Arctic communities

Residents of Longyearbyen, on the Svalbard archipelago in Arctic Norway, have been told tap water is no longer safe to drink after climate-related thawing released heavy metals into the local water supply. The report, covered by the Guardian, is drawing attention as a stark example of how melting permafrost is creating immediate public health problems, not just long-term environmental ones, in far northern communities.

New analysis of NASA satellite observations points to the Arctic Ocean potentially becoming ice-free during summer by 2050, a troubling milestone for climate scientists. The findings add to concerns about accelerating sea ice loss and its consequences for global weather patterns, Arctic ecosystems and Indigenous communities that depend on the ice.

Residents of Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway, have been told not to use tap water after climate-related thawing released heavy metals into local water supplies. Svalbard is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth, and observers warn the contamination is a warning for other Arctic communities facing similar permafrost thaw.

Residents of Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway, have been told not to use tap water after climate-related thawing released heavy metals into supplies. The town sits in one of the fastest-warming places on Earth, and observers warn the contamination is a warning for other Arctic communities facing similar permafrost thaw.

Residents of Longyearbyen, in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, have been told their tap water is no longer drinkable after climate-related thawing released heavy metals into supplies. One of the world's fastest-warming places, the town is seen as a warning for other Arctic communities, where permafrost melt is expected to increasingly contaminate water sources.