Environment

Manitoba Conservation officers Vitalii Skrynnyk and Owen Jones kept a pod of seven stranded belugas safe at Churchill’s beach while waiting for the tide to return, using bear bangers to deter polar bears and turning calves over to keep breathing passages clear.

Chummy Plummer died at 83; his pioneering work with Arctic Lodges built airstrips for jet access to Great Slave and Great Bear Lakes, and he introduced catch‑and‑release fishing and barbless hooks before they became law.

A recent scientific study reports that Arctic sea‑ice extent has fallen to a new record minimum, with unusually low levels this year, signaling the end of a temporary melting slowdown.

The Arctic has seen its steepest yearly winter sea‑ice decline in over four decades, with the latest two‑year drop ranking as the largest since records began in 1978—an indicator of rapid global warming and heightened climate risk.

UK scientists report Arctic winter sea ice is once again falling rapidly after a brief pause in melting, attributing the trend to human‑driven global warming. This reversal underscores the ongoing impact of climate change on polar ice cover.

Alberta crews joined the fight against the 136k‑acre Fort Simpson wildfire on July 19 and a high‑volume water suppression system was installed in Wrigley to keep the fire from moving closer, while a planned ignition operation is scheduled for the week of July 19–25 to clear fuel north of the community.

The Fort Simpson wildfire was closely watched by Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, who stayed during the nearly three‑week evacuation to offer support and later shared how a rain‑making ceremony coincided with rainfall as residents returned to assess the damage.

Alaska’s 2026 temperatures were cooler than average, while nearby Russian far northeast and Svalbard recorded higher-than‑normal heat, underscoring uneven Arctic climate shifts.

An eight‑month scientific expedition is underway in the Arctic Ocean to investigate the impacts of climate change and pollution, with Marcel Babin, Scientific Director, leading the research.

The report details three discussions examining impacts of climate change on Arctic societies and the resulting environmental, economic and security challenges in the region.

Residents returned to Fort Simpson after a 20‑day wildfire evacuation, finding the landscape dramatically altered while services such as water and garbage pickup are being restored; the return highlighted transport limits and increased insect activity.

Turkish scientists from the sixth National Arctic Scientific Research Expedition (TASE‑VI) reached the edge of sea ice at about 81° latitude near the North Pole, marking a new milestone for Turkey’s Arctic research program.

An adult lynx was spotted peering through fall leaves along the Haul Road at Coldfoot, Alaska, located 60 miles north of the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway.

UAF scientists are using GPS collars on over 50 Canada lynx along Alaska’s Dalton Highway to monitor how rising truck traffic, including oil and potential mining vehicles, alters their movements—especially for denning mothers versus kitten-less females.

Air tankers and firefighters stopped a wildfire from spreading into the bush near Aurora Village, 20 km northeast of Yellowknife, preventing damage to the wilderness tour operator’s property.

Strong ocean currents along Greenland’s east coast carry Arctic sea ice southward from the Greenland Sea.

A wildfire pushed across Wrigley’s southern flank, forcing around 20 essential workers to evacuate toward Fort Smith while local authorities prepared shelters and deployed fire retardant.