Exploring the many ways in which climate change, resource development and new infrastructure are altering ecosystems. https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/environment/rss en Energy & Natural Resources Environment Infrastructure Wed, 13 Sep 2017 04:25:24 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/09/13/proposed-port-and-road-in-canadas-central-arctic-raise-caribou-concerns https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/09/13/proposed-port-and-road-in-canadas-central-arctic-raise-caribou-concerns Nunavut is pushing for federal cash to help advance a mining project that would bring badly needed jobs to the territory’s northwest. But critics – including territorial government biologists – worry about the impact on a nearby barren-ground caribou herd. Environment Research Thu, 07 Sep 2017 03:18:04 +0000 John Thompson https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/09/07/unlocking-the-secrets-stored-in-arctic-lake-mud https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/09/07/unlocking-the-secrets-stored-in-arctic-lake-mud John Smol with Canada’s Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory sees in lake sediment the stories of dramatic environmental changes underway in the Arctic. Environment Research Tue, 05 Sep 2017 07:38:17 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/09/05/answering-some-burning-questions-about-arctic-wildfire https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/09/05/answering-some-burning-questions-about-arctic-wildfire Climate change is leading to bigger, more frequent wildfires in the North American Arctic. These fires will have wide-ranging impacts on northern peoples and wildlife, warns author Ed Struzik. Environment Research Tue, 29 Aug 2017 05:15:45 +0000 Paul C. Sokoloff https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/08/29/whats-in-a-name-hunting-the-lichens-of-the-canadian-high-arctic https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/08/29/whats-in-a-name-hunting-the-lichens-of-the-canadian-high-arctic A recent research expedition should help scientists better understand the botanical diversity of Canada’s rapidly warming Arctic, writes the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Paul Sokoloff. Environment Research Mon, 28 Aug 2017 03:54:51 +0000 Kathryn Adamson https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/08/28/how-rapid-climate-change-on-greenland-will-affect-us-all https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/08/28/how-rapid-climate-change-on-greenland-will-affect-us-all Greenland is an important cog in the global climate system. It’s also especially vulnerable to climate change, writes Kathryn Adamson, a senior lecturer in physical geography at Manchester Metropolitan University. Environment Research Fri, 25 Aug 2017 03:00:06 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/08/25/canary-in-the-arctic-coal-mine-warming-harms-migratory-birds https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/08/25/canary-in-the-arctic-coal-mine-warming-harms-migratory-birds As Arctic snows melt earlier in the year, insects are emerging ahead of schedule. That’s bad news for some migratory songbirds, such as the red knot, that depend on the bugs as fuel before their long flights south. Environment Research Tue, 01 Aug 2017 03:00:00 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/08/01/unexpected-life-found-at-the-bottom-of-high-arctic-lakes https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/08/01/unexpected-life-found-at-the-bottom-of-high-arctic-lakes Warmer temperatures mean the Canadian High Arctic’s shallow lakes are no longer freezing to the bottom, allowing tiny creatures to thrive. Researchers predict these new conditions will be inhospitable to fish and will produce more greenhouse gases. Environment Research Tue, 25 Jul 2017 07:18:47 +0000 Brian Owens https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/25/the-climate-bomb-lurking-under-arctic-permafrost https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/25/the-climate-bomb-lurking-under-arctic-permafrost New research aims to better understand how much methane – a potent greenhouse gas – is burbling to the surface of the Mackenzie Valley in Canada’s Northwest Territories as the permafrost thaws. Environment Research Mon, 17 Jul 2017 06:52:55 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/17/polar-bears-and-people-cataloging-conflict https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/17/polar-bears-and-people-cataloging-conflict HAKAI: Clashes between polar bears and people are on the rise as Arctic sea ice declines. A new digital database aims to track these encounters and could help prevent future attacks. Environment Research Thu, 13 Jul 2017 08:00:43 +0000 Julia Rosen https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/13/scientists-harness-wind-to-study-greenland-ice-sheet https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/13/scientists-harness-wind-to-study-greenland-ice-sheet An explorer’s wind-powered sled is turning out to be a cleaner, simpler way for polar researchers to do their work studying pollutants on the Greenland ice sheet. Environment Research Tue, 11 Jul 2017 03:00:47 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/11/how-climate-change-is-spurring-wildfires-in-alaska-and-nwt https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/11/how-climate-change-is-spurring-wildfires-in-alaska-and-nwt Longer hot, dry spells in the boreal forests that stretch across Alaska and the Northwest Territories create the conditions for wildfires triggered by lightning strikes. Environment Research Wed, 05 Jul 2017 09:25:32 +0000 Brad Badelt https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/05/scientists-grapple-with-the-mysteries-of-greenlands-melting-ice-sheet https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/07/05/scientists-grapple-with-the-mysteries-of-greenlands-melting-ice-sheet The ice sheet’s thaw has sped up in recent years – a change that could have a significant impact on global sea levels. Scientific research underway may help explain why. Environment Wed, 28 Jun 2017 08:48:35 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/28/on-the-march-as-polar-bears-retreat-grizzlies-take-new-territory https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/28/on-the-march-as-polar-bears-retreat-grizzlies-take-new-territory For all the publicity over discoveries of “pizzly” bear hybrids, new research suggests polar bears’ genetic purity isn’t threatened by crossbreeding with grizzlies. But that doesn’t mean polar bears aren’t in trouble. Environment Governance Tue, 27 Jun 2017 07:43:53 +0000 Emily Gertz https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/27/scorecard-for-arctic-environmental-issues-draws-surprising-conclusions https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/27/scorecard-for-arctic-environmental-issues-draws-surprising-conclusions The World Wildlife Fund spent 18 months scoring how well Arctic nations are meeting their environmental goals. But as the WWF Arctic Programme’s communications chief Clive Tesar explains, the grades are just part of a bigger picture. Environment Northern People & Health Wed, 14 Jun 2017 08:42:01 +0000 Emily Gertz https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/14/gwichin-gear-up-to-fight-for-alaskas-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/14/gwichin-gear-up-to-fight-for-alaskas-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge Revived plans to drill for oil at the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd are prompting outcries from Indigenous people with ancient ties to the herd. Environment Northern People & Health Fri, 09 Jun 2017 09:50:36 +0000 Peter Mather https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/09/alaskas-porcupine-caribou-herd-and-the-people-it-helps-sustain https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/09/alaskas-porcupine-caribou-herd-and-the-people-it-helps-sustain As the U.S. resumes its debate over whether to drill for oil at the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd on Alaska’s north coast, photographer Peter Mather shares some shots and personal experiences with the herd and the Gwich’in, whose culture is tied to it. Environment Thu, 08 Jun 2017 09:11:03 +0000 Michael Engelhard https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/08/here-be-white-bears-the-arctics-pale-predators https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/08/here-be-white-bears-the-arctics-pale-predators HAKAI: While dragons and other mythical beasts marked the charts of early mariners, Renaissance maps were illustrated with images – part fantasy and part fact – of polar bears. Environment Wed, 07 Jun 2017 05:00:44 +0000 Glen Jeffries https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/07/blight-or-blessing-how-the-wolverine-embodies-arctic-diversity https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/06/07/blight-or-blessing-how-the-wolverine-embodies-arctic-diversity In northern Norway, wolverines largely subsist off the region’s semi-domesticated reindeer herds. That has prompted the government to institute annual culls – but such elusive beasts are proving difficult to hunt, and a backlash from environmentalists is growing, too. Environment Governance Mon, 29 May 2017 07:22:45 +0000 Morgane Fert-Malka https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/05/29/pragmatic-environmentalism-in-the-russian-arctic https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/05/29/pragmatic-environmentalism-in-the-russian-arctic WORLD POLICY: Russia’s bad reputation for managing environmental issues in the Arctic is not entirely deserved, contend Maria Lagutina and Nadezhda Kharlampieva, two associate professors of world politics at Saint Petersburg State University. Environment Research Mon, 22 May 2017 08:57:42 +0000 Madeline Ostrander https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/05/22/researchers-race-to-understand-black-carbons-impact-on-thawing-tundra https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/05/22/researchers-race-to-understand-black-carbons-impact-on-thawing-tundra ENSIA: The wood and fossil fuels we burn affect extreme warming in the Arctic, and solutions begin with understanding how and how much. Environment Research Solutions Fri, 19 May 2017 11:47:09 +0000 Emily Gertz https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/05/19/what-indigenous-cultures-can-teach-us-about-managing-arctic-change https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/05/19/what-indigenous-cultures-can-teach-us-about-managing-arctic-change As climate change ushers new plants and animals into the Arctic, new conservation models are needed, and we’d be wise to learn from the region’s original inhabitants, says Finnish geographer Tero Mustonen. Environment Governance Wed, 17 May 2017 13:01:44 +0000 John Thompson https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/05/17/introducing-the-new-arctic-council-observers https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/05/17/introducing-the-new-arctic-council-observers From Swiss glacier expertise to weather forecasting to assessing northerly fish stocks, the Arctic Council’s newcomers share how they plan to help create a better understanding of circumpolar issues. Environment Northern People & Health Tue, 09 May 2017 08:30:34 +0000 Lauren Kaljur https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/05/09/why-russias-indigenous-people-are-wary-of-national-parks https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/05/09/why-russias-indigenous-people-are-wary-of-national-parks Russia’s northern Indigenous people have reason to view their national parks system with suspicion. Park boundaries are sometimes rolled back to make way for resource development, while protected areas often pose an impediment to traditional hunting and fishing activities. Environment Geopolitics & Security Fri, 28 Apr 2017 09:27:46 +0000 Derek Ritsma https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/04/28/taking-on-a-radioactive-issue-in-the-arctic https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/04/28/taking-on-a-radioactive-issue-in-the-arctic From collisions between nuclear-powered submarines to worries about Russia’s floating power plants, Arctic nations have many reasons to make a formal agreement to protect against a nuclear disaster, writes Derek Ritsma, a political science graduate from York University. Environment Thu, 27 Apr 2017 12:39:58 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/27/beating-around-the-bush-arctic-shrubs-may-help-explain-caribou-declines https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/27/beating-around-the-bush-arctic-shrubs-may-help-explain-caribou-declines Climate change is creating greener tundra, which may sound like good news for caribou. But in North America, the animal’s preferred diet of lichen is often being displaced by shrubs of birch and alder, which contain toxins that make them unpleasant to munch on. Environment Research Thu, 27 Apr 2017 07:07:03 +0000 Emily Gertz https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/27/scientists-flag-the-arctics-new-chemical-threats https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/27/scientists-flag-the-arctics-new-chemical-threats Efforts to curb the flow of chemicals such as PCBs into Arctic waters have proven largely successful, but there’s a new wave of nasty substances to watch, warns the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program. Environment Northern People & Health Research Solutions Thu, 20 Apr 2017 11:46:53 +0000 Jillian Kestler-D’Amours https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/20/introducing-an-online-encyclopedia-of-inuit-arctic-observations https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/20/introducing-an-online-encyclopedia-of-inuit-arctic-observations Siku, an online tool that recently won a $750,000 grant from Google, aims to pull together native knowledge about dangerously thin sea ice and other conditions in the Arctic’s fast-changing landscape. Environment Research Wed, 19 Apr 2017 10:23:20 +0000 Emily Gertz https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/19/the-messy-consequences-of-the-arctics-thawing-permafrost https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/19/the-messy-consequences-of-the-arctics-thawing-permafrost Half of the Arctic region’s frozen soils are expected to disappear even if international climate change targets are met. The resulting release of greenhouse gases could trigger an environmental disaster. Energy & Natural Resources Environment Infrastructure Tue, 18 Apr 2017 05:00:42 +0000 John Thompson https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/18/rhetoric-versus-reality-russias-environmental-aspirations-marred-by-arctic-oil-spills https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/18/rhetoric-versus-reality-russias-environmental-aspirations-marred-by-arctic-oil-spills While Russia insists that economic development in the North won’t harm a fragile environment, Russian environmentalists note that the country’s oil companies continue to spill massive amounts of crude each year. Environment Research Mon, 17 Apr 2017 09:30:22 +0000 Gloria Dickie https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/17/arctic-sea-ice-faces-a-threat-from-below https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/04/17/arctic-sea-ice-faces-a-threat-from-below Warm currents are working their way into parts of the Arctic Ocean, disturbing the layer-cake-like composition of the water column and heating up the surface.