Environment

Waves of fin, humpback, and minke whales have moved in thousands to East Greenland’s summer waters, a shift driven by sea‑ice retreat and ocean warming that also follows capelin migration. This boom underscores rapid Arctic ecosystem change and potential new food‑web dynamics.

An expedition in Baffin Bay between Greenland and Canada is collecting data on how rising global temperatures are reshaping the Arctic, focusing on sea‑ice changes and ecosystem responses.

A new proposal would let oil and gas drilling and seismic surveys in Alaska’s Arctic proceed without an environmental review, a move that could speed up exploration activities while sidestepping existing assessment safeguards.

Climate projections indicate the Arctic Ocean will warm as ocean circulation reshapes heat transport, with the Fram Strait and Barents Sea Opening acting as major conduits for increased heat input.

Alaska’s Toolik Lake tundra looks barren from afar but is a 10‑inch high jungle up close, showing the compact, dense plant life typical of North Slope Arctic ecosystems.

Arctic tundra around Toolik Lake is evolving from a barren landscape to a knee‑high "jungle" as warming drives shrubs taller and greener, prompting researchers to study how this shrubification amplifies heat absorption while also exploring cooperative plant interactions that could affect the region’s future ecosystem dynamics.

Melting Greenlandic ice sheets from rising temperatures are projected to influence global climate patterns, while growing geopolitical tension in the Arctic adds complexity to managing these environmental changes.

The Tlicho Government and Yellowknives Dene First Nations finalized a route for the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor that will cut through key caribou habitat near Yellowknife, potentially harming Bathurst and Beverly herds as the plan moves to government approval.

Bacteria take up nitrogen during winter warming in dry Arctic heath, boosting nitrogen cycling and availability. The study reveals a key microbial response to climate change in the Arctic.

Warming temperatures are altering plant life at Onion Portage on the Kobuk River near Ambler, a vital stretch of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd’s migration route.

A muskox with fur described as a ‘magical grass skirt’ was observed in Labrador West, a rare sighting outside its typical Arctic tundra habitat.

The research compares seasonal and interannual changes in sea‑ice thickness between the marginal ice zone and consolidated pack ice, shedding light on how different ice zones respond to warming.

The study projects that new cost‑saving shipping routes across the Arctic will shorten voyages and offer economic benefits, yet they are expected to raise black‑carbon emissions and climate impacts through 2050.

Russia has positioned a full complement of Il‑976 SKIP aircraft, support planes, and naval vessels at Novaya Zemlya’s Rogachevo airfield, signalling readiness for an upcoming Burevestnik cruise‑missile test that carries a nuclear power unit and could leave a radioactive trail.

Conservative shadow cabinet members led by Bob Zimmer toured Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk and Yellowknife to scrutinize the Liberal government's northern infrastructure promises, critiquing Prime Minister Mark Carney for slow delivery while promoting Conservative commitments to faster road construction, runway expansion and resource development.

Arctic shipping can reduce travel time thanks to a shorter route, but vessels are constrained by ice and can operate there only during a roughly three‑month summer period.

Strong winds and flooding from Ex‑Typhoon Halong struck southwestern Alaska on Oct. 11–12, 2025, underscoring the rising impact of tropical-origin storms in the Arctic.

The study finds that organic pollutants become concentrated by sea ice, leading to higher contaminant loads in ice‑associated (sympagic) invertebrates compared with pelagic species.

Hunters Sabrina and Junior Hunt reported seeing a muskox at their cabin near Labrador City, an animal whose presence in the area is unprecedented for two decades according to wildlife officials.

A paddler fired a weapon and killed a polar bear on Manitoba’s Hudson Bay coast near the mouth of the Seal River northwest of Churchill, an incident confirmed by provincial authorities.

A paddler shot and killed a protected polar bear near the mouth of Seal River on the Hudson Bay coast west of Churchill, Manitoba. The incident is under investigation by provincial wildlife officials and highlights how changing ice conditions may be increasing human‑bear encounters along the northern coastline.