A team of scientists led by François Lapointe, a research associate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has combined paleoclimatic data from the last 2,000 years with powerful computer modeling and in-the-field research on lake sediments and tree rings to show that an understudied phenomenon, known as atmospheric blocking, has long influenced temperature swings in the Arctic.

The combination of seasonally ice-free waters and turmoil along traditional trade routes is diverting vessels into the Arctic. The first non-ice class Panamax containership has now received a permit for the Northern Sea Route.

Wollenburg et al convincingly demonstrate that foraminiferal tests obtained from Arctic Ocean sediment cores are often affected by authigenic calcite overgrowth, potentially biasing isotopic and elemental ratios, and resulting in radiocarbon ages that are thousands, or even tens of thousands, of years too old. The phenomenon is particularly severe in sediments older than the Holocene, and may provide an alternative explanation for the apparent hiatus that is widespread in the central Arctic Ocean during the last glacial maximum. To avoid this problem, the authors recommend careful screening under the microscope in combination with SEM analysis to ensure that only pristine foraminifers, free of overgrowth, are used.

Early last June, a powerful storm descended on southern Quebec, leading to lightning strikes in quick succession across the vast forest north of Montreal. Given the hot, dry conditions at the time, the strikes quickly turned into scores of wildfires that overwhelmed fire crews and quickly spread through the region.

They call it “The Blob.” A vast expanse of ocean stretching from Alaska to California periodically warms by up to 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees F), decimating fish stocks, starving seabirds, creating blooms of toxic algae, preventing salmon returns to rivers, displacing sea lions, and forcing whales into shipping lanes to find food.

The US Arctic Research Commission will hold its 119th meeting in the Canadian High Arctic Research Station on June 6, 2024

The 12^th International Conference on Permafrost will consider “Integrating Perspectives of Permafrost Thaw, Change, and Adaptation.” The conference will address the most recent developments and stimulate engaging technical and scientific discussions among academics, professionals, contractors, suppliers, and students. The impacts of climate change and economic development have significantly changed the Arctic, in recent decades, resulting in a wealth of research initiatives and challenging engineering projects. Event partners include the Canadian Permafrost Association, IPA, and Yukon University.

The 12^th International Conference on Permafrost will consider “Integrating Perspectives of Permafrost Thaw, Change, and Adaptation.” The conference will address the most recent developments and stimulate engaging technical and scientific discussions among academics, professionals, contractors, suppliers, and students. The impacts of climate change and economic development have significantly changed the Arctic, in recent decades, resulting in a wealth of research initiatives and challenging engineering projects. Event partners include the Canadian Permafrost Association, IPA, and Yukon University.

The ice sheets near the Earth’s poles contain ancient ice formed from continuous snow accumulation over thousands of years. Using ice cores, scientists can study the old air trapped in the ice, which unlocks mysteries of Earth’s environmental history. Researchers from the University of California Irvine present this webinar from NSF Summit Station, Greenland as they study historical changes in atmospheric levels of hydrogen using a newly drilled ice core from the Greenland ice cap. Because of the unique challenges posed by hydrogen’s small molecular size, the researchers are bringing their instruments to Greenland to analyze samples as soon as they are retrieved!

In lead up to its 35th anniversary in 2025, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is coordinating a multi-year planning process for the Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) that will engage Arctic researchers, policymakers, residents, and stakeholders from around the world to collegially discuss the state of Arctic science, the place the Arctic occupies in global affairs and systems, to consider the most urgent knowledge gaps and research priorities that lie before us and to explore avenues to address these research needs. This event is hosted by a consortium of US institutions, including the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Northern Iowa, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Alaska Pacific University. ICARP I, II, and III focused the attention of the world’s researchers toward the value of strategic international coordination in accelerating progress in addressing critical challenges. ICARP IV will build upon this concept by striving to achieve consensus and build collaborations among the leading scientific, academic, environmental, Indigenous and political organizations currently concerned with Arctic issues.