NOAA: 2020 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Second Lowest on Record This article first appeared on the climate.gov website and was written by Michon Scott On September 15, 2020, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced, Arctic sea ice appeared to have reached its annual minimum extent. At 1.44 million square miles (3.74 million square kilometers), this minimum was second only to the record-low extent observed on September 17, […] Weather SnowBrains | September 24, 2020 0 Comments
Microfibers From Denim Blue Jeans Have Been Discovered in the Arctic Denim blue jean fibers have been found in the Arctic, according to a new study. Denim is the most popular clothing in the world. At any one time, half the world is wearing blue jeans or some other form of denim. Given the number of blue jeans around the world, a group from the University of Toronto wanted to see […] Brains Alex Camerino | September 12, 2020 0 Comments
Man Killed by Polar Bear in Norway’s Svalbard Islands, Bear Shot and Killed A man was killed by a polar bear after the animal attacked a camping site in Norway’s Svalbard Islands in the Arctic Circle earlier this morning. The attack happened at 4 am and nobody else was injured, although six people were hospitalized for shock. The man was taken to a hospital in Longyearbyen, the main settlement of the archipelago, where he […] SnowBrains | August 28, 2020 0 Comments
Hottest Day Ever Recorded in Svalbard, Norway Last Month The hottest day ever recorded in the small town of Longyearbyen occurred on July 26, 2020. The high temperature for the day was 21.7ºC (71.06ºF). Longyearbyen is a town of about 3,000 people on the Norwegian island of Svalbard. The town lies just over 620 miles from the North Pole. While July is typically the hottest month of the year, […] Alex Camerino | August 3, 2020 0 Comments
The Polar Bear Could Become Extinct by 2100 The polar bear population could become extinct by 2100 due to climate change, according to research published in the journal Nature. Polar bears are spread across 19 distinct sub-populations in Canada, Alaska, Siberia, Svalbard Island, and Greenland. Their dwindling bodyweight undermines their chances of surviving Arctic winters without food. With temperatures warming twice as fast in the Arctic as the […] Brains Sebastian Opazo | July 24, 2020 4 Comments
Newly Discovered Fossilized Raptor May Have Been an Arctic Resident A new species of raptor has been identified by paleontologists in the Arctic region of Alaska. This newly discovered type of dromaeosaurid, a predatory bird-like dinosaur, is related to Velociraptors and lived approximately 70 million years ago. The fossil is the tip of a jaw bone with a tooth measuring just 0.55 inches (14 millimeters). Adult raptors most likely ranged from […] Brains Alex Camerino | July 20, 2020 0 Comments
Is Your Car Abandoned in the Arctic? A Peugeot 206 has been abandoned in the Arctic Circle thousands of miles from where it was originally sold. The car was originally sold in Norfolk, England, but that is one of the only things known about the vehicle. The Peugeot was abandoned approximately 2,109 miles (3,394 km) from Norfolk in Finnvikdalen, Norway. Related: Norway’s Glacier Resorts Normally Open to […] Alex Camerino | July 15, 2020 0 Comments
Thawing Permafrost Could Trigger New Pandemic In the middle of a global pandemic, what else could possibly go wrong? Well, another pandemic. Except this new one could be triggered by bacteria revived from thawing permafrost in the Arctic. Wait back up, is this for real? Sadly yes. During a major skillshare meeting last November in Hannover, Germany, scientists discussed the threat of microbes revived by the […] Industry News Gabrielle Gasser | July 9, 2020 0 Comments