Winter lake drainage in Greenland more widespread than thought

3rd April, 2026

 

A new study by Professor Ian Willis and Canadian colleagues finds that winter drainage of surface lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet is more common than previously thought. Building on earlier work with SPRI PhD student Corinne Benedek, the study identifies 90 winter drainage events from 55 lakes over a decade in the northeast sector.

Using radar data from two satellite constellations, the team developed a novel method to correct for satellite look angle, improving detection accuracy. More than half of the events were part of 13 "cascading" sequences, where one lake's drainage triggers others within days, involving two to seven lakes over distances up to ~33 km.

The findings suggest more water reaches the base of the ice sheet than previously recognised, especially in winter, with implications for rates of ice flow to the ocean.

International Arctic Research strategy for the next ten years

26th March, 2026

 

The fourth International Committee on Arctic Research Planning process was completed on 25 March 2026 with the official publication of eight reports identifying needs and priorities for arctic research over the next ten years. ICARP IV was organised through seven Research Priority Teams.

SPRI was heavily involved in the majority of these teams: Team 3 (Understanding the Dynamics and Resilience of Arctic Social-Ecological Systems to Foster Sustainable Futures) - Ilona Kater; Team 4 (Arctic Research Cooperation and Diplomacy) - Gareth Rees; Team 5 (Co-Production and Indigenous-led Arctic Research) - Sophie Weeks; Team 6 (Education and Knowledge-Sharing In and About the Arctic: Research and Practice) - Sophie Weeks.

ICARP IV represents the widest consultation on arctic research priorities ever conducted, and its recommendations will have an unprecedented opportunity to come alive during the forthcoming Fifth International Polar Year of 2032-33.

Bridges of ice: investigating past colonisation patterns suggests precarious future for Arctic reindeer

20th March, 2026

 

As Arctic sea ice declines at an unprecedented rate, a new study led by Maria Dance and Marc Macias-Fauria reveals just how critical these frozen corridors have been for the long-term survival and movement of the region's most iconic large herbivore: the reindeer (known as caribou in North America).

The research, published in Ecology and Evolution, retraces the 10,000-year history of Rangifer tarandus across Arctic islands. By combining genetic data with paleo-climate models and ice-sheet reconstructions, the team has shown that reindeer colonised islands as ice sheets retreated, likely using sea ice as a highway to reach new lands as they do today.

The study suggests that sea ice acted as a vital "bridge," maintaining genetic connectivity across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and enabling long-distance dispersal across the sea to isolated regions like Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and West Greenland.

Greenland in the news: Richard Powell interviewed live on LBC

8th January, 2026

 

Professor Richard Powell was interviewed live on LBC News radio this morning, 8 January 2026. The unprecedented global interest in Greenland has mean that it has been a busy couple of days for SPRI social scientists, with interview requests from media outlets from Delhi to Brussels to disseminate our research and expertise. Richard stressed the role of Greenlanders' self-rule agreement within the Kingdom of Denmark, and was asked to speculate on the likely outcomes for the US, Europe and NATO.

Beyond the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration: Mohammad Abu Al Hasan reflects on Antarctic legacies in the museum landscape

6th January, 2026

 

As a recipient of the Cambridge-Leibniz Museum and Collection Fellowship, Mohammad Abu Al Hasan worked at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) for two weeks in September/October 2025. His research at the German Maritime Museum (DSM) focuses on Protecting and Managing Antarctic Heritage, so this fellowship research investigated how far-reaching heritages are communicated in a museum space.

'Beyond the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration: Navigating the Past at the Polar Museum', is Mohammad Abu Al Hasan reflections on Antarctic legacies in the museum landscape.