Where Science Meets Security: Strengthening Arctic Research Cooperation 

Where science meets security: strengthening Arctic research cooperation At the latest Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, ArcticNet convened a panel to examine how scientific and defence communities can strengthen research cooperation. This reflection builds on the insights shared during that session. Joanna Hosa, ArcticNet Partnerships and Grants Manager, November 2025 Amidst accelerating climate change, geopolitical rivalries in the Arctic are intensifying. Arctic scientists, long used to operating in a peaceful zone of cooperation, now find themselves in an increasingly contested space. As security demands rise, defence institutions need a better understanding of the northern environment. In this context, cooperation between the...

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Science Needs Comics! Here’s How to Make a Good One

Science Needs Comics! Here's How to Make a Good One Frame from: Because IPCC: History and Science of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Comics aren’t just about fictional superheroes and cats who hate Mondays. They can be designed to effectively communicate research with wide audiences. ArcticNet’s Knowledge Mobilization Manager, Melody Lynch, interviewed Hugh Goldring, comic writer and partner at Petroglyph Studios, to learn about the process of creating comics for sharing scientific knowledge, including how to secure funding and making sure comics are effective.Melody: Welcome Hugh! Thanks for chatting with us about comics for knowledge mobilization. To...

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ArcticNet in Tromsø

Le port de Tromso (Melody Lynch, ArcticNet) Les aurores boréales aperçues au-dessus du pont et de la Cathédrale Arctique de Tromso (Melody Lynch, ArcticNet) Tromsø—or Romsa in the North Sámi Indigenous language—is located at 69 degrees North, above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. In January 2025, this ‘Capital of the Arctic’ and future ‘European Youth Capital 2026’ welcomed hundreds of youths, Indigenous knowledge holders, researchers, and policymakers to attend the first ever Arctic Youth Conference and the annual Arctic Frontiers meeting. Melody Lynch, ArcticNet’s Knowledge Mobilization Coordinator, participated in both events on...

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Sustainable Energy and Food Solutions at Northern Research Stations  

Northern research stations offer a unique opportunity for researchers working in the natural and social sciences to carry out their work while immersed in the Northern environment. These stations are equipped with accommodations, laboratories, technicians, equipment rentals and state of the art technology to optimize and facilitate research activities. However, like much of the North, sourcing clean energy and food security can be challenging for remote stations.  In Northern Canada, most regions depend on diesel or fossil fuels for heating and electricity due to a lack of infrastructure for renewable energy projects. Similarly, food insecurity from remoteness, coupled with high-costs of...

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Get to Know Watermelon Snow

Throughout the polar regions and high-up on mountain tops, there have been reports of pink, orange, and red patches in the snow. This phenomenon is being referred to as “watermelon snow” or “blood snow”. Yet, summer fruits and blood stains are not the culprit behind these unconventional sightings. Rather, a microscopically closer look is needed to uncover what is causing these discolorations: the organism behind the so-called watermelon snow is a species of green snow algae called Chlamydomonas nivalis.   Although relatively little is known about snow algae, C. nivalis has received considerable attention as it is used as a model organism...

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Marralik-Ungunniavik: Bridging Indigenous Knowledge and Research to Empower Nunavik Youth

In 1986, an area of southern Ungava Bay (Nunavik, Québec) closed to beluga harvesting to allow the recovery of a unique population of belugas summering in the bay. Nearly 30 years after the closure to harvesting, Inuit Knowledge (IK) however suggests that the beluga population may not have been unique to this Ungava Bay area, but rather a population stemming from the Hudson Strait. With the distinct need to better understand the recovery status of these whales and their movements, James May, president of the Nunavik Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Association (NHFTA)/Regional Nunavimmi Umajulirijiit Katujiqatigininga (RNUK)/Anguvigaq, expressed the necessity for...

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Arctic Biodiversity and Change Symposium

On Thursday March 30th, members of the ArcticNet team attended the one-day research symposium on Arctic Biodiversity and Change hosted by the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) in Ottawa, ON. Dr. Amanda Savoie, the organizer of the event and the Director of The Centre for Arctic Knowledge and Exploration at the CMN says this theme was chosen to “highlight the importance of biodiversity in the Arctic, but also to highlight the fact that the changing climate is having an impact on biodiversity. We wanted to highlight the museum and ArcticNet’s expertise in biodiversity research, while also including talks from researchers...

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