All articles tagged with #arctic
Three Trump allies openly pursuing business and policy in Greenland—Drew Horn’s data-center project, Thomas Dans’s Arctic outreach and government role, and Chris Cox’s pro-Trump campaigning—have drawn Danish scrutiny as Denmark summoned a U.S. diplomat; the episode underscores how Trump associates blend business and policy in Greenland amid rising Arctic interest.
Arctic sea ice reached its winter maximum at about 5.52 million square miles, roughly tying the lowest on record and about 525,000 square miles below the 1981-2010 winter average, signaling a steady decline as warming continues. The smaller ice pack means less sunlight reflected, allowing more heat to enter the oceans and potentially affect the summer melt and weather patterns. Antarctica meanwhile posted its coldest March day on record; melting sea ice does not raise sea levels, but the broader loss signals climate disruption with implications for ecosystems and shipping routes.
Danish broadcaster DR reports Denmark secretly deployed troops to Greenland in January with explosives and medical supplies as a contingency against a potential US invasion, part of a NATO Arctic Endurance exercise that included allies France, Germany and Sweden; the plan was detailed in an operations order, while Danish and Greenlandic leaders reportedly resisted Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, and NORTHCOM later signaled expanded access to Greenland bases.
Denmark reportedly prepared to blow up Greenland airstrips in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq to deny access to potential US forces in a worst-case scenario, as European allies rushed troops and resources (including armed F-35s and blood supplies) to the Arctic; the episode followed heightened US pressure to seize Greenland and a political turning point after a US operation in Venezuela, with PM Mette Frederiksen later saying Europe is Denmark’s closer ally and calling a snap election for March 24.
DR reports that a January Danish-led Greenland deployment, part of Operation Arctic Endurance and including troops from France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden, was prepared to destroy key runways at Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq to prevent a US invasion amid Donald Trump’s Greenland ambitions; the claim, backed by multiple Danish and European sources, comes as Copenhagen sought European support, while the Danish defence ministry declined to comment.
Denmark reportedly prepared contingency measures in Greenland in January amid U.S. threats to seize the Arctic island, including explosives to destroy Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq runways and blood supplies for troops; the plan, backed by France and Germany, was intended to raise the costs of any takeover. The crisis was defused through NATO mediation by Mark Rutte, and Denmark says talks with the United States are ongoing on a sovereignty-respecting compromise.
NASA’s Image of the Day highlights the 2022 Arctic summer melt in Cañon Fiord, where sediment plumes and fractured sea ice trace swirling eddies in a branch of the Nansen Sound fjord system; turquoise waters reveal glacial flour carried by meltwater, and satellite data show Arctic glaciers in the Canadian Archipelago have been shrinking since the mid-2000s.
NATO artillery crews in northern Norway are learning to integrate cheap reconnaissance drones with traditional fire support, applying lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine; while drones help find targets and guide shells, the brutal Arctic conditions strain equipment, reinforcing that artillery remains central. British, Norwegian, and US Marines are practicing drone-assisted targeting and shoot‑and‑scoot tactics during Cold Response 26 in Setermoen.
A 23-million-year-old hornless rhino, Epiaceratherium itjilik, was unearthed in Canada’s High Arctic at Haughton Crater, with about 75% of its skeleton remarkably well preserved. The find offers new insights into Arctic ecosystems, rhino evolution, and long-distance migration via a North Atlantic land bridge, while recent advances in paleontology include recovering partial proteins from enamel in 2025, expanding methods for studying ancient mammals.
A near-complete 23-million-year-old rhinoceros skeleton, Epiaceratherium itjilik, was found in Canada’s High Arctic (Devon Island’s Haughton Crater), nicknamed the “frosty rhino.” The discovery shows rhinos once roamed far north, hints at a migration route via a Greenland land bridge, and sheds light on Arctic environments and rhino evolution; researchers even recovered partial enamel proteins, and the fossil will reside at the Canadian Museum of Nature.
A New York Times science feature follows a reporter and a photojournalist as they retrace the century-old pursuit of auroral science, traveling above the Arctic Circle to Alta, Norway, to revisit the first aurora observatory (established in 1899) and reflect on the challenges and evolution of remote-field research in documenting the Northern Lights.
Russia has pulled most of its Arctic troops to fight in Ukraine and suffered heavy losses, but NATO and Western analysts warn Moscow will rebuild and pose a stronger challenge in the High North. Allies are boosting Arctic defenses, training, surveillance, and mobility capabilities, with exercises like Cold Response signaling preparation for a future, more capable Russian threat.
Since 1980, the Arctic’s minimum sea ice has shrunk by about 1.1 million square miles (roughly the size of Argentina), at a rate of about 12.2% per decade, with projections of ice-free summers by around 2050. The visualization (NASA/World Bank data) maps ice loss against country land areas, highlighting geopolitical and shipping shifts as Arctic routes open up. Global powers, including China with its Polar Silk Road and the Northern Sea Route, are preparing for a more accessible Arctic, while the region also holds significant oil potential (~412 billion barrels) and Greenland’s rare-earth reserves (~1.5 million metric tons).
President Trump floated sending a “great hospital ship” to Greenland to care for the island’s sick, but Greenland doesn’t want the help and the U.S. appears to have no hospital ships available, leaving leaders puzzled about the proposal’s feasibility and motivation.
Britain will deploy its Carrier Strike Group in 2026, led by HMS Prince of Wales, across the North Atlantic and Arctic as part of Operation Firecrest. The mission will include Royal Navy ships and RAF F-35 jets, operate with NATO Standing Naval Maritime Group 1 (with HMS Dragon as command ship), and involve Joint Force Command Norfolk; parts of the deployment will be NATO-led with US participation from a visiting port. The move follows the 2025 Indo-Pacific deployment and signals strengthened UK-NATO deterrence amid rising Russian activity, as the UK pledges to boost defence spending to 2.6% of GDP from 2027.