Science

Climate Change Puts Arctic Migratory Birds Under Time Pressure

Climate change is altering the rhythm of nature, particularly noticeably in the Arctic. Spring now begins much earlier there than it did just a few decades ago.

How Underwater Eddies Threaten Antarctic Glaciers

Deep beneath the glassy surface of the oceans, a fascinating yet threatening spectacle unfolds. In the silent, dark depths where humans cannot reach, swirling currents of impressive size are constantly forming.

Massive Decline in Elephant Seals in South Georgia

New research findings from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) paint an alarming picture: On the subantarctic island of South Georgia, the number of breeding female elephant seals declined by 47 percent between 2022 and 2024.

Chile Studies Avian Influenza Virus in Antarctica

In a globally unprecedented event for polar science and virology, a team of researchers from the University of Chile and the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) has, for the first time, successfully sequenced the complete genomes of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) found in Antarctic birds.

Ivittuut – Greenland’s forgotten cryolite capital

On the southwestern edge of Greenland lies the ghost town of Ivittuut. Once a lively settlement due to its global importance in the production of metallic aluminum.

The Discovery Building in Rothera is handed over to science

The Antarctic season 2025/26 marks a milestone for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and its Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Project (AIMP), as the new Discovery Building now begins its operational function.

A fern fossil from the time of the dinosaurs discovered in Antarctica

A spectacular fossil discovery on Livingston Island sheds new light on the prehistoric vegetation of Antarctica.

Elevated radon levels have been measured on Novaya Zemlya.

Members of the Arctic Floating University expedition working on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago have detected an increase in natural radioactivity.

New Zealand and Switzerland Deepen Cooperation in Antarctic Research

New Zealand’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Craig Hawke, handed over the Memorandum of Arrangement between Antarctica New Zealand and the Swiss Polar Institute

Investigation of unexplored ocean currents in northern Greenland

The little-explored region in northern Greenland was the last area of investigation that the Polarstern explored on three Arctic expeditions since the end of May 2025.

Emperor penguin count at Taylor Glacier

A lucky handful of Mawson expeditioners visited the Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony in July, to collect photos for the annual population census.

Russia withdraws from the Barents Sea Agreement

The Barents Sea faces the threat of an environmental disaster following the potential collapse of the fisheries agreement between Norway and Russia.

Metop-SGA1 will improve weather forecasts

A new addition to the weather satellite family of the European Organisations for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Metop-SGA1 was successfully launched from Kourou on 13 August 2025 aboard an Ariane 6 rocket.

Into the Polar Night - Aboard Norway’s Icebreaker RV Kronprins Haakon

After roughly two and a half weeks of research in the far north, the Norwegian icebreaker Kronprins Haakon returned to the port of Longyearbyen.

Scientists report early return of whales

Ukrainian scientists have recorded the early return of humpback whales to the Antarctic Peninsula region — the area where the Ukrainian Vernadsky Station is located.

Unexpected Celestial Fire – Northern Lights over the City of Zurich

The spectacular natural phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis – better known as the Northern Lights – is typically visible in high northern latitudes.

New Russian-Chinese Collaboration in the Polar Regions

Russia and China will jointly train specialists for navigation in polar waters, according to a memorandum signed during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to China, the Russian Ministry of Transport announced on its Telegram channel.

Arctic seals threatened by climate change

Three Arctic seal species are threatened with extinction, according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

China launches 42nd Antarctic expedition

As part of this expedition, China plans to drill into deep lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for the first time. Using hot water and melt drilling systems, boreholes will be drilled through more than 3,000 metres of ice.

1.2 million years of climate history extracted from Antarctic ice core

Ancient ice from Antarctica, obtained as part of the Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice project, contains unique climate records spanning at least the last 1.2 million years.

Swiss Seed Samples for the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard

Svalbard – On October 21, 2025, the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard was opened once again. More than 21,000 new samples from 20 international gene banks made their way into the frozen mountain above the airport of Longyearbyen.

The Hektoria Glacier is breaking up at record speed

Glaciers around the world are losing mass due to climate change, and Antarctica is also affected. The process at the Hektor Glacier was tracked via satellite for the first time. This was reported by US scientists led by Naomi Ochwat from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Subglacial meltwater boosts Greenland’s summer plankton bloom

A comprehensive modeling study shows how subglacial meltwater triggers an additional summer bloom of phytoplankton in Disko Bay. At the same time, the climate-relevant carbon sequestration increases only slightly.

The Polar Retrospective - Subantarctic Visitor Changes, a 66-Year-Old Mystery Solved, and a Warning for Reindeer

Australia to detect HPAI-H5 on Heard Island

From September to December, a research team from Australian Antarctic Programs will be deployed on the sub-Antarctic island at 53 degrees south to assess the health of animal populations.

Dagger beaks and strong wings: new fossils rewrite the penguin story and affirm NZ as a cradle of their evolution

Revealing a surprising diversity of ancient species just after the mass extinction that ended the age of dinosaurs, new fossil discoveries from North Canterbury in New Zealand show how early penguins developed powerful underwater adaptations and long, spear-like beaks. The findings affirm New Zealand’s role as a cradle of penguin evolution.

Forgotten fault zone in the Yukon: Tintina fault could trigger a major earthquake

In Canada’s Yukon, the Tintina Fault has the potential for an earthquake exceeding magnitude 7.5. Dawson City lies dangerously close to the epicentre and could be severely affected by the shaking.

The Polar Retrospective – A new map, a new vessel, and a new threat for Arctic foxes

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at a new map of Alexander Island, a new Canadian inuit-owned fishing vessel, and a new viral threat for Arctic foxes on Svalbard.

Our DNA analysis of 75,000-year-old bones in Arctic caves reveals how animals responded to changing climates

DNA analysis of 75,000-year-old bones in Norwegian Arctic caves reveals how ancient animal communities adapted to periods of warming and cooling, providing insights into how modern wildlife might react to current climate change.

Arctic lakes, when life stimulates methane

As global warming profoundly transforms Arctic ecosystems, a new study reveals that lakes at high latitudes may be releasing more methane than previously thought. This greenhouse gas, far more potent than CO₂, is produced in the sediments of lakes that have become more biologically productive. A worrying dynamic, revealing new climate feedback loops.

An underwater observatory keeping the pulse of the Southern Ocean for nearly 30 years yields fresh results

For nearly 30 years, an Australian observatory in the Southern Ocean has delivered crucial long-term data on carbon uptake, ecosystem change and climate trends, and its role is becoming more important than ever.

Do Marine Protected Areas in Polar Oceans Actually Work?

New research shows that the success of Marine Protected Areas hinges on strict enforcement, a principle facing major geopolitical and ecological challenges in the planned sanctuaries of the Arctic and Antarctic.

So Robert Falcon Scott wasn't lying?

Mila Zinkova, an independent atmospheric scientist, has just published a study in the journal Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research that pays tribute to the Terra Nova expedition. She suggests that the captain and his crew, returning from the South Pole, may well have been caught in a nine-day snowstorm, during which they perished - a story that has long been questioned, but is now plausible from a meteorological point of view.

We travelled to Antarctica to see if a Māori lunar calendar might help track environmental change

Researchers explored how the Māori lunar and environmental calendar, Maramataka, could help track environmental changes in Antarctica by observing natural signs like snow types and animal behavior. By connecting mātauranga Māori with Western science, they revealed new ways of understanding the polar environment through Indigenous knowledge systems and deep ecological relationships.

Wordie - Chronicle of a disappearance

We've almost forgotten it, but Wordie wasn't always a bay: it was once an ice shelf, and its slow disappearance is a textbook example of the powerful phenomenon of glacier collapse at work in Antarctica.

How early life could have survived the "Snowball Earth" phases

While the Earth endured icy millions of years, early life may have survived near the equator, according to a new study of microorganisms in Antarctic meltwater ponds.

Greenland Sled Dogs Reveal a Millennia-Old Story

For nearly a thousand years, Greenlandic sled dogs, or Qimmit, have accompanied Inuit communities across the frozen expanses of the Arctic. A recent genetic study reveals the ancient origins, regional diversity, and cultural importance of these four-legged companions.

Thwaites: countdown to disintegration

The Thwaites Glacier is living out its last years of stability: the disintegration of its floating shelf has begun. As spectators of a predicted collapse, we witness the countdown of a colossus whose melting could raise the oceans by 65 centimetres.

The Polar Retrospective - Successful Antarctic Citizen Science Project, Arctic Toxins and Erupting Volcanoes

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at the impact of an NASA backed citizen science project in Antarctica, the increase in toxins levels in the Alaskan Arctic, and melting glaciers that might trigger more volcanoes eruptions.

Beyond the “Greening”: Antarctica, Scientific Debate and the Media Narrative

A 2024 study claimed Antarctica's peninsula is rapidly "greening." However, two new papers challenge this and open a debate of how dramatically Antarctic science should be communicated.

A bird that's an emperor in name only

No sooner has the emperor penguin begun to reveal its secrets than it's already disappearing. Beacon of a climate in crisis, this emblematic Antarctic bird could disappear before we even get to know it.

Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse

Despite accelerating climate impacts in Antarctica, international research output is falling, with China overtaking traditional leaders like the U.S. in scientific influence—raising urgent concerns about future governance and global preparedness.

The Canadian Arctic as a Guardian of Earth’s Oldest Secrets

A new study has confirmed that a slice of crust in northern Canada is the oldest on record, solidifying the Arctic region's reputation as a unique window into Earth's fiery birth.

Drone footage captured orcas crafting tools out of kelp – and using them for grooming

The more we learn about orcas, the more remarkable they are. These giant dolphins are the ocean’s true apex predator, preying on great white sharks and other lesser predators.

Do Antarctic anchorages have an impact?

Never-before-seen images filmed in Antarctica show traces of anchoring on a deep, untouched seabed. Without concluding that there is a definite impact, a study invites us to consider the potential effects of human activities on these fragile ecosystems.

The Tara Polar Station, on the front line of Arctic atlantification

Oceanographer Benjamin Rabe plans to study the phenomenon of upwelling of warm water and nutrients already observed at the edges of the Arctic Ocean to see if it will extend towards the North Pole over the next decade. His project is based on the Tara Polar Station and its series of Polaris expeditions. An Interview.

The Polar Retrospective - Competition for krill, new influence Arctic sea ice formation and messages in ice

The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at competition for krill between animals and trawlers, a new current and its influence on Arctic sea ice, and bubble messages trapped in ice.

Gray whales face food shortages as the Arctic warms

Disappearing sea ice appears to be putting gray whales in the eastern North Pacific under pressure once again this year: many animals are emaciated, and the number of newborn calves is at a record low.