Most detailed seafloor depth map of Arctic Ocean released

Most detailed seafloor depth map of Arctic Ocean released

An international team of researchers released the most detailed seafloor depth map of the Arctic Ocean. The map, which is the 4.0 version of the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO), expands up to 19.6 percent of the submarine surface mapped…

Phytoplankton blooms on the rise across Arctic Ocean

Phytoplankton blooms on the rise across Arctic Ocean

NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites captured a majestic shot of blooms of phytoplankton showing up in higher concentrations across the Arctic Ocean this summer. Every summer, parts of the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas lose their ice cover and bask in ample…

Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits north of Franz Josef Land, Arctic Ocean

Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits north of Franz Josef Land, Arctic Ocean

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit north of Franz Josef Land, Arctic ocean at 19:11 UTC on October 28, 2017. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth. This is the third…

Beginning of Arctic sea ice melting season

Beginning of Arctic sea ice melting season

The average extent of sea ice in the Arctic has begun shrinking and will probably reach its minimum extent sometime in mid-September. Arctic sea ice reached this year’s maximum extent on March 15 at 15.13 million square kilometers (5.84 million square

Circumpolar rivers most responsible for high levels of mercury in the Arctic

Circumpolar rivers most responsible for high levels of mercury in the Arctic

Toxic mercury in the arctic, long thought to be coming primarily from atmospheric sources, is also being carried into the region by rivers. The Arctic accumulation of toxic mercury is caused by both atmospheric forces and the flow of circumpolar rivers that carry the

Arctic shipping routes open

Arctic shipping routes open

Satellite measurements show we are heading for another year of below-average ice cover in the Arctic. As sea ice melts during the summer months, two major shipping routes have opened in the Arctic Ocean.In 2008 satellites saw that the Northwest Passage and the Northern

Large variations in Arctic sea ice

Large variations in Arctic sea ice

For the last 10,000 years, summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been far from constant. For several thousand years, there was much less sea ice in The Arctic Ocean – probably less than half of current amounts. This is indicated by new findings by the Danish National

2011: Headed for record Arctic melt?

2011: Headed for record Arctic melt?

This year could be well on its way toward earning a dubious spot in the record books.Arctic sea ice has melted away with astonishing speed in the first half of July, at an average rate of about 46,000 square miles (120,000 square kilometers) per day, according to the Na