The largest ozone hole ever seen above the Arctic has closed again just weeks after being announced

Ozone is a molecule comprised of three oxygen atoms that occurs naturally in small amounts.  In the stratosphere, roughly seven to 25 miles above Earth’s surface, the ozone layer acts like sunscreen, shielding the planet from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancer and cataracts, suppress immune systems and also damage plants.  It … Read more

Russian paratroopers wearing oxygen masks and white camouflage jump from 33,000ft over the Arctic

 Russian paratroopers wearing oxygen masks and white camouflage jumped 33,000ft out of a plane over the Arctic as part of a war games exercise. The paratroopers reportedly jumped from a height of 10,000 metres (32,808 feet) from an Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlifter. The soldiers were wearing ‘special parachute systems’ and oxygen equipment and carried out combat … Read more

Arctic ocean will be ice-free in summer before 2050 even if emission cutting goals are met

Arctic ocean will be ice-free in the summer before 2050 even if emission cutting goals are met, shock study reveals Sea ice in the Arctic grows and shrinks across the seasons, not melting entirely This will change in the future even if temperature rises are kept under 2°C (3.6°F) Experts modelled the impact on Arctic … Read more

‘Record-breaking’ ozone hole has formed over the Arctic

‘Record-breaking’ ozone hole has formed over the Arctic due to a ‘polar vortex’ caused by freezing temperatures in the atmosphere Unlike the Antarctic ozone layer hole this will likely not appear again next year  Researchers say it was caused by freezing temperatures in the stratosphere Holes appear occasionally in the Arctic ozone layer but this … Read more

100 scientists stranded on Arctic ship during COVID-19 pandemic after countries shut down borders

100 scientists are stranded on a research ship in the Arctic after the coronavirus pandemic causes countries shut their borders Researchers that were part of the MOSACiC expedition in the Arctic won’t be replaced by a new crew in mid-April as originally scheduled A replacement team had been set to fly out of Norway with … Read more

Photographer Amos Chapple tests the new iPhone 11 Pro’s night mode in Arctic Murmansk during winter

The vaunted iPhone 11 Pro has a ‘night mode’ – and where better to test it than in Arctic Murmansk during December, when the sun never rises? That was the thinking behind Radio Free Europe photographer Amos Chapple’s odyssey to the Russian city. And the results are mesmerising. Radio Free Europe photographer Amos Chapple visited … Read more

Top 20 hotels for 2020, from the Arctic to Versailles

Fancy spending the night in an old London police cell or chilling out in a floating cabin in Swedish Lapland? Here we pick the hottest hotel openings for 2020 from around the globe, including the best for art-lovers, safari fans, budgeteers and more. Scroll down for the full list… LONDON NoMad The NoMad opens in … Read more

Light pollution from ships is playing havoc with Arctic marine animals by masking natural light 

Light pollution caused by the bright beams from ships is playing havoc with Arctic marine animals by masking natural light from the moon, stars and aurora borealis. Studying the impact of light on marine life during the Arctic’s long polar night, experts found that ships can disturb marine life up to depths of 650 feet. … Read more

New artifacts discovered from doomed HMS Erebus arctic expedition in 1845 that left 128 men dead

A new collection of artifacts have been pulled from the wreckage of the HMS Erebus, an English ship that became trapped by sea ice in the Canadian Arctic in 1846, leaving its 128-person crew to die under still mysterious circumstances. The artifacts were retrieved by a team of divers from Parks Canada’s underwater archaeology team, … Read more

Climate change is causing a ‘sudden and dramatic shift’ in the Pacific Arctic, experts warn

Climate change is causing a ‘sudden and dramatic shift’ in the Pacific Arctic as temperatures rise and sea ice recedes Experts analyzed data on water temperatures, sea ice levels and wildlife patterns from the Bering and Chukchi marine shelf located between Alaska and Russia They found the Arctic is warming at a faster rate than the … Read more