cryopolitics

cryopolitics

@cryopolitics.com

Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Washington Arctic geopolitics / critical remote sensing / infrastructure / satellites / skiing ⛷️

337 followers84 following90 posts

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Now published! 📢 'Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the #Arctic' Co-authored with @klausdodds.bsky.social, our new book on northern geopolitical & ecological change is out today in the UK. Available in the US from 21 Oct. www.waterstones.com/book/unfroze... #geopolitics #books 🧪

waterstones.comUnfrozen by Mia Bennett, Klaus Dodds | WaterstonesBuy Unfrozen by Mia Bennett, Klaus Dodds from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

In my latest blog inspired by #ArtemisII, I argue that our capacity to bear witness to space exploration by looking up at the stars distinguishes it from polar exploration, which always takes place outside of humanity's collective field of view. 🚀🌘🌎 #Arctic www.cryopolitics.com/2026/04/07/a... 🧪

cryopolitics.comArtemis II brings the world together in space – and closer to the Moon's south pole - CRYOPOLITICSOur capacity to bear witness to space exploration by looking up at the stars distinguishes it from polar exploration, which is always hidden from view.

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Blog: Last summer, I ran 45 km to & from #Ilulissat, #Greenland🇬🇱, which is expanding its airport to accommodate jet planes. But as I found, the renovations to the iceberg city's #infrastructure are choking the tundra in dust. ✈️🧊 Read on: www.cryopolitics.com/2026/01/18/t... #airport #trailrunning🧪

cryopolitics.comTurning tundra to tarmac, Ilulissat pursues Arctic airport ambitions - CRYOPOLITICSWhen I ran 45 kilometers to and from Ilulissat to Oqaatsut, the tundra crunched underfoot. That's because the iceberg city's runway expansion is covering the tundra in dust.

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📢 New article: Holding up the skies: Is #Starlink occupying Low Earth Orbit?' We calculate that the megaconstellation, which forms a privately-owned planetary infrastructure, equals → 52% of all mass in LEO 🛰️ → 75% of all mass launched LEO btw 2019-2023 🚀 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.comHolding up the skies: is Starlink occupying low Earth orbit?Starlink is occupying low Earth orbit (LEO) with thousands of small satellites, which provide global high-speed internet. We calculate that the privately owned megaconstellation, which we contend f...

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Meanwhile, the Iranian regime continues its nationwide blackout. Iran has now been effectively offline for over 12 hours, with national connectivity down to ~1% of normal levels. Yet, with the help of Starlink, footage comes out of Iran here and then.

Blog: While Trump raises fears of Russian and Chinese ships swarming #Greenland, the island's residents fear the much more real possibility of American ships swarming the world's largest island. www.cryopolitics.com/.../after-ve... #Arctic #geopolitics 🧪

cryopolitics.comAfter Venezuela, will Greenland be next to fall in the Western Hemisphere? - CRYOPOLITICSWhile Trump raises fears of Russian and Chinese ships swarming Greenland, the island's residents fear the much realer possibility of American ships.

Last blog post of 2025 recalling one of the year's highlights: seeing my first polar bear. I'd long wanted to chance upon the #Arctic's apex predator. Finally, while snowmobiling across #Svalbard in May, I saw one where I least expected it. 🐻‍❄️ 🧪 www.cryopolitics.com/2025/12/28/f... #polarbear

cryopolitics.comFollowing in the paw prints of the polar bear - CRYOPOLITICSI'd always wanted to see a polar bear serendipitously. Finally, while snowmobiling across Svalbard, I came upon one where I least expected it.

For many remote #Arctic communities, #Starlink is the obvious choice for satellite internet. But #Greenland, wary of the US, is turning to European alternatives. Meanwhile, China and Russia’s military-industrial complexes are linking arms. More on my blog: www.cryopolitics.com/2025/12/04/a...

cryopolitics.comAs Greenland rejects Starlink, China and Russia tighten military ties - CRYOPOLITICSFor remote Arctic communities, Starlink is the obvious choice for internet. But Greenland, wary of the US, is turning to European alternatives.

People often eagerly discuss the end of the Arctic. Yet realizing that the #Arctic Circle Assembly may have peaked could hit a bit too close to home. My latest blog post recaps this year's conference, which just wrapped up in #Reykjavik. www.cryopolitics.com/2025/10/21/h... #geopolitics 🧪

cryopolitics.comHave we reached peak Arctic Circle? - CRYOPOLITICSPeople often eagerly discuss the end of the Arctic. Yet realizing that the Arctic Circle Assembly may have peaked could hit a bit too close to home.

Amazon is seeking to roll back the FCC's five-year deorbit rule, and I had something to say about that. 😁 #spacedebris #satellites

Light Reading@lightreading.bsky.social

Amazon wants the FCC to roll back a five-year deorbit rule for satellites which was established in 2022 to mitigate the harms of orbital debris. Read more on Light Reading:

It was inspiring to visit the Humboldt University of Berlin and meet with researchers in the Earth Observation Lab (@humboldteolab.bsky.social)‪ & Conservation Biogeography Lab (@biogeoberlin.bsky.social‬), who are advancing #RemoteSensing in exciting (and critical!) ways. Vielen Dank! 🛰️

Earth Observation Lab@humboldteolab.bsky.social

Grateful to Prof. Mia Bennett (@cryopolitics.com ,Univ. of Washington) for stirring questions at today’s EO Lab colloquium. “Pixel Politics” probed who owns the satellites—and the narratives—behind our data. Exposure→engagement→empowerment: roadmap for critical #RemoteSensing

Yesterday, by a stroke of luck, I found myself on @icelandair.bsky.social first Boeing 737 MAX flight to #Nuuk, #Greenland. The airport has an expanded runway, which has been lengthened to 2200 meters to accommodate jumbo jets. Blog: www.cryopolitics.com/2025/06/03/t... #Arctic 🧪

cryopolitics.comTouching down at Nuuk's expanded airport - CRYOPOLITICSA 2200-meter runway has been carved into Greenland's lunar landscape, thrusting passengers into a duty-free paradise of cigarettes and alcohol.

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Looking forward to giving this seminar on commercial spaceports in the #Arctic at CNAM in Paris next month 🚀 ! #astropolitics #geopolitics

Hugo Estecahandy@hugoesteca.bsky.social

🚀 How do the challenges of #digital #technology also affect outer #space and the #Arctic? ❄️ Come to meet and listen to Mia Bennett @cryopolitics.com (Uni. of Washington) on June 18, 4 PM - 6 PM (CET) in Paris and online! You can register directly via this link: evento.renater.fr/survey/semin...

My latest blog post recaps the #Kirkenes Conference, held last week in the Norwegian town close to the Russian border. It also includes a few reflections on what has changed in Kirkenes since I last visited in 2019. www.cryopolitics.com/2025/05/26/i... #Arctic #geopolitics

cryopolitics.comIn a rebordered Barents region, Kirkenes Conference takes place - CRYOPOLITICSNever would I have thought I'd use my Russian rudimentary language skills to chat to a Ukrainian refugee displaced to the Arctic because of the war.

New blog post, the 1st from my week in #Svalbard earlier this month. On the Norwegian archipelago, where the arrival of Mark #Zuckerberg's superyacht & May 1 (Labor Day) each prompted protests, community issues take priority over scrambles for the #Arctic. www.cryopolitics.com/2025/05/16/i... 🧪

cryopolitics.comIn Longyearbyen, local issues outweigh geopolitical concerns - CRYOPOLITICSOn the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, community issues take priority over scrambles for the Arctic.

With the Trump administration sabotaging scientific knowledge gathered over half a century, US polar scientists are urgently trying to build their resilience. Read more in my latest blog post: www.cryopolitics.com/2025/05/08/t... 🧪 #Arctic @noaa.gov @polargeospatial.bsky.social #science

cryopolitics.comTrump budget cuts are destroying Arctic data - CRYOPOLITICSWith the Trump administration sabotaging scientific knowledge, US polar scientists are urgently trying to build their resilience.

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Just heard on #Cryolist that the Polar Geospatial center at U. of Minnesota is losing their funding. These guys have a huge range of data products including super high resolution digital elevation models of both Arctic and Antarctica. (#ArcticDEM + #REMA ) This is just naked vandalism.

On Monday, I attended the the Arctic Six's Forum on #Arctic Security at UiT. Some reflections in my blog: While the Nordic countries are preparing their citizens for the worst, they are neglecting to turn to those who are some of the most self-sufficient: #Sámi. www.cryopolitics.com/2025/04/29/s...

cryopolitics.comSámi call for inclusion in 'total defense' at Arctic security forum - CRYOPOLITICSWhile the Nordic countries are preparing their citizens for the worst, they are neglecting to turn to those who are some of the most self-sufficient: Sámi.

Tromsø keeps the dream of the '90s alive and splashing As I discovered over the weekend in #Tromsø, here on the #Arctic’s suburban fringe, weekends center on skiing, shopping at the mall, & swimming. In a time of global volatility, it is reassuringly mundane. www.cryopolitics.com/2025/04/27/t...

cryopolitics.comTromsø keeps the dream of the '90s alive and splashing - CRYOPOLITICSOn the Arctic's suburban fringe, weekends center on skiing, shopping at the mall, and swimming. In a time of volatility, it is all reassuringly mundane.

the hourly horror show continues

Finbarr Bermingham@fbermingham.bsky.social

The Trump administration is planning to revoke the legal status of approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who arrived in the U.S. after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Reuters reports, citing sources familiar with the situation. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

In case you missed it, here's my blog post from Feb 22 examining some of the early consequences of Trump's punitive cuts to #Arctic science & #climatechange research. The news is grim for the cuts look likely to extend across generations and far beyond the US.🧪 www.cryopolitics.com/2025/02/22/u...

cryopolitics.comUS Arctic research faces "existential threat" - CRYOPOLITICSWith Trump killing off funding and staffing for research into climate and the Arctic, the US polar science community is fighting for its life.

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Exclusive: China will be “the main beneficiary” of Trump's policies, including his decision to align with Russia over Ukraine A long, fascinating interview with Dmytro Kuleba by me and Laura Zhou that sheds new light on how Kyiv views Beijing's role in the 3-year war www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

scmp.comExclusive | China to be ‘main beneficiary’ of Trump foreign policy, ex-Ukraine minister says‘United States are aligned with Russia for now, whether it’s about Ukraine, whether it’s about Europe,’ Dmytro Kuleba says.

Looks like a fantastic talk by @tinaadcock.bsky.social on "A Cold Colonialism: Modern Exploration and the Canadian North". Check out the info below! #arctic #envhist #canada

SFU History@sfuhistory.bsky.social

Join us for “A Cold Colonialism: Modern Exploration and the Canadian North” with Tina Adcock from SFU History. Discover the legacy of Canada's 'exploration' of the far north. Feb 27 | 1 PM | In-person & Online Info: a-cold-colonialism.eventbrite.ca @sfufass.bsky.social @sfuarchaeology.bsky.social