior advisor at Árran Lulesámi Center, explains the issue in an interview to polarjournal.net.

The Polar Retrospective - A distant love, deep secrets of the South Sandwich Islands and noise pollution

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at how polar dreams inspire passion, at newly discovered coral gardens and hydrothermal vents and the noise pollution in polar regions.

Glacier melt threatens lives and livelihoods: 2C warming is too high

Dr. Irene Quaile-Kersken

The shocking images of a glacier breaking off and covering a village in the Swiss alps highlights the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to minimize ice loss.

Those forest fires that slow an accelerating global warming

As forest fires wipe out Canada's boreal forest, a study highlights the role these fires could play in slowing global warming.

"If the military doesn't understand the livelihood, they don't understand the losses and damage their activities cause to the Sámi, either"

Military activities in the Arctic are intensifying without any real consultation with the Sámi. Despite their rights to these lands, their governance is poorly integrated, threatening a subsistence-based culture such as reindeer herding. Finnish social scientist Laura Junka-Aikio provides some insight in an interview.

The Polar Retrospective – An Arctic Bird Fossil Discovery, AI helping caribou migrate across sea ice, and wildfires in Canada

This week's Polar Retrospective takes a look at ancient arctic birds that lived with dinosaurs, AI that helps protect migrating caribou across fragile sea ice, and wildfires in Canada.

Marine sanctuaries – hope for whales & dolphins in captivity

Three organizations have taken an important step toward a more species-appropriate life for whales and dolphins in captivity: They are developing the world’s first ocean sanctuaries as alternatives to keeping them in concrete tanks.

Improving Arctic food security through DNA science and respectful collaboration with Indigenous Peoples

Administrator

As food insecurity greatly affects Inuit communities, community workshops bringing together Elders, hunters, and scientists were held to discuss how to use DNA for Arctic wildlife and food security.

France welcomes (quietly) Greenland

Guest Author

Despite its unprecedented nature, Greenland Minister Vivian Motzfeldt's visit to France in May 2025 went almost unnoticed. French polar policy expert Arthur Amelot explains this discreet diplomatic gesture. Yet it is rich in symbolism, and could mark the beginning of a strategic rapprochement between Paris and Nuuk, at a time when Greenland is establishing itself as a central player in the Arctic. Tribune.

NATO gains altitude in Bodø

Last Thursday in Bodø, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Norwegian Prime Minister Gahr Støre made official the creation of an air base north of the Arctic Circle. A strategic turning point in the face of Russia, which rekindles tensions over the militarization of the Arctic and respect for the indigenous rights of the Sami people.

The Polar Retrospective – A route to East Greenland, bowhead whales losing their icy habitat and Inuit-led cruises

This week's Polar Retrospective takes a look at the setting course for Iceland and Scoresby Sound by the crew of Moscatel, new research warning of vanishing summer habitat for bowhead whales and Inuit-led cruises in Nunavut.

Loss of polar glaciers unlikely to be reversed after 1.5-degree overshoot

Even if humanity succeeds in slowing global temperature rise after temporarily exceeding the Paris climate target and bringing it back below 1.5°C in the long term, the world’s glaciers will continue to shrink for centuries.

1.5°C Too Hot as Ice Sheets Face Unstoppable Melt, Scientists Warn

In a study published yesterday, scientists warn that the global warming target of +1.5°C is insufficient to protect the vast ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica from melting. They call for a new cooler target quickly.

Nuuk prison more than full

A European report describes the conditions of detention in Nuuk prison and denounces a number of shortcomings, while also describing its positive aspects.

The Polar Retrospective – A polar science only meeting, Russian plans for new Arctic vessels, and a cloud observatory in Antarctica

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at the annual meeting of the French National Committee for Arctic and Antarctic Research, Russia’s push to build a fleet of 130 Arctic vessels to expand trade with China along the Northern Sea Route, and a new cloud observatory in Antarctica that could close critical gaps in climate models

Arctic development as seen by the Russian population

A study conducted by Arctida surveys Russian public opinion on the Kremlin's plans for the Arctic. Environment, defense, and mining... here are some of the responses in figures.

Denmark and Greenland Navigating Arctic Geopolitics as Diplomatic Icebreakers

In contrast to the warming of the Arctic, Denmark and Greenland have taken over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council during an icy phase and need to act as icebreakers.

ILLU Science and Art Hub, a place for scientists, artists and locals

Siri Veland (geographer), Skade Henriksen (artist), Anna Lindal (artist), and Marie Stougaard Østertorn (civil society advocate) explain the concept behind the Ilulissat Art and Science Hub. We open the doors to this anchor point, which marks the end of our series in this Greenlandic town.

The Polar Retrospective – A Chilean plan for Antarctica, US agencies spying in Greenland, and new Arctic coastlines

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at Chile's presidential commitment to the Antarctic, reports about US intelligence gathering in Greenland, and the emergence of new Arctic coastlines as glaciers retreat.

Climate change reduces the ability of Arctic fjords to store carbon

According to a new study, Arctic fjords could store carbon less effectively in the future as global warming progresses, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the climate.

Meeting Heidi Møller in Ilulissat - break free for independence

At the start of her political career last April, this business consultant won the highest number of votes in the Avannaata regional elections. Her socio-liberal vision of empowering Greenlandic society is based on an in-depth treatment of social affairs, with a view to promoting entrepreneurship and responsibility.

The Polar Retrospective – Declining sea ice helps Common Eiders, Farewell to AWI Directrice

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at the breeding tactics of Common eiders on Svalbard, a goodbye video to the directrice of the AWI.

Polar Bear Tracker Update: Spring 2025

Administrator

In their recent update, Polar Bears International offers the latest information on the polar bears in the Hudson Bay area. Thanks to the organization’s ‘Polar Bear Tracker’, it is possible to follow some individuals equipped with a tracker and know more about their movements, but also about the research projects.

Podcast Radio Arctic – Female Leadership and Entrepreneurship across the Arctic

In conversation with prominent Arctic female figures, Sara Olsvig, Tahnee Prior, Sarah Cox, and Lydie Lescarmontier, Radio Arctic uncovers the critical intersections of gender, governance, and sustainability in the polar regions.

Denmark, Greenland and Iceland Navigate a New Geopolitical Reality

The new geopolitical reality is affecting security policy in the Arctic, and Denmark, Greenland, and Iceland are adapting by discussing new approaches.

Svalbard no longer Arctic?

The summer of 2024 was the warmest on record in Svalbard – with temperatures no longer meeting the definition of a "polar climate".

The Polar Retrospective - An agreement with Tara, stronger protection of South Georgia's marine life and a shrinking bird explained

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at an agreement signed between Tara and polarjournal.net, enhanced marine protection around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and a study explaining why the red knots are becoming smaller.

Christening Tara Polar Station

A polar vessel has just been christened in France, in the port of Lorient. The event was attended by a host of polar experts before the ship set sail for the Arctic, where it will operate north of Svalbard starting this summer.

Pele Blytmann and Joel Hansen - fishermen in Disko Bay, Greenland

In the port of Ilulissat, sailors leave and land between the ice every day. We met two of them. They tell us what they like about their profession and the difficulties they face.

Of polar bears and men: Churchill

In a new documentary, CBS highlights the challenges facing Churchill. The documentary focuses in particular on the inhabitants of this town famous for its polar bears.

The Herds' Epic Migration Towards an Arctic Reckoning

A unique herd of African wildlife is currently moving from the Congo to the Arctic circle in an attempt not only to highlight the global effect of climate change but also to renew the bond between humans and nature.

The Polar Retrospective – Siberian rivers and Trump's cheque

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at a study examining the routes taken by substances from Siberian rivers to travel across the Arctic ocean and an Ilulissat politician reacts to the Trump administration's plan.

Diary of a journey to Greenland: from where the boats go and where the city comes

Among the scenes polarjournal.net witnessed this week were the sailors setting sail from the small fishing port of Ilulissat, the parade of locals to the Brugseni supermarket, Easter days and the blue sky.

Meet Sofie Schultz Christiansen - Her story in languages

A translator and interpreter since she was a child, Sofie Schultz Christiansen told us about her story, her passion for languages, her travels and her life in Ilulissat.

Meet Palle Jerimiassen - 28 years of politics in Ilulissat

Having just announced his retirement from political life, the mayor of Ilulissat agreed to meet polarjournal.net and look back on his long career at the helm of the country's 3rd largest city.

The Baffin Island crossing was nothing new

A British adventurer recently found herself at the heart of a controversy after claiming to be the first woman to cross Baffin Island solo. Her claims prompted a backlash from Inuit in a backdrop of cultural reappropriation.

Diary of a journey to Greenland: melt day and ice childhood

Among the scenes that polarjournal.net witnessed this week were the sudden melting in April, the first signs that winter is ending, and an outing in the fjord with a group of children we met at the ILLU Science and Art Center.

The Polar Retrospective – An Icelandic exhibition in Greenland, the history of the most important ocean current and Nunavut on the show

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we look at an exhibition on the crest line between art and science by an Icelandic artist in Greenland, a new study tracing 800,000 years of climate-ocean interaction in the Southern Ocean and a Netflix series that takes place in an Inuit community.

Diary of a journey in Greenland: from the sky to the old church in Ilulissat

Among the scenes witnessed by polarjournal.net this week were a passage over Greenland in a small twin-engined plane and a baptism in a church in Ilulissat dating from 1771.

Meet Karl Sandgreen, CEO of the Icefjord center, in Ilulissat

Ice, fishing, education, municipal elections, Greenlandic independence and the tourist economy are all subjects that cross the mind of the director of the Icefjord Center, a resident of Greenland's third-largest city.

Tracking water vapor over Greenland's ice sheet with a drone

A drone experiment over the Greenland ice sheet has made it possible for the first time to take detailed measurements of water vapor in the atmosphere over Greenland. This new technology could contribute to improving climate models and help to better estimate Greenland's future contribution to global sea level rise.

France Pinczon du Sel and Éric Brossier - Part II: The art of sharing

In contact with researchers who came to live with them to study the pack ice, the two partners have imbibed a scientific culture that they strive to pass on to interested Inuit and southerners alike.

The Polar Retrospective - A heckled polar ambition, insights from a megaberg, and biosecurity in Antarctica

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world's polar regions. This week we look at the steering of France's polar strategy, gliders collecting data from a megaberg and a research that shows evidence that biosecurity measures work.

"Honouring Our Future" at the NONAM

After Canada and Great Britain, the exhibition of regalia worn by young Indigenous graduates from the Yukon opens this weekend at NONAM. An opportunity to discover, through this symbolic garment, a little-known aspect of the culture of these communities in north-western Canada, between tradition and haute couture.

Eric Brossier and France Pinczon du Sel - Part I: Tandem in the cold

Attracted by the beauty of the Arctic and in search of rational explanations of how it works, the two partners immersed themselves in a frozen landscape. Ideal conditions in which to meet modern-day Inuit and share a few ancestral customs.

The Polar Retrospective - New conservation status for emperor penguins, eDNA to monitor marine biodiversity and Putin in Murmansk

This week we look at a new classification for emperor penguins, a new tool being tested on board the Australian, and Vladimir Putin's speech at the Russian Arctic Forum.

Afforestation in the Arctic only a sham solution to global warming

In Arctic regions, afforestation can accelerate warming rather than slow it down, warns a new study. Instead of planting trees, researchers recommend preserving open tundra and large herbivores.

Forel, a Swiss research vessel for the scientists

From mapping fjords to studying particles, the Forel research vessel leads multidisciplinary expeditions in the Arctic to better understand the impact of global warming and marine ecosystems. A true floating laboratory that looks like a Swiss Army knife.

"Is there a lack of awareness of the risks associated with outdoor activity?"

The absence of an insurance offer adapted to polar operators linked to France is felt by professionals in the sector who responded to a survey by the Chaire Enjeux Polaires.

Culture

Talking about Nanuk, the Inuit narratives about polar bears