Plastic Particles Falling Out of Sky With Snow in Arctic. The scientists said they were shocked by the sheer number of particles they found: more than 10,000 of them per litre in the Arctic. It means that even there, people are likely to be breathing in microplastics from the air - though the health implications remain unclear. The region is often seen as one of the world's last pristine environments. BBC News

 

Open for Business. In September 2018, when the area covered by Arctic sea ice shrank to its annual minimum and once again was far below the average of previous decades, hundreds of ships navigated the region. By mid-century if not sooner, Arctic summers are expected to be hot enough to melt most of the sea ice that forms in winter. Last year the number of vessels crossing waters governed by the international Polar Code-a set of strict safety and environmental rules-was 879, nearly 60 percent higher than in 2012. National Geographic

 

Arctic Sea-Ice Loss Has 'Minimal Influence' on Severe Cold Winter Weather. The dramatic loss of Arctic sea ice through climate change has only a "minimal influence" on severe cold winter weather across Asia and North America, new research has shown. The possible connection between Arctic sea-ice loss and extreme cold weather -- such as the deep freezes that can grip the USA in the winter months -- has long been studied by scientists. Observations show that when the regional sea-ice cover is reduced, swathes of Asia and North America often experience unusually cold and hazardous winter conditions. Science Daily

Alaska Scientists Say Polar Bear Encounters to Increase. Alaska scientists say the chances of a polar bear encounter have increased after research reveals the bears are arriving on shore earlier and staying on land longer, a report said. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey found changes in sea ice habitat have coincided with evidence that polar bears' use of land is increasing, the Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday. The polar bears come to land from the Beaufort Sea during the ice-melt season, when the sea ice breaks up in the summer and refreezes in the fall, scientists said. WebCenter11

 

How Much Are Polar Bears Worth? Trump Admin Limits Endangered Species Act With Cost-Benefit Analysis. The Trump administration, under the guidance of Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, today finalized changes to the Endangered Species Act that will end key protections for animals and require a more stringent cost-benefit analysis before adding animals to the list of protected species. Under the new rule, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will have to perform an analysis and weigh the costs based on already-available scientific and commercial data of protecting wildlife before adding an endangered species to their list. Newsweek

 

Meet the Neglected 43-Year-Old Stepchild of the US Military-Industrial Complex. The icebreaker Polar Star was 1,000 miles out of its home port of Seattle last December, three days into its yearly voyage to resupply scientific bases in Antarctica, when a powerful swell hit its bow and flooded the deck. The ship shuddered. The roar of the ventilators in the galley quit as Joseph Sellar, a stocky 25-year-old Coast Guard culinary specialist from New Hampshire, watched seawater explode from the ceiling. Los Angeles Times