News

Sneak peek on the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter with Elizabeth McLanahan

The Icelandic Chairmanship put a focus on marine litter in the Arctic. One of the most anticipated outcomes is the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter in the Arctic, wh...

Navigating Arctic waters with the Arctic Council and the International Maritime Organization

Through the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment Working Group, the Arctic Council and IMO work together to encourage implementation of the Polar Code. Now in its ...

Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum Sees Record Attendance with Major Increase in Usage of its Web Portal

The Arctic Council’s Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment established the Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum to raise awareness o...

Life in the Arctic Ocean

Join Dr Libby Logerwell on an expedition into the waters of the Arctic Ocean. Dr Logerwell is a marine biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (N...

Exploring the Arctic Ocean: The agreement that protects an unknown ecosystem

A thick layer of multiyear sea ice once completely covered the central Arctic Ocean. But as the ice continues to retreat, waters that were previously only accessible to h...

Report on Heavy Fuel Oil in the Arctic launched

The Arctic Council's Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) issued its second Arctic Shipping Status Report – Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) Use by...

On track with the regional plastic action plan for the Arctic

In October 2019, the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative and the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute co-hosted a workshop on Policy and Action on Plastic in the Arctic Ocean wi...

From Iceland to Scotland in 207 days

A capsule containing a GPS transmitter travelled several thousand kilometres from Iceland to Scotland –highlighting how marine litter can travel.

First Arctic Shipping Status Report from PAME Working Group highlights increase in Arctic shipping traffic

Ship traffic is increasing in the Arctic. The exploration and extraction of resources and increasing marine tourism combined with changing environmental, societal and eco...

PAME releases first ‘plastic in a bottle’

The Arctic Council’s Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group launched the first bottle equipped with a GPS transmitter into the Atlantic on 12 Se...

Interview with Magnús Jóhannesson, the Special Coordinator on Plastics

Magnús Jóhannesson is the Council’s designated special coordinator on plastics, marine litter. In this interview, the former Director of the Arctic Council Secretariat sp...

Towards an international symposium on plastics in the Arctic

The “International Symposium on the Threat of Plastics to the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Marine Environment” will take place in Reykjavik 21-23 April 2020.

Large Marine Ecosystems of the Arctic: New fact sheets

A new series of fact sheets on the Large Marine Ecosystems of the Arctic provides a new lens through which to see the Arctic's natural boundaries.

Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum Launches Public Web Portal

Today, the Arctic Council’s Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum launched a public Web Portal to assist in the effective implementation of the International Ma...

Interview: Renée Sauvé, Chair of PAME

"Finland is providing leadership on initiatives that clearly link to the stewardship of the Arctic marine environment, such as their efforts related to environmental impa...

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

PAME and CAFF have joined forces and are working on a project on Arctic Marine Protected and Important Areas that consists of three phases, each building upon the other, ...

Following up on the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment

Six years after its original publication, the AMSA Report continues to resonate as both a comprehensive and an authoritative analysis on the subject of Arctic shipping.

Historic meeting of Arctic Council Working Groups

In the week of 14-18 September, four of the Arctic Council's six Working Groups will be gathering simultaneously in Tromsø...

Arctic Ocean Review Project (AOR)

AOR is a two-phased project lead by the working group PAME (Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment) and intends to analyze the status and trends in the Arctic marine...

Arctic Marine Tourism Project taking shape

The Arctic Marine Tourism Project (AMTP) is part of a renewed effort by the Arctic Council to analyze and promote sustainable tourism across the circumpolar Arctic. The A...