Photo credit: Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash
In brief
News from the Arctic (2026.01)
The mosquitoes found in Iceland were of the species Culiseta annulata. Photo credit: Aiwok – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 via commons.wikimedia.org
Another sign of climate change: Iceland records its first mosquitoes
Iceland has reported its first documented mosquitoes, marking a striking ecological shift for one of the few countries in the world considered mosquito-free.
The first mosquito was discovered by an individual in Kjós, north of Reykjavík. Icelandic scientists then confirmed that the insects are indeed present—and possibly overwintering—in a climate that was historically too cold and erratic for them to thrive.
Mosquitoes are highly sensitive to temperature. Their arrival suggests that Iceland’s climate is warming in ways that make it increasingly hospitable to species that were once limited to more temperate regions. Scientists caution that this development foreshadows broader ecological changes across the North Atlantic and Arctic. As Arctic and sub-Arctic regions warm, new insects and pathogens may expand northward.
The appearance of mosquitoes in Iceland is another indicator of how climate change is reshaping ecosystems at high latitudes.
Photo credit: JP Newell, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr.com
Arctic pollutants on the move: Climate change could unlock decades-old contaminants
A research team from McGill University in Canada has found that warming temperatures and increased precipitation in the Canadian High Arctic are creating new pathways for underground contaminants to reach rivers and lakes.
The study modelled groundwater discharge at a Cold War-era industrial site on Brevoort Island, Nunavut. It showed that as the topsoil layer thaws for longer periods each year, groundwater is increasingly able to flow year-round and carry pollutants that were previously locked under permafrost.
This is significant because there are more than 2,500 contaminated sites across the Canadian High Arctic, many associated with military or industrial activity. The increased groundwater flow also accelerates permafrost thaw, creating a positive feedback loop.
These findings raise concerns for northern ecosystems and drinking-water safety because the released contaminants could enter freshwater systems and affect wildlife and food chains.
Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), eating seal carcass left by a polar bear. Photo credit: © Steve Morello / WWF
Leftovers for the Arctic food web: Polar bears’ scraps help sustain other species
New research suggests that polar bears play a far larger ecological role than previously assumed: beyond being top predators, they act as major food suppliers across Arctic ecosystems by leaving behind substantial remains from their seal hunts.
In a study published in Oikos, researchers estimated that each polar bear provides roughly 300 kilograms of uneaten prey each year, adding up to 7.6 million kilograms across the current global population. Because bears prioritize the fat-rich blubber that delivers the most energy, they often leave meat and bones behind. These carcasses feed an array of scavengers, including Arctic foxes, gulls, ravens, wolverines and even other polar bears, creating a bridge between marine food sources and land-based species.
Scavenging can influence survival rates for these smaller predators, especially during harsh winters when food is scarce. This means that if shrinking sea ice reduces hunting opportunities for polar bears, the decline won’t affect only the bears—it could also disrupt a key energy pathway that sustains many Arctic wildlife species, potentially reshaping food webs across the region.
Photo by Keith Tanner on Unsplash
Hidden Arctic life: Microbes found beneath sea ice challenge assumptions
Scientists have discovered unexpected active microbial life beneath the Arctic sea ice. A research team led by a University of Copenhagen researcher sampled sea ice environments during Arctic expeditions in 2021 and 2022, collecting data from both the Central Arctic Ocean and the ice edge of the Eurasian Arctic Ocean. The team’s findings were published this fall in Communications Earth & Environment.
The microbes they found—in places once thought too cold and dark to support them—are able to “fix” nitrogen, a process that involves converting it from the environment into a form that living organisms can use. Until now, scientists believed this was almost impossible in ice-covered Arctic waters, especially without sunlight.
Nitrogen is often the nutrient that limits plant and plankton growth in the Arctic. Discovering an unexpected source of bacteria that fix nitrogen beneath the ice suggests that the region may be more biologically active than once thought. As sea ice declines, this hidden nitrogen supply could shift Arctic food webs and influence climate and ocean-carbon models.
By WWF Global Arctic Programme
