In August 2016 the 13-deck, 1,000-passenger Crystal Serenity set sail from Alaska to become the first cruise liner to attempt the Arctic’s fabled “north-west passage” that runs across the top of North America from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Until recently the passage was too clogged with ice for all but the sturdiest of ships. […] … learn more→
Tag Archives: Arctic

Whose job is it to protect the Arctic?
As sea ice shrinks, Arctic shipping options expand
On October 7, 2013, the Nordic Orion bulk carrier ship completed its journey from Vancouver, Canada, to Pori, Finland, having traveled northward around Alaska and through the Northwest Passage. It was the first large commercial freighter ever to make the voyage through these typically ice-covered Arctic waters. Avoiding the longer journey, through the Panama Canal, […] … learn more→
Southern Ocean life is unique and needs protection
On the 16th of July, Russian delegates blocked proposals to create a marine protected area (MPA) in Antarctica’s Southern Ocean. The area involved, the Ross Sea, is often nicknamed “the last ocean,” as it is one of the largest and least touched areas of biodiversity in the world. Russia’s veto meant that plans to protect […] … learn more→
On Arctic Sea ice melt and coal mine canaries
Despite peak global temperatures in 2005 and 2010 (unprecedented in the instrumental record), a recent sharp plunge in volume of the Arctic Sea ice and a spate of extreme weather events, coal mining, coal exports and carbon emissions continue to grow, overwhelming any mitigation attempted by schemes such as the Australian carbon price. And although […] … learn more→
Student trades sunny India for the icy Arctic in her quest for research
Freezing weather conditions, the risk of polar bears and intense days of field work have become the norm for an Indian postgraduate student at the University of Sheffield, who has swapped the hot and sunny climes of India to realise her dream of carrying out groundbreaking research in the Arctic. Sonal Choudhary, aged 26, has […] … learn more→