Coverage

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources announced it will surrender up to 5.7 million acres of Statehood Act land claims to stay within the 125 percent federal limit as the state approaches its 105‑million‑acre goal.

Norway has seized a Russian research vessel in the high Arctic.

U.S. Marines, Norwegian and British forces conducted the first rapid‑insertion NATO exercise on Jan Mayen, Norway, from Aug 26–Sept 4, testing expeditionary basing, combined fires, and maritime domain awareness with a C‑17 airlift of missile launchers and joint sensors.

The U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology’s Cold Defense Environment unit announced its participation in a multi‑university effort to investigate persistent Arctic ice fog, aiming to improve understanding of the phenomenon and support safer aviation operations in polar regions.

NATO’s Shape video shows Norwegian conscripts training at Norway’s Arctic border, where temperatures drop to ‑40 °C, daylights are absent, and drills span weeks of demanding, cold‑weather warfare preparation.

Wednesday morning, the 2026 Dene National Assembly paused proceedings for a breakfast at the Chief Lamalice Complex before marching to Kátł’odeeche First Nation's arbour. There drummers, Elders and community members held a fire ceremony, sang a prayer song, and performed a drum dance. Afterwards, Robert Beaulieu presented on residential‑school history and pathways to justice, and Dene Chief George Mackenzie spoke on survivors and the need for tangible reconciliation.

The September 30 commemoration was held indoors at the Royal Canadian Legion Cadet Hall in Iqaluit because of weather, with a moment of silence for residential‑school survivors, followed by a candy‑toss (parlak) for Elders and children. NTI President Gloria Uluqsi delivered a speech on healing and resilience, while Qikiqtani Inuit Association President Olayuk Akesuk also spoke. The event was organized by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

The tenth Copernicus Ocean State Report shows a loss of roughly 490,000 km² of Arctic sea‑ice per decade (1979‑2025) and a 4.2 mm‑per‑year rise in sea level since 2012. About 60 % of Arctic coastal infrastructure is now vulnerable. The EU’s Defence and Space Commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, urges enhanced ocean observation, citing the OceanEye initiative, while the Fisheries and Oceans Commissioner, Costas Kadis, notes record heatwaves in the Mediterranean and Black Sea and growing risk for small island developing states.

Four Russian Northern Fleet vessels crossed the ice‑free Strait of Shokalsky between Bolshevik and October Revolution Islands for the first time in September 2026. The passage was part of a naval expedition that included maritime‑safety and rescue exercises along the Northern Sea Route.

China's two research icebreakers, Xuelong and Xuelong 2, completed a three‑month Arctic mission, producing record‑scale science and discoveries in the ice‑edge zone and deep seabed, including increased subsurface warm‑water inflow, a large hydrothermal plume, and abundant juvenile polar cod.

Alaska’s 2026 Bristol Bay sockeye run totaled 45.7 million fish—the first year since 2014 the run fell below 50 million—and was slightly below the 20‑year average. Harvest of 30.1 million sockeye earned $264 million in ex‑vessel value, 21 % above the long‑term average.