Permafrost
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The Circle
WWF Global Arctic Programme’s quarterly magazine
The Circle is the WWF Global Arctic Programme’s quarterly magazine. Each issue zeroes in on an Arctic theme and presents a range of related stories, from innovative WWF projects to scientists’ work and ideas to Arctic governance issues. Find out what the key climate risks are for the Arctic—and what researchers and decision-makers in the eight Arctic nations are doing.
In every issue, we aim to hear from contributors in a selection of Arctic countries and to present a range of perspectives—from youth to Indigenous communities to Arctic Council members to scientists. Download the latest issue and subscribe to stay informed about the environmental and development issues affecting wildlife, ecosystems and people in the Arctic today.
The Circle magazine covers stories about...
Wildlife
Read about how the effects of the climate crisis are affecting Arctic wildlife, from birds to whales.
People
Find out how changes in the Arctic are affecting cultures, traditions, livelihoods and identities.
Ecosystems
Learn about how climate change is altering the Arctic’s biologically productive ecosystems.
The latest issue
On thin ice: The disappearing cryosphere
The cryosphere – the Arctic, Antarctic and other frozen places, such as sea ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets and permafrost – plays an important role in regulating the Earth’s climate.
But the cryosphere has been sending warning signs for sometime now. The Arctic and Antarctic keep keep losing sea ice at record breaking rates. Snowpack in the Himalaya mountain range is at an all time low. Patagonia and Greenland’s glaciers have been disappearing from unusually high temperatures. Despite these unparalleled events, decision-makers around the world keep ignoring the warning signs.
This issue of The Circle explores the challenges facing the Arctic and the entire cryosphere as well as the people working to protect our frozen regions.
The Circle Magazine issues
Leave it in the ground: Arctic resources should stay where they are
Joining forces for polar bear conservation
Arctic reality check: An uncertain future
Innovating for a better future
Stories from The Circle
Discover the key issues in the Arctic—and what researchers and decision-makers in the eight Arctic nations are doing.
Early career researchers
Shaping the frozen frontier
People and nature on the brink
An SOS from Asia’s water towers
An ancient gas—and a big problem
Melting glaciers and methane emissions
A tale of two ice sheets
Warm winds and melting ice
Mapping Greenland
Free research tool inspires research and learning
Steering clear of overshoot pathways
Why half a degree matters so much
A 1.5-degree guardrail for the cryosphere
Translating snow and ice science into policy
In brief
News from the Arctic (2024.01)
Editorial
When it comes to the cryosphere, let’s get real
Contaminated sites
Thawing permafrost will reveal industrial legacies
Facing spill hazards