Coverage

Salvage crew from Resolve Marine arrived at the grounded fishing vessel Arctic Sea off the Pribilof Islands on June 20 2026 to begin removal operations.

Scientists drilled holes in Arctic sea ice, pumped seawater over it, and the resulting freeze thickened the ice up to 32 cm, making it lighter yet more resistant.

Norwegian researchers unveiled an ultra‑light towing rig that can be carried by helicopter, tested in a realistic exercise off Lofoten where a real Mayday triggered use of trained crews, aiming to enhance emergency response before 2028 regulations require onboard systems for large ships.

USCGC Stone worked alongside Norway’s Hopen during Operation Arctic Cohesion 2026 to boost joint maritime readiness in the High North.

The governor’s third consecutive special session on Alaska LNG began with only four legislators in attendance and no new legislation, as officials await a bill from Gov. Mike Dunleavy that could grant multibillion‑dollar property tax cuts to the proposed pipeline.

NSERC awarded a Discovery Grant to Stephan Gruber for his work on predicting permafrost thaw, a key but unpredictable element of Arctic climate change.

Alaska’s native bee populations thrive when residents plant continuous native flowers, leave nesting spaces undisturbed, limit pesticides, and remove invasive plants, with community science programs like the Alaska Bee Atlas tracking progress.

Model analogues indicate that current Arctic warming is likely to cause winter sea ice to fluctuate around a lower baseline level.

Washington’s push to take control of Greenland has sparked strong backlash, underscoring U.S. expanding Arctic ambitions amid rising geopolitical contest.

Canadian Armed Forces are preparing generational investments to safeguard Arctic defence infrastructure from climate‑driven risks, as part of broader efforts to strengthen NORAD’s resilience and support spaceport development.

The Polar Connect 2026 expedition begins its first ice encounter at 80° N, conducting detailed seabed mapping of the Arctic Ocean.

The European Commission confirms its dedication to the 2021 Joint Communication on EU Arctic Policy, reaffirming a focus on climate change and environmental protection in the Arctic.

Interfax reports that the cost to implement a comprehensive plan for Russia’s Trans‑Arctic Transport Corridor has been estimated, marking an important step in developing a new Arctic shipping route.

Europe’s preoccupation with southern maritime crises and the Ukraine conflict has led to strategic neglect of Arctic governance.

Russia is using the Svalbard Treaty to advance its interests in the Arctic, even as it flouts international law elsewhere. The piece calls on Norway and Finland to uphold the treaty’s demilitarized status to preserve European security.

Japan plans to use the Arctic Sea to shorten its shipping routes to Europe and the Middle East, a move that could lower transit times but would also involve navigating Russian control of key passages.

A drone hit Russia’s new Arctic patrol vessel Purga while it was being built at Vyborg Shipyard in the St Petersburg region, illustrating heightened drone threats to Russian naval construction projects.

The paper evaluates subseasonal sea‑ice evolution in the Arctic using the Community Earth System Model version two, emphasizing how tightly linked sea‑ice behavior is to atmospheric and oceanic processes and arguing that only coupled climate models can capture these interactions.