Arctic Region

Featured

  • Flags of the twelve nations that first signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 around the red and white ceremonial pole at the South Pole in Antarctica, December 5, 2018, photo by Mike Lucibella/Public Domain

    Commentary

    Arctic Governance Is in Trouble. The Antarctic Could Be Next

    The war in Ukraine has shattered the myth that the polar regions are somehow immune from global geopolitics. If Arctic governance is in trouble, the Antarctic could follow.

    Dec 7, 2022

  • Drift ice camp in the middle of the Arctic Ocean as seen from the deck of icebreaker Xue Long, July 2010, photo by Timo Palo/Wikimedia Commons

    Essay

    What Does China's Arctic Presence Mean to the United States?

    China has declared itself a “near-Arctic state,” a designation it invented to push for a greater role in Arctic governance. Although the U.S. sees China as a potentially destabilizing force, engaging with China in the Arctic does not have to be a win-or-lose proposition. There are opportunities to cooperate—on climate change, for example, or pollution control.

    Dec 29, 2022

Explore Arctic Region

  • The Christophe de Margerie (R), an ice-class tanker fitted out to transport liquefied natural gas, is docked in Arctic port of Sabetta, Yamalo-Nenets district, Russia March 30, 2017

    Commentary

    Cooperation in the Arctic Likely to Continue—For Now

    Risks for serious tensions in the Arctic during the 2020s are likely to be overstated. Key players in the Arctic appear likely to continue working together to enhance the economic potential of the region and resolve conflicts before they emerge, as opportunities in the Arctic continue to grow.

    Jul 12, 2018

  • Report

    Report

    The Future of Arctic Cooperation in a Changing Strategic Environment: Insights from a Scenario-Based Exercise Organised by RAND and Hosted by NUPI

    This Perspective summarises the results of a table-top exercise on factors that could upset Arctic cooperation in the 2020 decade. While this exercise confirmed the solidity of cooperation, it also identified "wild cards" that could create tensions.

    May 8, 2018

  • A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka Jayhawk helicopter crew conducts vertical replenishment training with the crew aboard Coast Guard Cutter Maple in Southeast Alaska's Western Channel

    Report

    U.S. Coast Guard Faces Capability Gaps in the Arctic

    It is becoming more important to determine how to operate in the Arctic, given changing climate conditions and the potential for increased activity that may demand more frequent U.S. government presence. Identifying gaps in capabilities now could help the U.S. Coast Guard mitigate future challenges.

    Apr 11, 2018

  • Arctic waters

    Q&A

    Policy Challenges in the Arctic: Q&A with Abbie Tingstad

    Abbie Tingstad discusses how the opening of the Arctic by climate change could strain relationships among Arctic nations, how these changes will affect indigenous communities, and what to make of Russia's military buildup in the region.

    Oct 6, 2017

  • Dissertation

    Dissertation

    Search and Rescue in the Arctic: Is the U.S. Prepared?

    Explores the U.S. capability to handle the Arctic Search and Rescue (SAR) Agreement, a landmark treaty that gives the U.S. responsibility for conducting SAR in a slice of territory that surrounds Alaska and stretches to the North Pole.

    Jun 19, 2017

  • Ice Camp Sargo in the Arctic Circle was the main stage for ICEX 2016, an exercise designed to research, test, and evaluate operational capabilities in the region

    Commentary

    What Does 'America First' Look Like in the Arctic?

    The shift in U.S. climate policy away from greenhouse gas reduction is significant for the Arctic, which is experiencing global warming at an accelerated rate. And a recent executive order will pave the way for expanded oil and gas drilling. How will these changes shape the Arctic in years to come?

    May 25, 2017

  • Events @ RAND Audio Podcast

    Multimedia

    Tipping Points in the Arctic

    In this Events @ RAND podcast, a panel of experts discuss several potential economic, environmental, and political

    Mar 2, 2017

  • The sun sets on Ice Camp Sargo during Ice Exercise 2016 at the Arctic Circle, March 8, 2016

    Report

    How to Maintain Arctic Cooperation with Russia

    Despite tensions between Russia and the West, Arctic cooperation has remained intact. But America should prepare for changes that may alter Moscow's incentives. These include rising interest in Arctic resources and greater maritime access due to climate change.

    Mar 2, 2017

  • Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C), Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L), and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 29, 2016

    Commentary

    No Quick Fix with Russia

    A series of small steps is more likely to improve Western and Russian security than an attempt at a total reset. At the same time, sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, and NATO actions to reassure and protect allies, must continue.

    Jan 3, 2017

  • Sailors and civilians assigned to Arctic Submarine Lab haul ice to be used for potable water during an exercise, March 15, 2016

    Commentary

    Will the Breakdown in U.S.-Russia Cooperation Reach the Arctic?

    Over the last few decades, the U.S. and Russia have often found common ground on Arctic affairs, at least in such areas as search and rescue and environmental integrity. The Arctic has the potential to remain resistant to tensions building elsewhere.

    Oct 12, 2016

  • Sailors and members of the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station clear ice from the hatch of the Seawolf-class submarine USS Connecticut in the Arctic Ocean, March 19, 2011

    Commentary

    How to Be Safer in the Arctic

    The Arctic is more accessible than it once was, but it's still a formidable place to travel. An emergency involving a cruise ship or a downed plane could stress the search-and-rescue system. But modest investments and planning measures can make a big difference.

    Oct 3, 2016

  • Icebreaker Yamal during removal of manned drifting station North Pole-36, August 2009

    Commentary

    Friends If We Must: Russia and China in the Arctic

    Russia's rebalancing toward China is particularly important in the Arctic, a region in which Russia has great ambitions, but also struggles with major vulnerabilities. Russia needs China as an investor, as a technological partner, and as a key consumer of energy to support its flagging, energy-dependent economy.

    May 6, 2016

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a video conference with Arctic oil drilling platform West Alpha in Sochi, August 9, 2014

    Commentary

    Will the Arctic Remain a Warm Spot in Chilly U.S.-Russia Relations?

    The United States should continue with its policy of engagement with Russia within Arctic institutions. This is the only way to keep building on a track record of successful agreements that make the Arctic safer for all.

    Apr 28, 2016

  • The bones of a bowhead whale, a food source and cultural icon of the native Inupiat peoples who have lived in Alaska for centuries

    Commentary

    It's Getting Harder and Harder to Live on Top of the World

    In September, a relatively new kind of storm, made possible due to larger swaths of ice-free Arctic Ocean, battered Barrow, Alaska, washing away chunks of coastline, threatening businesses, houses, and the freshwater supply. While mitigation efforts are necessary on a macro level, adaptation measures are needed now for such Arctic communities.

    Nov 30, 2015

  • Russian-flagged tanker Renda navigates through ice on its way to the Alaskan port of Nome

    Commentary

    Crimea, Climate Change, and U.S.-Russian Relations: A Perfect Storm

    Russia possesses the world's most Arctic shoreline, water, and operating resources. But the United States is also an Arctic nation, even if much of the American public tends to under-appreciate this special status.

    May 6, 2014

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Severe 2011 Ozone Depletion Assessed with 11 Years of Ozone, NO₂ and OClO Measurements at 80ºn

    The unusually cold conditions in Arctic winter 2010/11 that led to large stratospheric ozone loss are investigated.

    Jan 1, 2012

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    NO2 Vertical Profiles Retrieved from Ground-Based Measurements During Spring 1999 in the Canadian Arctic

    In this paper, we use the optimal estimation technique with a formal characterization of the errors to retrieve NO2 concentration profiles from slant column observations made at Eureka during March and April 1999.

    Jan 1, 2004

  • Report

    Report

    U.S. and Canadian Cooperative Approaches to Arctic Security

    Canada and the United States are paying more attention to underwater detection capabilities. In an era of extreme budget pressures, the two countries should examine options for working together to monitor subsurface activities.

    Jan 1, 1990

  • Report

    Report

    Canadian and U.S. Defense Planning Toward the Arctic

    Argues for a joint monitoring mechanism that would play a crucial part in formulating and implementing Canadian-U.S. policy in the Arctic.

    Jan 1, 1989

  • Report

    Report

    The Simulation of Arctic Climate with a Global General Circulation Model.

    A two-level global circulation model is used to simulate the Arctic climate for both January and July. From separate month-long simulations, the summer and winter distributions of pressure, surface air temperature, precipitation, and cloudiness nort...

    Jan 1, 1974

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