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.
Latest about Arctic
Massive blue 'melt pond' in Arctic glacier is an eerie sign of things to come
Earth from space A 2014 photo shows a massive, iceberg-littered pool of vibrant blue meltwater sitting alone on top of a glacier in Alaska. Similar "melt ponds" are becoming increasingly common in the Arctic due to climate change and are further accelerating the rate of ice loss across the region.
4 near-identical glaciers spark new life in Arctic island's 'polar desert'
Earth from space This 2012 satellite photo shows a quartet of near-identical glaciers on Canada's Ellesmere Island. The ice masses help to spark life in the otherwise barren Arctic environment.
Iconic 'Star Trek' symbol shines brightly in sea of muddy Arctic sea ice
Earth from space A 2012 satellite photo captured a patch of snow-covered sea ice with an uncannily similar shape to badges pinned on the uniforms of Starfleet officers in the "Star Trek" franchise.
Ghostly figure emerges in Greenland ice after underground lake collapses
Earth from space In 2011, a ghostly depression, known as "the mitten," appeared on the surface of and ice sheet in Greenland after the unprecedented collapse of a concealed subglacial lake.
Gateway to the underworld: The enormous permafrost 'megaslump' in Siberia that keeps getting bigger
The growing "gateway to the underworld," officially known as the Batagay megaslump, is the largest megaslump in the world and exposes permafrost layers that are 650,000 years old.
Trio of ringed ice caps look otherworldly on Russian Arctic islands
Earth from space This 2018 satellite photo of ice caps on the Arctic islands of Russia's Severnaya Zemlya archipelago highlights the beautiful concentric rings of color in the ice, which stand out against the islands' barren landscape.
Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' is growing a staggering amount each year
The Batagay megaslump — a 3,250-foot-wide (990 meters) depression in the permafrost in the Russian Far East — is "actively growing" by a massive amount every year, scientists have found.
Mysterious wave ripples across 'galaxy' of icebergs in Arctic fjord
Earth from space A puzzling arc was spotted in the water of a Greenland fjord littered with iceberg fragments. There are a couple of possible explanations for this bizarre phenomenon but we will likely never know what caused it, experts say.
