Arctic

Bears and Ice

By Paul Greenberg, Safina Center Fellow The money shot of climate change is without doubt that of a polar bear stranded on a tiny island of ice, seemingly hopelessly adrift while the world around melts into oblivion. But as we ...

Will a Warming Planet Spell the Silence of the Eiders?

By Rebecca Bentzen The air is filled with the sounds of wings clicking together as thousands of eiders migrate in closely packed flocks on their way to breeding grounds on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Their wings strike each other and ...

Trees in the Tundra

By Alix Morris, Earthwatch Institute Earthwatch scientists search for evidence of climate change in one of the most extraordinary places on the planet. Welcome to Churchill, Manitoba At the southern edge of the Arctic, in Canada’s Hudson Bay lowlands, ...

The Vibrant Marine Ecosystem of the Arctic Polar Night

Fresh snow crackles under my feet as I step out of the airplane onto the cluster of Norwegian islands called Svalbard. It´s slightly past noon but still I am looking up at a black sky full of stars and ...

Meet the Animals Behind the Mascots of the 2014 Winter Olympics

When the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, kick off with the opening ceremony this Friday, a leopard, a hare, and a polar bear will be among those gathering with athletes, dignitaries, and journalists. But fear not, these four-legged animals are ...

An Arctic Haven for Grizzlies

By Peter Mather For National Geographic Polar Bear Watch Early morning light illuminates the sky for a young grizzly bear (at left) as he wades into the Fishing Branch River in search of his next meal. Bear Cave Mountain, which ...

Polar Bear Mating: A Chance of a Lifetime

By Paul Nicklen with Cristina Mittermeier It had been a long time since I had any feeling in my feet or hands as I sat on the sea ice in Svalbard, Norway, at minus 22°F. I wanted to jump around, ...

Rapid Reflections on Russia

From October 18 to 22, 2013, I had an opportunity to participate in an intensive series of meetings and site visits organized by the World Economic Forum’s network of “Young Global Leaders.” Special thanks to the program organizers Yana Peel and Yan ...

Rapid Reflections on Russia

From October 18 to 22, 2013, I had an opportunity to participate in an intensive series of meetings and site visits organized by the World Economic Forum’s network of “Young Global Leaders.” Special thanks to the program organizers Yana Peel and Yan ...