A new literature review summarizes the complex role of freshwater in the Arctic and its impact on climate and biogeochemical systems as a whole.
Arctic
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Climate Models Predict Diverse Arctic Ocean Shipping Routes
As ice melts, multiple models yield more detailed route predictions than any single model alone.
Posted inNews
Arctic States Nearing Science Cooperation Pact
Negotiations are focusing on removing obstacles to conducting research rather than on setting international scientific priorities. Research priorities among Arctic nations already overlap considerably, according to a U.S. negotiator.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Arctic Tides Drive Water Mixing and Sea Ice Loss
Researchers model ice-ocean interaction to study how tides can influence Arctic Ocean circulation and sea ice volume.
Posted inNews
Vanishing Sea Ice Could Trigger More Arctic Precipitation
A promising method for evaluating Arctic precipitation predicts retreating sea ice will increase snow and rainfall in the Arctic and counteract some of global climate change's effects regionally.
Posted inScience Updates
Sounding the Northern Seas
A new compilation of underwater terrain provides the most up-to-date mapping of portions of the western Arctic and North Pacific.
Posted inNews
Giant Balls of Bacteria Pile Up on Arctic Lake Beds, Ooze Toxin
Researchers have found cyanobacteria colonies as big as softballs thriving unexpectedly on shallow Greenland lake bottoms, exuding liver-damaging microcystin. Locals dubbed them "sea tomatoes."
Posted inNews
Arctic Report Card Highlights Profound Regional Changes
The annual assessment focuses on changes to sea ice, snow cover, temperature, and other indicators. Scientists say that changes in the Arctic also affect climate globally.
Posted inNews
Ships Bring More Than Cargo to Arctic Waters
A probe of ballast water in ships at an Arctic port finds hitchhiking organisms that polar warming could allow to invade the region's ecosystems in less than 40 years.
Posted inNews
Obama Uses Alaska Tour to Focus on Climate Change
In speeches and planned visits to a threatened village and a receding glacier, President Obama makes the case that global warming is happening now and warrants immediate action.