Coverage

The U.S. Coast Guard has secured $3.3 billion in contracts to build six new Arctic Security Cutters, expanding its presence in the polar region.

NOAA Fisheries is proposing changes to the fishery closure zones that protect the endangered western Steller sea lion in Alaska’s Bering Sea, a move tied to President Trump’s 2025 executive order intended to increase seafood harvests.

Rosemary Ahtuangaruak warns that the Department of Interior’s proposed rule would turn the Western Arctic into an unrestricted industrial zone, sidestepping assessment of impacts on caribou, subsistence and water.

The U.S. Coast Guard has announced awards of contracts to build 11 new Arctic Security Cutters, a move directed by former President Trump to bolster maritime security in the Arctic.

The Graceful yacht linked to Putin is heading toward Murmansk under Russian naval escort while NATO and European patrol vessels observe the transit through the Baltic Sea, underscoring heightened security scrutiny in Arctic shipping lanes.

An unprecedented heat advisory has been issued for Alaska’s Arctic Plains, with temperatures climbing to 85 °F in the Yukon Flats early this week—an anomaly that covers some of the area’s coldest inhabited zones.

Turkey’s TÜBİTAK has launched its second National Arctic Scientific Research Expedition (TASE‑II) into the Arctic Ocean under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, director of the MAM Institute of Polar Research.

The fourth National Arctic Scientific Research Expedition (TASE IV) operated from the Norwegian‑flagged PolarXplorer and welcomed a Chilean scientist to conduct studies in the Arctic.

Canada has awarded ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems a multi‑billion dollar order for twelve advanced diesel‑electric submarines, the nation’s largest defence purchase to date. The new vessels will be equipped with stealth technology and are expected to conduct long surveillance missions in key Arctic routes such as the Northwest Passage, enhancing Canada’s maritime security posture.

Hundreds of thousands of liters of diesel and radioactive waste remain buried at former U.S. military sites across Greenland, as Washington pushes to reopen Narsarsuaq and Kangerlussuaq.

The U.K. imposed sanctions on Russian laboratories and individuals involved in the chemical attacks on Alexei Navalny and Sergei Skripal, issuing the measures on the same day it condemned Russia’s unsafe conduct of Royal Navy vessels in the Arctic.

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the NATO summit in Ankara as Washington seeks to revive stalled mediation on Russia’s war and push European allies to increase defense spending. The meeting also dovetails with a broader U.S. agenda to shift burden‑sharing, review troop deployments, and advance defense deals—including a proposal to acquire Greenland for Arctic security.

Rising acidity in Arctic rivers is linked to increased precipitation and snow melt, which accelerate the thaw of underlying permafrost. Scientists warn this trend could degrade water quality and harm ecosystems across the region.

Morspassluzhba unveiled its new Arc4‑class salvage tug Favor at Arkhangelsk, the final vessel of Project NE025. The tug will enhance emergency, rescue and oil‑spill response on the White Sea and Northern Sea Route.

A United States P‑8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft performed its first-ever flyover of the North Pole, marking a milestone in Arctic aerial reconnaissance and underscoring growing U.S. military interest in the high northern latitudes.

South Korea’s K Maritime Silk Road has opened a new shipping lane through the Arctic, creating a shorter route between Asia and Europe as ice melts.

Recent wildfires have returned to western Greenland after a quiet period, prompting residents, tourists, and authorities to adapt fire‑management practices amid rising temperatures that increase tundra flammability.

China launched three research icebreakers from Dalian as part of its 16th Arctic Ocean scientific expedition, which will operate for four months in the Arctic.

China launched its 16th Arctic scientific expedition, deploying four research vessels for the first time to study the region, underscoring the nation’s expanding presence and focus on polar science.