Polar Journal

Rockabye baby: the ‘love songs’ of lonely leopard seals resemble human nursery rhymes | Polar Journal Male leopard seals sing for hours each day over many weeks and their patterned trills resemble the structure of human nursery rhymes. A new study reveals that these underwater love songs may be delibe...

Male leopard seals spend hours each day calling underwater during breeding season. A new study shows their vocal patterns are simple, repetitive and remarkably similar to human nursery rhymes.

polarjournal.net/rockabye-bab...

An underwater observatory keeping the pulse of the Southern Ocean for nearly 30 years yields fresh results | Polar Journal For nearly 30 years, an Australian observatory in the Southern Ocean has delivered crucial long-term data on carbon uptake, ecosystem change and climate trends, and its role is becoming more important...

🌊 For nearly 30 years, Australia’s Southern Ocean Time Series has delivered key climate and ocean data — and it's more vital than ever as global monitoring efforts face setbacks.

Originally via The Conversation.

polarjournal.net/an-underwate...

Do Marine Protected Areas in Polar Oceans Actually Work? | Polar Journal New research shows that the success of Marine Protected Areas hinges on strict enforcement, a principle facing major geopolitical and ecological challenges in the planned sanctuaries of the Arctic and...

While it seems easy to create a MPA in polar regions on a map, the reality is more complex. Two new studies that seem to contradict each other, are actually showing which strategies future polar MPAs should take.
polarjournal.net/do-marine-pr...
#conservation #Arctic #Antarctica

On Svalbard, winters are melting too | Polar Journal During a winter field mission in February 2025, an international team of researchers was confronted with above-freezing temperatures, persistent rainfall, and widespread melting across the Svalbard ar...

Looking back, February 2025 was too mild in many regions of the Northern hemisphere, especially on Svalbard. Here, scientists found areas that looked like springtime rather than winter. Read more about it here
👉 polarjournal.net/on-svalbard-...
#climate #svalbard #warming #science

Tsunami warnings for Alaskan islands after 8.8-earthquake | Polar Journal After the strongest earthquake recorded this year near the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula, tsunami warnings were issued from Alaska to Antarctica.

The strongest earthquake recorded this year so far (8.8) has hit the east coast of Kamchatka and authorities in several countries have issued tsunami warnings that reach from Alaska even to East Antarctica.
polarjournal.net/tsunami-warn...
#Alaska #earthquake #tsunami #Antarctica

So Robert Falcon Scott wasn't lying? | Polar Journal Mila Zinkova, an independent atmospheric scientist, has just published a study in the journal Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research that pays tribute to the Terra Nova expedition. She suggests that t...

The end of Scott and his companions on their ill-fated expedition to the South Pole is still debated: did the blizzard occur or not? A new study sheds light on this long debate in favour of Scott.
#Antarctica #history #expedition #weather
polarjournal.net/so-robert-fa...

The Polar Retrospective - 10 tractors for Antarctica, iceberg calving triggered by tides, and wildfires and polar bears | Polar Journal The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at a $17 million contract between the Norwegian Polar Institute and Prinoth, at new insi...

Last week saw some hot topics coming from the polar regions and we managed to catch a few for you. Whether you are interested in technics, science or conservation, you’ll find it in our team’s latest retrospective
#Arctic #Antarctica #science #technical #polarbear
polarjournal.net/the-polar-re...

Can we reclaim the narrative in a world abandoning climate protection? Whether you look at science or news reports of weather extremes across the globe, there can be no doubt climate warming is already playing havoc with our livels. So why is the willingness to do som…

When vacation photos from the far north show a glacier at 30°C, it's clear that something is wrong with the climate. In her new blog, @iceblogger.bsky.social asks why so many don't care and whether we can regain control of the situation.
iceblog.org/2025/07/22/c...

In German exclusively with us.

Protecting Arctic foxes in Fennoscandia from genetic decline | Polar Journal Following a dramatic decline, Arctic foxes are gradually recovering in northern Europe thanks to targeted conservation efforts. But while their numbers are rising, their genetic diversity isn’t – and ...

Arctic foxes are slowly recovering in northern Europe – but inbreeding remains a threat.
A new report shows that genetic diversity isn’t keeping pace with population growth. Conservationists now aim to improve gene flow between fragmented groups.

polarjournal.net/protecting-a...

The Complex Path to a New U.S. Icebreaker Fleet | Polar Journal The US icebreaker program is struggling amidst high costs and delays while a Finnish-Canadian consortium could help but is hampered by the current trade policy of the US government.

Icebreakers are essential. However, the #USA has been struggling for more than a decade to modernize its fleet. While a newly acquired vessel enters the service of the @uscg-official.bsky.social construction of new #icebreakers faces several issues.
polarjournal.net/the-complex-...
#Arctic #ships

Wordie - Chronicle of a disappearance | Polar Journal We've almost forgotten it, but Wordie wasn't always a bay: it was once an ice shelf, and its slow disappearance is a textbook example of the powerful phenomenon of glacier collapse at work in Antarcti...

We've almost forgotten it, but Wordie wasn't always a bay: it was once an ici shelf, and its slow disappearance is a typical example of the powerful phenomenon of #glacier collapse in #Antarctica, fuelled by human activity and political inaction. #Climate polarjournal.net/wordie-chron...

The Polar Retrospective – French Arctic Defense Strategy, gravity waves in the Arctic Ocean and the eruption of a volcano in Iceland | Polar Journal The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at the French defense strategy for the Arctic, a new research group investigating gravity waves in the Arctic Ocean and the eruption of a volcano.

Today, our team dives deep into the Arctic, from the deep sea to the deep earth to deep defense politics in their retrospective of last week’s happenings in polar regions.
All just one click away.
polarjournal.net/the-polar-re...

#Arctic #politics #science #iceland #France #ocean #volcano

How early life could have survived the "Snowball Earth" phases | Polar Journal While the Earth endured icy millions of years, early life may have survived near the equator, according to a new study of microorganisms in Antarctic meltwater ponds.

Could life have survived the “Snowball Earth” ice ages in meltwater ponds near the equator?
A new Antarctic study finds diverse microbial life in ephemeral ponds on the McMurdo Ice Shelf — offering clues to how early eukaryotes endured one of the coldest chapters in Earth’s history.

China's Arctic Paradox: Calling for Caution Amidst Shipping Expansion | Polar Journal While Chinese scientists issue urgent pleas to limit Arctic shipping to protect the region from the environmental impact, Chinese shipping companies plan on sending more and more vessels into the Arct...

China's economy views the Arctic as crucial to securing its global economic power. At the same time, however, Chinese scientists are loudly calling for the international regulation of shipping in the Arctic. A paradox?
#Arctic #economy #china #science
polarjournal.net/chinas-arcti...

Thwaites: countdown to disintegration | Polar Journal The Thwaites Glacier is living out its last years of stability: the disintegration of its floating shelf has begun. As spectators of a predicted collapse, we witness the countdown of a colossus whose ...

The Thwaites Glacier is living out its last years of stability: the disintegration of its floating platform is approaching. Find out in this article about the last 6 years of scientific discoveries on Thwaites.
#Antarctica #Glacier #icemelting
polarjournal.net/thwaites-cou...

The Polar Retrospective - Successful Antarctic Citizen Science Project, Arctic Toxins and Erupting Volcanoes | Polar Journal The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at the impact of an NASA backed citizen science project in Antarctica, the increase in t...

A look back at the past week in the polar regions with the impact of a NASA-supported #citizen science project in Antarctica, rising #toxin levels in Arctic Alaska and melting glaciers that could trigger new volcanic #eruptions.
polarjournal.net/the-polar-re...

More and more tourists are flocking to Antarctica. Let’s stop it from being loved to death | Polar Journal Professors Darla Hatton MacDonald and Elizabeth Leane explain how new market based tools can help to prevent overtourism in Antarctica in this article provided by The Conversation.

Professors Darla Hatton MacDonald and Elizabeth Leane explain how new market based tools can help to prevent overtourism in Antarctica in this article provided by The Conversation.
polarjournal.net/more-and-mor...
#Antarctica #Tourism

“No Arctic Sovereignty Without Inuit Security”: Nunavut Leads the Arctic Debate | Polar Journal As the Arctic once again attracts military and economic interest, Nunavut reminds Ottawa and the world of a fundamental truth: Canadian sovereignty in the North cannot exist without the Inuit. Gathere...

As the Arctic once again attracts military and economic interest, Nunavut reminds Ottawa and the world of a fundamental truth: Canadian sovereignty in the North cannot exist without the Inuit. @govofnunavut.bsky.social

polarjournal.net/no-arctic-so...

A bird that's an emperor in name only | Polar Journal No sooner has the emperor penguin begun to reveal its secrets than it's already disappearing. Beacon of a climate in crisis, this emblematic Antarctic bird could disappear before we even get to know i...

No sooner has the #emperorpenguin begun to reveal its secrets than it's already disappearing from #Antarctica. This article summarizes @polarjournal.bsky.social's long-term monitoring of scientific publications and the Antarctic #Treaty concerning this iconic bird.
polarjournal.net/a-bird-thats...

The Polar Retrospective – Permafrost thawing, a shift in Nordic skies, and ATCM closure | Polar Journal The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at ancient permafrost thawing, a change in airline ownership, and the conclusion of Anta...

This week's Polar Retrospective takes a look at ancient permafrost thawing, a change in airline ownership, and the conclusion of Antarctic Treaty meetings without any major declarations.

Read the full story 👉 polarjournal.net/the-polar-re...

Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse | Polar Journal Despite accelerating climate impacts in Antarctica, international research output is falling, with China overtaking traditional leaders like the U.S. in scientific influence—raising urgent concerns ab...

polarjournal.net/antarctic-re...

Despite accelerating climate impacts in Antarctica, international research output is falling, with China overtaking traditional leaders like the U.S. in scientific influence—raising urgent concerns about future governance and global preparedness.

The Canadian Arctic as a Guardian of Earth’s Oldest Secrets | Polar Journal A new study has confirmed that a slice of crust in northern Canada is the oldest on record, solidifying the Arctic region's reputation as a unique window into Earth's fiery birth.

A secret from the Canadian north offers a glimpse into a time where the Earth was young and fiery hot. Cool rocks from the cold Arctic showing a hot past to research from Canada and France.
#Arctic #geology #Canada #France
polarjournal.net/the-canadian...

Do Antarctic anchorages have an impact? | Polar Journal Never-before-seen images filmed in Antarctica show traces of anchoring on a deep, untouched seabed. Without concluding that there is a definite impact, a study invites us to consider the potential eff...

Do Antarctic anchorages have an impact? - @camille-lin.bsky.social @polarjournal.bsky.social

polarjournal.net/do-antarctic...

Drone footage captured orcas crafting tools out of kelp – and using them for grooming | Polar Journal The more we learn about orcas, the more remarkable they are. These giant dolphins are the ocean’s true apex predator, preying on great white sharks and other lesser predators.

Orcas are already fascinating with their ying and yang ☯ colors, but the more we learn about them, the more remarkable they are. These giant #dolphins are the true apex #predator of the ocean, preying on great white sharks and other lesser predators.
polarjournal.net/drone-footag...

Do Antarctic anchorages have an impact? | Polar Journal Never-before-seen images filmed in Antarctica show traces of anchoring on a deep, untouched seabed. Without concluding that there is a definite impact, a study invites us to consider the potential eff...

Never-before-seen images filmed in #Antarctica show traces of #anchoring on a deep, untouched #seabed. Without concluding that there is a definite impact, a study invites us to consider the potential effects of human activities on these fragile ecosystems.
🦋 polarjournal.net/do-antarctic...

The Polar Retrospective - Alaskan senator between ice and oil, Antarctic debates in Milan and leopard seals' diet | Polar Journal The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at an Alaskan senator facing warming state and icy situation in Washington, at the 47th ...

This week polar retrospective takes a look at an Alaskan senator facing warming state and icy situation in Washington, at the 47th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings, and the impact of leopard seals’ diet.

polarjournal.net/the-polar-re...

📸 Secretariat of Antarctic Treaty

Whalers’ Memory Bank: When Former Whalers Tell Their Story | Polar Journal A new project launching this week in Dundee brings together long-lost stories, photos and personal artefacts from Scottish whaling communities, not to glorify the industry, but to preserve its human h...

Whalers’ Memory Bank: When Former Whalers Tell Their Story

Watch today ‪@southgeorgiaht.bsky.social‬‬

polarjournal.net/whalers-memo...

📸 Whalers’ Memory Bank

Four people stand on the ship's helideck, looking at a glacier that is being lit up by the ship's searchlight

RRS Sir David Attenborough has just wrapped up a first-of-its-kind science cruise, conducting research in the middle of polar winter...

📸Mike Meredith

Line graph time series of daily mean Arctic sea ice thickness for each year from 1979 to 2025 using shades of red, white and blue. A seasonal cycle is shown with thicker ice in late winter and thinner ice in late summer. A long-term decreasing trend is also visible. Data is from PIOMAS v2.1.

Color is used in this graph to help reveal the obvious long-term declining trend in the average thickness of #Arctic sea ice. We need more resources and data to understand all of the consequences of Arctic change.

Data is updated through end of May 2025. More graphics: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

Poster for 2025 Virtual Work Experience by Creative Tuition Collective and British Antarctic Survey, featuring Antarctic imagery and event details.

Dreaming of a career in polar science? ❄️

Applications are OPEN for our Virtual Summer Work Experience Week 2025! 23 to 30 July 2025
📆 Apply by 4 July to snag your spot!

#STEM #PolarScience #Antarctica #WorkExperience #FutureScientists