CRYOPOLITICS - Original news, photos & maps from the Arctic

Civil dialogue at Arctic Encounter hides deepening rifts

Artemis II brings the world together in space – and closer to the Moon’s south pole

Turning tundra to tarmac, Ilulissat pursues Arctic airport ambitions

As Greenland rejects Starlink, China and Russia tighten military ties

First container ship to sail the China-Europe Arctic Express Route arrives in England

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Global Arctic

Civil dialogue at Arctic Encounter hides deepening rifts

At a conference in Anchorage, a Trump appointee, Greenlandic official, Indigenous representatives, defense contractors, and geoengineering advocates all had their…

Outer Space

Artemis II brings the world together in space – and closer to the Moon’s south pole

Our capacity to bear witness to space exploration by looking up at the stars distinguishes it from polar exploration, which…

Greenland Beyond the Headlines

Turning tundra to tarmac, Ilulissat pursues Arctic airport ambitions

When I ran 45 kilometers to and from Ilulissat to Oqaatsut, the tundra crunched underfoot. That's because the iceberg city's…

Greenland Beyond the Headlines

Turning tundra to tarmac, Ilulissat pursues Arctic airport ambitions

When I ran 45 kilometers to and from Ilulissat to Oqaatsut, the tundra crunched underfoot. That's because the iceberg city's…

A young man walks near the icebergs off Sisimiut, Greenland.

After Venezuela, will Greenland be next to fall in the Western Hemisphere?

While Trump raises fears of Russian and Chinese ships swarming Greenland, the island's residents fear the much more real possibility…

As Greenland rejects Starlink, China and Russia tighten military ties

For many remote Arctic communities, Starlink is the obvious choice for satellite internet. But Greenland, wary of the US, is…

Ilulissat’s icebergs are shrinking

The world-famous icebergs of Ilulissat, Greenland seem large. Towering up to 60 meters above the water, many are. But they…

Geopolitics

Arctic Security Conference: “We are already at war in the Arctic”

The work of Arctic conferences, as niche as they are, should be to reject rather than reproduce megalomaniacal discourses.

In a rebordered Barents region, Kirkenes Conference takes place

The Kirkenes Conference reflected the dark but determined mood on the ground. Chief of police of the Finnmark District said:…

In Longyearbyen, local issues outweigh geopolitical concerns

On the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, community issues take priority over scrambles for the Arctic.

November drives another nail in the coffin for Arctic cooperation

A eulogy for the days when ex-Soviet air traffic controllers from Magadan partied with Federal Aviation Administration lifers from Maryland…

Travel & Photo

Following in the paw prints of the polar bear

I'd always wanted to see a polar bear serendipitously. Finally, while snowmobiling across Svalbard, I came upon one where I…

For Ukrainians in Vardø, the Arctic is a refuge, not a battleground

The Arctic is often perceived as a future military theatre. But while war rages to the south, it has become…

A second day riding across Svalbard, where snowmobiles outnumber people

Day two of a snowmobiling expedition across Svalbard – this time, ending with a sauna and dip in the Arctic…

Snowmobiles going up a mountain in Svalbard.

A crash course in snowmobiling across Svalbard

On the first day of a three-day snowmobile expedition across Svalbard, I learned that operating the machine involves just throttling,…