NASA’s Mars Rover might have captured headlines, but a new bot deployed in Greenland might be doing even more important work. NASA’s newest scientific rover, a robot known as GROVER, is on its way to Greenland for over a month of testing on the ice-covered country’s highest elevations. GROVER, which stands for both Greenland Rover and Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research, is powered by the sun and will help scientists better understand changes in the quickly-shrinking ice sheet.

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Post tags: Arctic, arctic ice, Climate Change, global warming, greenland, Grover Eco Rover, nasa, robots, Rover, scientific research

Recent research published by British Antarctic Survey and the Australian National University shows that Antarctic ice is melting ten times faster than 600 years ago. Taking a core sample of ice near the northern peninsula, they were able to observe the rates of melt in recent centuries, finding that temperatures today are 1.6 degrees Celsius higher. The most rapid melt has occurred within the last 50 years, having an incredible impact on the region.

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Post tags: Antarctic, Arctic, australian national university, british antarctic survey, Climate Change, dr nerilie abram, geoscience, global warming, ice melt, International Energy Agency, south pole

Scientists from the University of California have announced that by 2050, ships will be able to travel across the north pole in summer months. Laurence C. Smith and Scott R. Stephenson wrote in the journal PNAS that this would slash costs of transporting goods between Europe and China, but opening the northern sea route will pose a host of new economic, environmental and political challenges.

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Post tags: Arctic, cargo shipping, Climate Change, environmental destruction, global warming, melting ice, north pole, northern sea route, trans arctic passage, university of california, Wildlife

In what feels like a flashback to the 1990′s, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are once again in the news. Scientists have found that thinning in the ozone layer over the Antarctic caused in large part by these chemicals has shifted the currents of the ocean. Subtropical intermediate waters in southern oceans have become “younger” with upwellings while circumpolar waters  have gotten “older”. These changes follow the occurrence of stronger surface winds caused by a thin ozone layer. The findings were detailed in report published this week in the journal Science by a team led by Darryn W. Waugh from Johns Hopkins University.

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Post tags: Arctic, CFC, chlorofluorocarbon, circulation, current, darryn w. waugh, hole, johns hopkins university, ocean, ozone, science

In September, news media widely reported the record-breaking drop in Arctic sea ice extent. The National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported that the extent of Arctic sea ice reached a record minimum this year on Sept. 16. The extent naturally varies throughout the year and reaches its minimum for the Northern Hemisphere summer in September. The minimum of 3.41 million square kilometers (km) this year was the lowest recorded since satellite measurements began in 1979. However, less widely reported was some news from the other side of the Earth. NSIDC additionally reported that, while Arctic sea ice reached a record minimum, Antarctic sea ice reached a record maximum on Sept. 26 during the Southern Hemisphere winter. But do the record sea ice maximums at the South Pole really balance out the record lows to the north?

Read the rest of Polar Opposites: Why the Loss of Arctic Sea Ice is not Balanced Out by More Ice in the Antarctic

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Post tags: Antarctic, Arctic, Climate Change, global warming, ice, maximum, minimum, NSIDC, SEA

It was previously believed that forest growth in the barren Arctic tundra would absorb the world’s CO2 emissions and slow global warming. However a new report from English and Scottish scientists reveals that as the trees start to grow closer to the North Pole, they are actually releasing more greenhouse gases than they absorb.

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Post tags: Arctic, arctic emissions, arctic forest growth, arctic tundra, Climate Change, global co2 emissions, nature climate change

Lloyd’s of London market and the Royal Institute of International Affairs have released a new report which predicts huge risks for those looking to invest in the Arctic. The companies believe that if economic development ramps up in the region — with estimated investments reaching $100 million within the next decade — the lack of infrastructure and gaps of knowledge about the most northernmost part of the globe could outweigh the economic benefits of their projects. To that end, Lloyd’s chief executive officer advises companies interested in the region to “step back” and think about the long term consequences of their pipeline projects, which range from oil exploration to fisheries.

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Post tags: Arctic, Arctic Council, arctic exploration, canada, environmental destruction, greenland, lloyds of london, offshore drilling, oil exploration

You know it’s the holidays when you begin to see those adorable Coca-Cola polar bears all over the place, but with the catastrophic effects of global warming, real life polar bears are not nearly as abundant. To raise awareness for these lovable creatures and their endangered surroundings, Coca-Cola has announced that it is teaming up with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for a project they call Arctic Home. Starting in November, 1.4 billion red Coca-Cola cans will be turned white in honor of the bears and the important cause.

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Post tags: "World Wildlife Fund", Arctic, arctic animals, arctic home, Climate Change, Coca Cola, Coca-cola bottles, coke bottles, Environment, fundraiser, fundraising, global warming, ice caps, inhabitat-news, polar animals, polar bears, Wildlife, wwf

A study released in Friday’s Journal of Science says that 8 million tons of previously unrecorded methane is leaking into the atmosphere every year. The methane is seeping from deep within the Earth’s core through breaks in the layers of permafrost under the arctic sea — previously thought by scientists to be unbreakable. Methane is 20 times as strong of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and is generally linked to the industrial farming industry — and flatulence in general.

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Post tags: Arctic, arctic methane bubbles, glaciers, global warming, global warming gasses, ice melting, industrial farming, methane, methane bubbles, permafrost, Reuters, russia

A government espionage organization joins up with climate researchers in a race to figure out what’s happening to our fragile planet. No, it isn’t the plot of a new action flick — it’s part of a new data-sharing initiative between the CIA and top scientists. The program will use spy satellites and other CIA tools to help scientists figure out what climate change is doing to cloud cover, forests, deserts, and more.

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Post tags: Arctic, Bush, central intelligence agency, cia, Climate Change, climate science, global warming, green design, ice floes, research, sustainable design

Winter shelter in the Arctic can take form in an upside down hunting boat – a traditional Inuit practice. Covey Island Boatworks, award winning builders of hand-crafted yachts, power and sailboats, has brought that idea into dry dock developing a prototype wood and epoxy prefab that applies boatbuilding principles directly to an extreme Arctic home.


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Post tags: Arctic, boatbuilding, Brock Junkin, Covey Island Boatworks, epoxy, houseboat, Inuit, Nova Scotia, Petite Riviere, Rankin Inlet, shipwrights, traditional building, Wood