arctic sea ice

An illustration of the Cryosat satellite in earth orbit.

A Clever Software Patch Gave This Ice Satellite a Wild New Trick

A software upgrade allowed CryoSat to monitor disturbances caused by a geomagnetic storm.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie Mar 17

A Polar Bear standing on sea ice at sunset

In a Sea of Melting Ice, These Polar Bears Are Doing Something Unexpected

Can’t remember the last time you heard good news about this threatened species? Well, here you go.

Conservation Ellyn Lapointe Jan 30

Why This Weekend’s Winter Storm Is Going to Suck Extra Bad

A warming Arctic set the stage for a massive winter storm expected to stretch 2,000 miles across the Eastern U.S. this weekend.

Earth Science Ellyn Lapointe Jan 22

Global Catastrophe Looms as Key Ocean Current Nears Collapse, Experts Warn

While there have been signs the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has slowed, it could soon stop altogether. That would be very, very bad.

Climate Change Adam Kovac Oct 23

Photo of research vessel and scientist's tent on Arctic ice.

These Arctic Lifeforms Are Photosynthesizing in Near Total Darkness

The discovery of photosynthesis under snow-capped Arctic ice could mean life exists in parts of the ocean previously thought uninhabitable.

Earth Science Adam Kovac Sep 6

7 Graphics That Show Why the Arctic Is in Trouble

It’s no secret that the Arctic is in trouble. And while the worrying state of the ice in the region has made numerous headlines this year, they’re just the latest twists and turns in a long-term trend. One of the best gauges for putting what’s happening in the region into perspective is the National Oceanic…

Earther Jody Serrano Dec 31

Photo: BJ Kirschhoffer/Polar Bears International

The Trump Administration Hid Polar Bear Research That Could Threaten Its Plan to Drill the Arctic

A federal study found that oil and gas drilling in Alaska puts polar bears at risk. But U.S. Geological Survey Director James Reilly, the head of the department that conducted the research, refused to make the study public, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The Interior Department’s research looked into the number of polar bears…

Conservation Dharna Noor Oct 1

Arctic Sea Ice Hit a Scary Milestone

Arctic sea ice shrank to its second lowest level on record, researchers announced on Monday. Sorry. It’s typical for Arctic sea ice to melt in summer and freeze back up in winter. But thanks to a wild-ass, record-breaking heat waves in the Earth’s northernmost regions, this year’s minimum ice extent is anything but normal. The National Snow…

Earther Dharna Noor Sep 21

The Arctic We Know Is Disappearing

There have been some pretty freaky things happening in the Arctic this year, with historic levels of ice melt, absurdly high temperatures, and wildfires in an area that’s meant to be the definition of cold. New research by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) shows that we shouldn’t just treat these occurrences…

Earther Dharna Noor Sep 14

Scientists Made an Alarmingly Easy Trip to the North Pole

At Earther, we’ve been following the historic extent of ice melt in the Arctic this summer pretty closely. But not as closely as Gunnar Spreen and his research team, who are literally following the ice. “We’re attached to an ice floe now,” he said on the phone from a research vessel called the Polarstern, which…

Earther Dharna Noor Aug 27

Turns Out a Wild Geoengineering Plan to Refreeze Arctic Sea Ice Isn’t the Best Idea

As the world spins closer to climate catastrophe, fringe ideas are inching toward the mainstream. Geoengineering is among the topics that were once verboten but are now finding traction. And that includes some pretty out-there ideas, including ones focused on saving polar ice by pumping massive amounts of seawater onto the surface of ice, where…

Climate Change Brian Kahn Dec 6

Photo: Mine Tekman, Alfred-Wegener-Institut

Microplastics Are Airborne, Polluted Arctic Snow Reveals

Microplastic pollution has become so ubiquitous, it’s almost easier to find places covered in the stuff than not. High peaks, low valleys, and even the air we breathe is filled with microscopic bits of plastic. New research published on Wednesday in Science Advances shows that even the remote ice floes of the Arctic have measurable…

Conservation Brian Kahn Aug 14

Are We Watching the Arctic Pass a Tipping Point This Summer?

The Arctic’s summer of discontent is reaching a fever pitch this week. The heat wave that broke records in Europe is coming to Greenland and could melt enough ice to measurably raise global sea levels; wildfires are blazing on every continent, pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; and sea ice is at record-low levels. Whether…

Climate Change Brian Kahn Jul 30

The Last of the Arctic’s Old Sea Ice Is on the Verge of Vanishing

Pour one out for old Arctic sea ice, because it’s basically a goner. The severe toll of climate change at the top of the world is becoming clearer with each passing day. The latest sign comes courtesy of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), which released its monthly sea ice update on Thursday.…

Climate Change Brian Kahn May 3

Greenland’s Melt Will Drive Up Sea Levels…But Also Give Us Sand

Greenland is rapidly melting. Blame it on climate change. This is no good news, but a new paper points out an unexpected benefit as a result of all this lost ice: sand. The world is in need of sand—in part, to prepare for rising sea levels and strengthen coasts—and Greenland could play a major role…

Earth Science Yessenia Funes Feb 11

Climate Change Has Wiped Out Most of the World’s Oldest Sea Ice

There is no clearer sign of Arctic transformation than the age of its sea ice. Findings released on Tuesday show that ice has never been younger, and while humans may envy its youth, it’s an incredibly bad sign for the region. Rising air and ocean temperatures have sent old sea ice into a death spiral.…

Climate Change Brian Kahn Dec 11

The Arctic Ocean Is Quickly Becoming the Atlantic

The seas between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans are a battleground between two opposing bodies of water. And it appears that the Arctic is starting to lose the war. This is happening faster than models projected, and scientists don’t quite know what the long-term impacts will be. The rapid “Atlantification” of the Arctic Ocean is…

Climate Change Brian Kahn Jun 26

There’s Way Too Little Ice Around Svalbard Right Now

If you came here looking for good Arctic sea ice news, I have some. Kidding, there’s no such thing as good Arctic sea ice news these days. When we last checked in with ice in the north, the picture was, uh, not good! The Bering Sea had lost all of its ice roughly a month…

Climate Change Brian Kahn Jun 5

Bering Sea Ice Is Basically Gone

Bering Sea ice has been battered all year by warm waters and wild winter heat waves. But at least it won’t have to suffer any more, because now it’s nearly all gone, basically a month ahead of schedule. The bizarre saga of Arctic sea ice this winter has extended into spring, with the Bering Sea…

Climate Change Brian Kahn May 17

Old Arctic Sea Ice Is Virtually Gone—and That’s Bad [Update]

The winter of discontent in the Arctic has morphed into a spring of discontent. Shocking new data shows that the region has lost almost all its old sea ice. Its disappearance, driven by warming waters and rising air temperatures, means the region is losing a bulwark against even more dramatic sea ice loss. On Thursday,…

Climate Change Brian Kahn May 4

arctic sea ice

A Clever Software Patch Gave This Ice Satellite a Wild New Trick

In a Sea of Melting Ice, These Polar Bears Are Doing Something Unexpected

Why This Weekend’s Winter Storm Is Going to Suck Extra Bad

Global Catastrophe Looms as Key Ocean Current Nears Collapse, Experts Warn

These Arctic Lifeforms Are Photosynthesizing in Near Total Darkness

7 Graphics That Show Why the Arctic Is in Trouble

The Trump Administration Hid Polar Bear Research That Could Threaten Its Plan to Drill the Arctic

Arctic Sea Ice Hit a Scary Milestone

The Arctic We Know Is Disappearing

Scientists Made an Alarmingly Easy Trip to the North Pole

Turns Out a Wild Geoengineering Plan to Refreeze Arctic Sea Ice Isn’t the Best Idea

Microplastics Are Airborne, Polluted Arctic Snow Reveals

Are We Watching the Arctic Pass a Tipping Point This Summer?

The Last of the Arctic’s Old Sea Ice Is on the Verge of Vanishing

Greenland’s Melt Will Drive Up Sea Levels…But Also Give Us Sand

Climate Change Has Wiped Out Most of the World’s Oldest Sea Ice

The Arctic Ocean Is Quickly Becoming the Atlantic

There’s Way Too Little Ice Around Svalbard Right Now

Bering Sea Ice Is Basically Gone

Old Arctic Sea Ice Is Virtually Gone—and That’s Bad [Update]

ICE Reportedly Acknowledges Its Use of Notorious Graphite Spyware

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