The Arctic

The Arctic region of the Earth is defined roughly as the area above 66 degrees north latitude and is largely a vast ocean covered by sea-ice, though that ice is being affected by global warming. The Arctic also includes much of Greenland, which is covered by a massive ice sheet, as well as the frozen tundra of Europe, Asia and North America. It has distinctive plants and animals found only there, such as the polar bear and the Arctic fox. Read below for the latest news and research from and on the Arctic, its ice and the life it supports.

Related Topics: Antarctica, Glaciers, Polar Bears, Climate Change

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A polar bear carries a seal carcass along the Arctic coast.

Move over polar bears, there's another top predator along the Arctic coast

By Harry Baker published

A new study has revealed that certain sea stars rival polar bears as the most prolific predators in coastal Arctic ecosystems.

A surface phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea in Antarctica captured by NASA's Aqua satellite on Jan. 11 2011. New research suggests blooms like this may also exist further beneath the surface in both of Earth's polar regions.

Logic-defying 'bottom blooms' could sustain hidden ecosystems in Arctic and Antarctica

By Harry Baker published

A pair of new studies has revealed 'highly unlikely' phytoplankton blooms appearing near the seafloor and under sea ice at both Earth's poles.

Overhead photo of Qeqertaq Avannarleq, a Ghost Island which turned out to be a dirty iceberg.

Arctic 'ghost island' that vanished may have actually been a dirty iceberg

By Kevin Hamilton published

The world’s 'northernmost island' isn’t the first to be erased from the map.

The Milne Fiord epishelf lake in Neige Bay, Canada.

Giant viruses are infecting algae in a floating lake in the Arctic

By Patrick Pester published

Giant viruses infect tiny algae in a rare epishelf lake in the Arctic Ocean that's one of the last of its kind.

Researchers have discovered a new population of polar bears in Greenland.

Secret population of polar bears found living in seemingly impossible habitat

By Harry Baker last updated

The discovery provides a glimmer of hope for the iconic white bears.

Resinous trees dot the tundra landscape on northwestern Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula.

Siberian tundra could vanish in less than 500 years

By Stephanie Pappas published

The Siberian tundra will shrink even with ambitious greenhouse gas reductions. Without them, it could disappear altogether.

Simultaneous heatwaves have hit both polar regions and caused temperatures to rise by at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit in certain areas.

Alarming heat waves hit Arctic and Antarctica at the same time

By Harry Baker published

Simultaneous heat waves have hit the Arctic and Antarctica, raising temperatures by more than 50 degrees in parts of both polar regions.

Researchers studying Greenland's Hiawatha crater conducted research at the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet in 2019.

Massive asteroid hit Greenland when it was a lush rainforest, under-ice crater shows

By Stephanie Pappas published

A huge impact crater beneath the ice in Greenland dates back 58 million years, to when the Arctic was green and populated by hippo-like animals.

Aerial view of researchers working on Arctic sea ice.

The Arctic Circle: Polar portal to the Arctic

By Tiffany Means published

Located about 66.5 degrees north of the Equator lies the Arctic Circle — a line of latitude that outlines the border of Earth's northernmost region known as the Arctic.

polar-stratospheric-clouds-110210-02

Unusual Clouds Caught by Satellite Over Greenland

By Live Science Staff published

Clouds don't normally form this high in the atmosphere.