Arctic
New warning on Arctic ice melt
April 08, 2011Scientists who predicted a few years ago that Arctic summers could be ice-free by 2013 now say summer ice will probably be gone within this decade. The original prediction, made in 2007, gained Wieslaw Maslowski's team a deal of criticism from some of...
Arctic ozone levels in never-before-seen plunge
April 05, 2011The ozone layer has seen unprecedented damage in the Arctic this winter due to cold weather in the upper atmosphere. By the end of March, 40% of the ozone in the stratosphere had been destroyed, against a previous record of 30%. The ozone layer protects...
Mishandling of radioactive materials accelerating demise of Russia’s Arctic population
April 24, 2010By Paul Goble The dying off of the numerically small peoples of the Russian north, already taking place because of economic development and climate change, is being accelerated by the mishandling of nuclear materials at power stations and military bases...
Polar bear fossil traces origin to brown bears
March 04, 2010By Jessica Berman A scientific analysis of a rare polar bear fossil indicates that the large, white-coated mammals evolved in the relatively recent past from common brown bears. The discovery suggests polar bears' ancestors migrated toward the North...
Ancient Mammals Wintered in Warm, Dark Arctic
June 12, 200953 million years ago, scientists say the Arctic was a warm, swamp-like environment filled with plants and vegetation. Recent findings suggest a large number of mammals thrived there year found including six months of a dark, Arctic winter. In a study...
Study: Arctic ice cover drops 23 percent
October 02, 2007NASA scientists said the Arctic's thick, year-round sea ice cover has diminished 23 percent during the past two winters. That drastic reduction of perennial winter sea ice is believed the primary cause of this summer's fastest-ever sea ice retreat...
- September 17, 2007
European Space Agency satellites show sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk to its lowest level in 30 years. Researchers say the ice melt may open the Northwest Passage, which has historically been impassable by boat. "The reduction in just one...
Arctic ice to drop 40 percent before 2050
September 07, 2007A U.S. study released Thursday forecast that the Arctic Ocean's ice coverage will decline by more than 40 percent by 2050. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research was led by oceanographer James Overland and meteorologist Muyin...