Arctic Stories

  • Why we must help Bristol Bay now

    April 02, 2018

    Bristol Bay, Alaska is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world and the source of the world's largest wild salmon fishery. Yet its future is in jeopardy from the proposal for Pebble Mine. Now the US Army Corps of Engineers is attempting to fast track the mine's permit application and we must take action now.

    bristol bay aerial
  • Lack of winter sea ice disrupts life in the Arctic

    March 23, 2018

    It’s the second-worst winter for sea ice in the Arctic. As this rapid warming trend continues, entire ecosystems are unraveling and the consequences are impacting daily life in the Arctic as well as life in coastal communities thousands of miles away.

     
    diomede island arctic
  • One Arctic town's very busy polar bear patrol

    February 26, 2018

    In 2007, nine polar bear conflicts were registered in all of Greenland. By 2017, there were 21 conflicts between August and December in the village of Ittoqqortoormiit alone. In almost all of the 21 cases, the local polar bear patrol was called to ensure that the bears were scared away from the community and kept under observation.

    polar bear patrol in Greenland
  • 3 things you should know about January’s record-low Arctic sea ice

    February 22, 2018

    January 2018 brought record-low sea ice cover to the Arctic, according to new data released by the US government. That’s bad news for the ocean, wildlife, and local communities that rely on both for survival.

    Ice melting in Bering Strait
  • A young walrus strays from his herd—and swims close to a photographer

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2018
    In May 2014, a young male walrus arrived at a remote island near where photographer Audun Rickarden lives in Tromsø, in northern Norway. Thus began the strangest wildlife interaction he's ever had.
    walrus spring2018
  • Trump Administration to roll back crucial Arctic protections

    January 05, 2018

    The Arctic Ocean—the pristine home to bowhead whales, gray whales, polar bears, walruses, and other magnificent wildlife, along with many indigenous communities—could potentially lose crucial protections from risky offshore oil and gas drilling.

    polar bears rest on an ice pack
  • What is a walrus haulout and what does it mean for the planet?

    As thousands of walrus come ashore, they congregate in large groups known as “haulouts.” These mass gatherings are dangerous and even deadly for the animals. 

    Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)
  • Why is Bristol Bay important for salmon? And seven other Bristol Bay facts

    Alaska’s Bristol Bay is a sprawling watershed of winding streams and rivers, vast wetlands and tundra, forests of alder and spruce, and home to a variety of fish, birds and terrestrial animals. Learn more about this incredible place that WWF is working hard to save.

    Aerial view of Bristol Bay watershed
  • America’s Arctic could soon open up to a new wave of risky offshore oil and gas drilling

    July 20, 2017

    Every five years, the US determines where oil and gas companies can purchase leases for offshore drilling. The most recent plan excluded the Arctic, but the Trump administration wants to change that.

    Arctic ocean
  • Video reveals how narhwals use their tusks

    May 12, 2017

    New footage shows how narwhals use their tusks to hunt and stun fish before eating them.

    narwhal group
  • 5 reasons why America's Arctic should remain off-limits to new drilling for oil and gas

    Most of the Arctic’s federal waters are off limits to thanks to protections put in place in 2016. But the Trump administration and some in Congress want to allow fossil fuel companies to begin bidding for a chance to drill. 

    arctic sea ice broken up
  • Arctic ice in trouble

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2017
    The receding sea ice at the North Pole threatens arctic species
    Ship moving through Arctic sea ice
  • A Changing Arctic

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2017
    What climate change and receding sea ices mean for the people, wildlife, economy, and politics of the far North.
    Standing on snow in the Arctic
  • Walrus habitat on the edge

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2017
    In what has become the new normal over the past 10 years, residents of the Inupiat village of Point Lay on the coast of the Chukchi Sea in Alaska have had new neighbors each fall.
    Walrus
  • WWF digs a safe home for endangered freshwater seals

    January 24, 2017

    An endangered population of freshwater seals in Finland recently received a lifeline from volunteers in the form of human-made snowbanks.

    A pregnant Saimaa ringed seal
  • US government releases a new plan to protect polar bears

    January 09, 2017

    The Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan, which focuses on actions for the two U.S. subpopulations in Alaska, stresses the importance of climate change mitigation in curbing the loss of the polar bear’s sea ice habitat.

    Polar bear with two cubs
  • US permanently protects some of the Arctic's most important marine areas

    December 20, 2016

    Just one week after scientists warned of unprecedented change brought on by warming in the Arctic, President Obama announced permanent protection for 115 million acres of federal waters in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Including previous presidential withdrawals, today's action protects nearly 125 million acres in the offshore Arctic from future oil and gas activity.

    sea ice in the Arctic
  • Report warns of unprecedented struggles in a warming Arctic

    December 13, 2016

    The Arctic is seeing unprecedented declines in sea ice and snow cover triggered by abnormally warm temperatures, according to a new report, the Arctic Report Card, released by the US government.

    Melting ice along the Bering Strait
  • Why do polar bears have white fur? And nine other polar bear facts

    Who doesn't love the big, burly white bears of the north? Polar bears—at the top of the food chain and vital to the health of the Arctic marine environment—are important to the cultures and economies of Arctic peoples. 

     

    Polar bear with two cubs
  • 5 ways to help the Arctic as the planet warms

    October 12, 2016

    The Arctic—home to diverse wildlife and many cultures—is changing faster than any other part of the planet in the face of climate change. But there’s still time left to help the Arctic and the impacts of climate change. Experts agreed on five important ways we can take action.

    Polar bear mother and cub walk across the ice
  • Man standing on glacier
  • How big is the Arctic Ocean? And eight other Arctic facts

    The Arctic Ocean is about 5.4 million square miles—about 1.5 times as big as the US—but it is the world’s smallest ocean. Learn more about the Arctic and what WWF is doing to help protect it.

    Polar bear and cub
  • Greenland Husky
  • As the Arctic goes, so goes the planet

    November 10, 2015

    The pressures driving desires to develop the Arctic are not unfamiliar to us. We see them in these other magnificent places. Expedited transportation routes. New fossil fuel reserves. Robust new fisheries. But we need to ensure that the push to exploit these resources does not overrun efforts to conserve them. We need to keep in mind some guiding principles.

    Icebergs in Norway