Arctic Stories
My reportage has focused heavily on the changing climate and shifting politics of the Arctic region over the past decade. I’ve reported from Canada, Alaska, mainland Norway, Svalbard, and Sweden on Arctic affairs, including shipping, resource extraction, Asian interests, and geopolitical tensions. My Scientific American feature on climate change on Svalbard was a finalist for the 2022 Livingston Award for Young Journalists in the international reporting category. My beat reporting on the Arctic region was recognized by the 2021 Society of Environmental Journalists’ Reporting Awards. I was an ongoing commentator on the Arctic Conversations podcast, supported by Barents Press Sweden. In 2025, I participated in an Arctic Disinformation Summit hosted by Linnaeus University in Stockholm. I was also a 2016 Arctic Journalism Fellow at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Below are a selection of my stories from this dynamic place.
Reuters Climate change thaws the world’s northernmost research station
At Ny-Alesund research station, high above the Arctic circle on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, scientific data is getting harder to access. And sometimes it’s vanishing before scientists can collect it. (2023)
Reuters Is climate change lighting a fuse under Iceland’s volcanoes?
Scientists are racing to find out whether the rapid retreat of glaciers could drive a surge in eruptions as magma builds under the island nation — and if so, whether the same might occur at ice-covered volcanoes around the world. (2024)
Reuters Norway gives Arctic foxes a helping hand amid climate woes
As part of the state-sponsored program to restore Arctic foxes, Norway has been feeding the population for nearly 20 years, and it has no plans to stop anytime soon. (2024)
Reuters New fuel restrictions for ships in Arctic fall short, green groups say
Ships sailing through Arctic waters will no longer be able to use or carry heavy bunker fuel oil under a United Nations shipping agency regulation. (2023)
Reuters West, Russia manage limited cooperation in Arctic despite chill in ties
Relations between Russia and Western nations have been in the deep freeze since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but Norway has been keen to keep some limited cooperation alive through the Arctic Council. (2024)
Reuters Scientists reveal how Greenland Ice Sheet has shrunk over past four decades
The Greenland Ice Sheet lost 5,091 sq km (1930 sq miles) of area between 1985 and 2022, according to a study in the journal Nature published on Wednesday, the first full ice-sheet wide estimate of area loss on that scale. (2024)
Reuters Arctic Council under pressure as Norway readies for Russian handoff
Norway said it will prioritise a smooth transition with Russia as it plans to assume the chair of the Moscow-helmed Arctic Council, but will not commit to restarting cooperation given the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (2023)
Reuters Polar bears scavenge on garbage to cope with climate change
Hungry polar bears are turning to garbage dumps to fill their stomachs as their icy habitat disappears. (2022)
Reuters Arctic Council in upheaval over Russia as climate change transforms region
Countries of the Arctic Council said they would boycott future talks in Russia over its Ukraine invasion, throwing international cooperation in the region into upheaval. (2022)
Reuters Fears mount for the Arctic as cooperation with Russia stalls
Experts are asking whether the polar body's viability is at risk if it cannot cooperate with Russia, which controls over half of the Arctic coastline. (2023)
Reuters Why Arctic fires are releasing more carbon than ever
Arctic fires are responsible for a growing share of global carbon emissions from fires. In 2021, fires above 60°N were to blame for nearly a third of emissions, setting a new record. (2022)
Reuters Ukraine conflict hurts Russian science, as west pulls funding
Hundreds of partnerships between Russian and Western institutions have been paused if not canceled altogether, as the invasion has unraveled years spent building international cooperation. (2022)
Scientific American The Polar Crucible
Climate change is bringing tourism and tension to Longyearbyen on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. (2021) Featured on Longform & Next Draft PDF
Science News Polar bears bludgeon walruses to death with stones or ice
It’s long been said that a piece of ice is the perfect murder weapon. (2021) PDF
Columbia Journalism Review The world’s northernmost alt-weekly heads south
Mark Sabbatini, the editor of IcePeople , has been expelled from Svalbard. (2021)
The Guardian How Cold War’s monster crabs came to the rescue of an ailing Arctic village
Known locally as ‘Stalin’s Red Army,’ an invasion of king crabs from Russia created a lucrative industry, and difficult choices. (2020) PDF
The Walrus Northern Inroads
While Canada ignores the Arctic’s economic potential, China is poised to invest. (2020)
The Guardian Most polar bears to disappear by 2100, study projects
Melting Arctic sea ice could cause starvation and reproductive failure for many as early as 2040, scientists warn. (2020)
The Guardian The Arctic is in a death spiral. how much longer will it exist?
The region is unravelling faster than anyone could once have predicted. Is there still time to act? (2020)
Reuters Remote Canadian town programs radar to spot approaching polar bears
Scientists in Churchill, Manitoba, are training a military radar system to spot bears before they get too close. (2020)
The Guardian Climate crisis behind drastic drop in Arctic wildlife populations
Native shorebirds and caribou among species at risk as survival strategies are upended (2021)
The Atlantic Iceland’s Glacier Keepers
Icelandic citizens have served as glacier trackers — and witnesses to climate change — for generations. Will it last? (2018)
Al Jazeera The Norwegian town caught in a spy war with Russia
The Arctic town of Kirkenes near the Russia border feels the chill as tensions between NATO and the Kremlin rise. (2019)
Pacific Standard A proposed railway in the Arctic has investors excited—and Indigenous Groups terrified
Many Scandinavians are hoping that disappearing Arctic ice will lead to an economic boom—but the Sámi people are worried multinational infrastructure projects will eliminate their livelihood. (2019)
Inside Climate News A drop in sulfate emissions during the coronavirus lockdown could intensify Arctic heatwaves
Lower greenhouse gas emissions slow climate change, but declines of sulfate aerosols that reflect heat away from the planet may bring short-term warming. (2020)
Ensia Traditional herders are sharing knowledge to cope with a changing climate
Yak, reindeer and entire ways of life in the “Third Pole” and Scandinavia face new threats in a warming world. (2019)
Yale E360 As polar bear attacks increase in warming Arctic, a search for solutions
With sea ice reduced, polar bears in the Arctic are spending more time on land, leading to increased attacks on people. (2019)
Hakai magazine The mysterious decline of Iceland’s American invader
In Iceland, imported mink escaped fur farms and feasted their way through the food web—until nature bit back. (2018)
Vice Peer inside the Alaskan permafrost tunnel that doubles as a science lab
Beginning in 2011, engineers began to expand the Permafrost Tunnel, citing an increased need for understanding how permafrost will respond to global warming. (2016)
Beside magazine Svalbard’s seeds of hope
A doomsday bunker at the end of the world is safeguarding global food security. But for how much longer? (2020)