Arctic
Record Heat Threatens Greenland's Ice Sheet
A majority of Greenland's ice sheet is experiencing above-freezing temperatures this week, which could cause record melting and raise global sea levels.
The Wettest Part of Alaska Is Experiencing Extreme Drought. Is Climate Change to Blame?
The drought has had damaging economic and ecological impacts.
In the Land of Hope and Grief: Indigenous Teens Address Suicide Through Art
An art therapy project in an Alaska Native village helps teens talk about suicide in their community.
How Traditional Food Is Helping Communities in a Changing Arctic
As hunting grows hazardous, Arctic community centers provide meals of whale and seal.
Uncovering the Ancient Roots of Domesticated Dogs
A new study lends insight into how domestication of our four-legged companions was steered by interactions with humans and their cultural practices.
The Arctic's Oldest, Thickest Sea Ice Is Breaking Up
Arctic ice north of Greenland that normally remains frozen even during the summer has opened up.
The Opening of the Northwest Passage Means More Danger for Walruses and Narwhals
A less icy Arctic will be an economic boon for some, but marine wildlife experts are focused on the increased risks more ships will pose to certain polar species.
Chantal Bilodeau Brings Climate Change to the Theater
Through a cycle of eight plays, Canadian playwright Chantal Bilodeau explores the inner lives of the Arctic's inhabitants during a time of dramatic change.
Retreating Arctic Ice Has Shifted Shipping Routes 180 Miles Closer to the North Pole
Even smaller fishing boats are venturing deeper into the Arctic, an analysis finds.
Solving the Suicide Crisis in the Arctic Circle
High above the rapidly warming Arctic Circle, the people of Clyde River are looking to nature and Inuit tradition in a bid to end the town's epidemic of despair and suicide.
Tracking Seasonal Sea Ice in Real Time
Scientists, government officials, and industry representatives from around the world are working to improve sea ice forecasting in the Arctic.
Letter From Qaanaaq, Greenland: The Man Who Listens for Nuclear Tests Above the Arctic
Svend Erik had not intended to spend the last 37-odd years of his life permanently in Qaanaaq, stewarding critical data through decades of changes in computing and communications technologies, but he had fallen in love.
Since We Last Spoke: Polar Bears
Updates to stories from the Pacific Standard archive.
The Importance of Ice Thickness in Assessing the Impact of Climate Change in the Arctic
This year's thinner, slushier ice is more vulnerable than the past's thick, multi-year ice, and it melts out rapidly during a spike in temperature or intense cyclonic activity.
Since We Last Spoke: Cruising Over the Troubled Waters of the Northwest Passage
Updates to stories from the Pacific Standard archive.
A Conversation With Blair Braverman, Author of ‘Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube’
Two writers with roots in Alaska talk landscape, identity, survival, and the problem with the term alpha male.
Scenes From the End of the World
Life on board a small cruise ship in the Northwest Passage.
One Last Dispatch From a Changing Arctic
The North is a dynamic, fast-changing region, one that lives up to its stereotypes one day and then utterly confounds them the next.
The Timeline for Humans in the Arctic
Evidence shows humans killed the mammoth deep in the Arctic—45,000 years ago.
How Do You Take Down Two Tons of Blubber and Tusks?
As warmer summers melt the Arctic, Pacific walruses have to work a lot harder to reach their seafloor feasts.
See an Open Northwest Passage From Space
This month, the Arctic will likely have some of the lowest levels of ice on record.
Five Things President Obama Could Do to Help the Arctic
A should-do list for the president's three-day trip to Alaska.
'The Last Pork Chop': A Wild Northern Reading Guide
The best books about the Northern wilderness and our place in it.
Tweets From a Changing Arctic
Interested in environmental issues in the North? Here are the Twitter users to follow.