Polar bear microbiota in a changing world

Posted on 20 August 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Sophie Watson As one of the most ice-dependent Arctic marine mammals, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are an iconic species of climate change. The media is peppered with evidence of the damaging effects of climate change on this sentinel species, often citing habitat loss, shifts in prey availability/abundance, and transitions in inter-species interactions. We know
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Introducing IASC

Posted on 19 July 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Allen Pope. The Arctic is a huge natural laboratory offering a surprising diversity of research possibilities in every branch of science. The International Arctic Science Committee’s (IASC) mission is to encourage and facilitate cooperation in all aspects of Arctic research, in all countries engaged in Arctic research, and all areas of the Arctic region. For
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Recent Developments in Arctic Maritime Constabulary Forces: Canadian and Norwegian Perspectives

Posted on 13 June 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Timothy Choi Within ongoing discussions on the state of Arctic geopolitics and prospects for continued interstate cooperation, a prominent variable has been the changes in Arctic states’ respective military power. Foremost amongst this has been the observation that all five Arctic coastal states have been procuring maritime forces dedicated to operations in Arctic waters,
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Marine Mammals in the Military

Posted on 5 June 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Charlotte Gehrke In April 2019, a beluga whale wearing a harness with a label reading ‘Equipment St. Petersberg’ was repeatedly spotted in Norwegian waters. This headline appeared only a few weeks after almost 100 beluga whales and orcas captured and held by a Russian fishery were released back into the wild. The whale, who has since
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Teaching Arctic Climate Change Humanities with the Sedna Epic Expedition

Posted on 6 May 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Kelly Patricia Bushnell. Across Inuit Nunangat, Sedna is the Goddess of the Sea and the mother of all marine mammals.  The Sedna Epic Expedition is a multi-year project in the High Arctic which brings together an interdisciplinary team of women ocean professionals focused on scouting, documenting and recording disappearing sea ice in the Arctic via
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The NOW Project: Living Resources and Human Societies in the North Water of the Thule Area

Posted on 28 February 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Bjarne Grønnow. The North Water (NOW) between the Thule area and Ellesmere Island in the High Arctic is an open water area all year – a polynya. Nutrient-rich sea-currents create an ‘oasis’ with an abundance of prey for hunters, and these rich living resources have formed the basis for human subsistence for millennia. The
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China’s great power climate responsibility and the Arctic

Posted on 20 February 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Sanna Kopra. Despite scientific consensus on the multiple adverse effects of climate change, international negotiations on climate change have been slow and troublesome. In my previous study, I suggested that one reason for this has been the lack of great power leadership in international climate politics: Great powers have failed to acknowledge that with
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Women in the Arctic and Antarctic

Posted on 8 February 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Danita Burke. My name is Danita Catherine Burke and I am an international politics and Arctic politics scholar with over 12 years of experience doing Polar research. I am from Newfoundland, Canada and I current live in Denmark. I have an undergraduate (honours) degree in Political Science with a minor in Business and a
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Taking the Long View: Arctic Relations and the Historical Imperative

Posted on 5 February 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By John Woitkowitz. Speaking during the 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial in Berlin in October 2018, Georg Schütte, State Secretary for Education and Research made the case for Germany’s Arctic bona fides: “For a century and a half, we have conducted research at the North Pole. Over this period, we have gained a significant reputation. It is
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Ny-Ålesund and the ascent of science on Svalbard

Posted on 1 February 2019 by Charlotte Gehrke

By Eric Paglia. Svalbard is currently undergoing a significant socio-economic transition, with coalmining—once the primary economic activity and raison d’être for all Svalbard settlements—in rapid decline. Mining proved unprofitable for much of the coal era, while blackening Norway’s claims of enlightened stewardship of the Svalbard environment and damaging its international image as a country of
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