The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 27 October, 2025

Sweden Mining Town Faces Relocation

Wall Street Journal reported on October 26 that Kiruna, Sweden, is relocating 12,000 of its 18,000 residents by 2035 due to mining operations that have destabilized the city’s foundation. In August, engineers moved Kiruna’s century-old landmark church in one piece over three miles. (Wall Street Journal)

Take 1: Kiruna’s relocation provides a critical preview of challenges that will become increasingly common across Arctic communities. As permafrost collapse and coastal erosion threaten more northern towns, the question of whether large-scale urban relocation is actually feasible becomes urgent. Kiruna’s experience moving 12,000 people while attempting to preserve community identity will determine whether other Arctic towns can survive climate-driven displacement or whether populations will simply abandon the region entirely. The project also exposes fundamental inequities in Arctic resource extraction – LKAB has generated $10.6 billion in profits over the past decade while residents complain of inadequate compensation for losing their homes and community. This pattern reveals the difficulties of balancing national economic interests with local welfare in the Arctic, particularly as Western nations compete with China for rare earth minerals. The success or failure of Kiruna’s relocation will shape how Arctic nations approach the dozens of communities facing similar threats from climate change and resource extraction in coming decades. (High North News, NordForsk, PBS) 

Russia Claims Successful Test of Nuclear-Powered Poseidon Drone in Arctic Waters

The Barents Observer reported on October 29 that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the successful test of the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone, marking the first time the weapon’s nuclear reactor was activated after submarine launch. Putin stated the test occurred on October 28 from either the Belgorod or Saratov submarines, both based in Severodvinsk on the White Sea. The announcement came one week after Russia test-flew the nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile for 15 hours. (The Barents Observer)

Take 2: This weapons test escalates Arctic militarization at a moment when tensions between Russia and the West have reached critical levels. The Poseidon‘s successful reactor activation demonstrates Russia’s commitment to developing weapons that operate outside traditional arms control frameworks. The timing reveals Russia’s strategic calculation to demonstrate nuclear capabilities as the last remaining bilateral arms control agreement approaches expiration, potentially positioning Moscow for post-treaty negotiations or signaling willingness to operate without constraints. Putin’s public announcement suggests messaging intended to project strength amid mounting economic and military pressure from Western sanctions targeting Arctic energy projects. Additionally, the test raises urgent questions about whether Russia’s actions represent deterrence against perceived NATO encroachment or preparation for actual conflict in Arctic territories. For the Arctic region, the development of nuclear-powered weapons creates environmental catastrophe risks alongside security threats, as reactor-powered systems operating in polar waters introduce radiological hazards to fragile ecosystems. Russia’s ability to conduct these tests without meaningful international response reveals the complete absence of mechanisms to regulate Arctic military activities, effectively creating a lawless zone for weapons development that threatens both regional ecosystems and global security. (Daily Mail, The Barents Observer)

Polar Bears Provide Millions of Kilograms of Food for Arctic Scavengers

Science News reported on October 28 that a study has found polar bears collectively leave approximately 7.6 million kilograms of prey remains annually for other Arctic species to consume. The team of researchers from Canada and the U.S analyzing decades of observations found that individual polar bears kill roughly one seal every three to five days during peak hunting season, consuming about 70 percent of each kill and leaving the remainder for scavengers. With an estimated 26,000 polar bears in the Arctic, these leftovers support numerous species including arctic foxes, gulls, ravens, and occasionally wolves and grizzly bears. (Science News)

Take 3: This research reveals a critical but overlooked dimension of Arctic ecosystem dynamics, demonstrating how polar bear population decline will trigger catastrophic disruptions throughout Arctic food webs. The loss of 7.6 million kilograms of annual carrion removes a foundational resource that numerous species depend on for survival, especially scavenger populations that would otherwise struggle to find sufficient nutrition during harsh seasonal conditions. The timing of this research is particularly significant as polar bear populations decline due to melting sea ice, with two subpopulations already showing losses of 323,000 kilograms of annual carrion. This cascading effect threatens to destabilize Arctic ecosystems far beyond direct impacts on polar bears themselves, potentially causing population crashes among species that depend on bear-killed carrion for survival. The findings underscore how climate-driven changes to single species can trigger complex ecological disruptions throughout interconnected Arctic food webs. As ice continues melting, scavengers face the dual challenge of reduced food availability and increased difficulty accessing remaining carrion across fragmented ice platforms, potentially forcing fundamental shifts in Arctic species distributions and survival strategies. (Earth.com, NOAA, Science Direct)

Canada Launches Major Arctic Development and Defense Initiative

POLITICO reported on October 26 that Canada is pursuing a comprehensive Arctic strategy combining economic development with military infrastructure under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s nation-building agenda. Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson described renewed federal interest in the region after decades of neglect, highlighting plans for an Arctic Economic and Security Corridor featuring roads, ports, and military installations. The initiative aims to help Canada meet NATO’s 5 percent GDP defense spending target by 2035 while developing critical mineral resources and participating in continental missile defense discussions with the United States. (POLITICO)

Take 4: Canada’s Arctic strategy reveals how northern development has become inseparable from continental defense, fundamentally restructuring the relationship between Ottawa and its territories. The integration of civilian infrastructure with military installations represents a deliberate strategy to assert sovereignty through permanent population presence rather than purely military force. Premier Simpson’s argument that sovereignty depends on people actually living in the region, not merely defending it, challenges traditional security thinking that prioritizes military hardware over population viability. This approach could provide a model for Arctic development that benefits local communities while meeting defense requirements, but implementation will determine whether Indigenous populations and ecosystems receive genuine protection or face accelerated exploitation. The timing reflects mounting pressure from both Washington and other nations, with the Pentagon’s investment in Northwest Territories mining projects highlighting how critical minerals have become strategic assets requiring military-level protection. Canada’s renewed willingness to participate in continental missile defense after rejecting it for nearly two decades demonstrates how dramatically threat perceptions have shifted, driven by Russian military activity and Chinese interest in Arctic resources and shipping routes. (Al Jazeera, CBC)

Scientists Discover Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria Beneath Arctic Ice

Science Alert reported on October 28 that researchers have discovered nitrogen-fixing microbes thriving beneath Arctic sea ice, contradicting previous assumptions that these organisms could only survive in warm tropical waters. The team from the University of Copenhagen found non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs in samples from the Central Arctic Ocean and Eurasian Arctic, representing the first discovery of these bacteria under sea ice. The microbes possess genetic machinery for nitrogen fixation, and their distribution suggests they play a significant role in Arctic nitrogen cycling. (Science Alert)

Take 5: This discovery exposes critical gaps in our understanding of Arctic biological systems and their role in global climate dynamics. The presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria beneath sea ice suggests ice melt could trigger feedback loops where biological responses either amplify or mitigate warming effects in ways current climate models completely miss. The potential for expanded algal production introduces enormous uncertainty – increased photosynthesis could absorb substantial atmospheric carbon while simultaneously restructuring food chains throughout the Arctic Ocean. This research demonstrates that incomplete knowledge of Arctic ecosystems undermines our ability to predict how the region will respond to continued warming. As ice decline accelerates, these bacteria may proliferate along expanding ice edges, fundamentally altering nutrient cycling and biological productivity across the entire Arctic. (Nature)