News

Women of the Arctic Council: Interview with Cathy Coon, at the intersection of marine science and policy making

In honor of International Women’s Day on 8 March, we spoke with some of the women who work with the Arctic Council to learn more about them, what it means to be a woman i...

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...

A step towards stronger and better coordination on marine topics

When the Arctic Council’s new marine cooperation initiative, the Senior Arctic Officials’ (SAO) based Marine Mechanism (SMM), was launched in September 2020, the Chair of...

The road towards enhanced marine coordination in the Arctic Council

The work that led to the Arctic Council’s new Marine Mechanism - an interview with Jóhann Sigurjónsson, Co-Chair of the Council’s Task Force on Arctic Marine Cooperation

Cooperation and consensus

The moderators of the Arctic Council’s Senior Arctic Officials based Marine Mechanism, a new format to enhance marine cooperation, summarize key point and outcomes of the...

At the doorway to the Arctic: An Aleut perspective on a sustainable Arctic Ocean

As the northern waterways open up to container vessel traffic, the Aleut people find themselves at the doorstep to Arctic shipping. Once the Northern Sea Route is travers...

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...

Healthy communities need healthy oceans - An Athabaskan perspective on a sustainable Arctic Ocean

Chief Gary Harrison is chairman of the Chickaloon Native Village, located North-East of Anchorage, Alaska, and representative of the Arctic Athabaskan Council. As the Arc...

Suggestions from the coast: An Inuit perspective on a sustainable Arctic Ocean

Jim Stotts, president of the Alaskan chapter of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), was one of five experts joining the panel at the first thematic webinar in a meeting ...

Arctic Council advances its marine stewardship role

Starting on Tuesday, 29 September, policy makers, Indigenous peoples and marine experts from the Arctic States and the Arctic Council’s Observers will gather online for a...

Using data to improve oil spill response in the Arctic

The Arctic is undergoing rapid environmental and social changes. As human activity increases in the region, so does the risk of oil spills.

Together towards a sustainable Arctic: One year into the 2019-2021 Icelandic Chairmanship

Editorial by Einar Gunnarsson, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials

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...

Arctic Marine Risk Assessment Guideline launched

The Guideline aims to improve safety of Arctic marine operations by incorporating Arctic-specific risk factors not covered by existing guidelines.

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...

Arctic Council COP25 side event on ocean acidification was a call for action

The Arctic is experiencing some of the fastest rates of ocean acidification, with potentially severe implications for ecosystems and communities dependent on them.