The Arctic
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
Ethereal ice swirls dance around Arctic peninsula in stunning new satellite image
By Harry Baker published
NASA's Aqua satellite spotted giant ice swirls stretching for hundreds of miles in the Sea of Okhotsk off Russia's P'yagina Peninsula.
Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' megaslump is revealing 650,000 year-old secrets from its permafrost
By Stephanie Pappas published
The permafrost inside the Batagay crater is the second-oldest ever found on Earth and scientists are using it to reconstruct the planet's ancient climate.
Dramatic Arctic Ice Melt Blows Away Previous Record
By Wynne Parry last updated
A summer of record melt for the icy cap on top of the world ends with a new record.
Arctic 'ghost island' that vanished may have actually been a dirty iceberg
By Kevin Hamilton published
The world’s 'northernmost island' isn’t the first to be erased from the map.
Giant viruses are infecting algae in a floating lake in the Arctic
By Patrick Pester published
Giant viruses infect tiny algae in a rare epishelf lake in the Arctic Ocean that's one of the last of its kind.
Sinkholes as big as a skyscraper and as wide as a city street open up in the Arctic seafloor
By Jeanna Bryner published
Giant "sinkholes" — one of which could devour an entire city block holding six-story buildings — are appearing along the Arctic seafloor.
Russian expedition finds evidence of northernmost Stone Age hunters above the Arctic Circle
By Tom Metcalfe published
Ancient cut marks on mammoth bones unearthed on a remote island in the frozen extremes of Siberia are the northernmost evidence of Paleolithic humans ever found, according to archaeologists.
24,000-year-old 'zombies' revived and cloned from Arctic permafrost
By Mindy Weisberger published
Arctic ice dating to 24,000 years ago held frozen microscopic animals called rotifers. Scientists just brought them back to life.
Stay up to date on the latest science news by signing up for our Essentials newsletter.
Thank you for signing up to Live Science. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.