Henry Patton

Excited to be joining the KH7013 expedition on board Kronprins Haakon next month, which will hopefully recover precious new data. The big questions: how did a "blue" ice-free Arctic Ocean behave during past warm climates, and what does that mean for the warming Arctic of today?

A new island was just discovered in Antarctica. And it definitely isn't an iceberg. The 'dirty iceberg' spotted by RV Polarstern in the Weddell Sea turned out to be a rocky island 130 metres long & 50 metres wide. The naming process is underway.

🧵 MURDER AT THE NORTH POLE The debate over who really first reached the North Pole became a bitter public dispute in the early 1900s. Crocker Land was perhaps the key: sighted by Robert E. Peary but undetected by his rival Frederick Cook, could its discovery prove who really traversed the Arctic?

"Walruses have been officially protected in Norway since the 1950s, after they were hunted to near extinction. That protection has boosted their numbers, and apparently provided a new source of fatty food for polar bears."

American interests in controlling Greenland are nothing new. A century ago the famous American Arctic explorer Robert E Peary fully supported the purchase of Greenland from Denmark, citing national security concerns. A 🧵

Our latest newsletter went out just before Christmas...here's what you need to know: Are you heading to NGWM 2026 in Turku next week? 🍺🍔 Join us for a social after the NGWM icebreaker (Jan 13th) at Panimoravintola Koulu pub from 20.00 in the "History classroom".

Northern Norway will feel the consequences - Tromsø's ski season is projected to last only one month by the end of the century, down from 3.5 months currently.

This is cool, 6 million year old ice from Antartica with inferred temperature ~12°C warmer than the late Pleistocene. No CO2 level yet! (That will be highly anticipated!) www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Half of the CO₂ released by human activities, such as through burning fossil fuels, enters the atmosphere... This impacts the climate all over the planet, including the Arctic.

🌨🎉 Snow has arrived back in #Tromsø! The last time any snow was recorded was 146 days ago on May 24th. 🌨 Following ~2 cm of fresh snowfall in the last ~24hrs, the snow in #Tromsø is currently 1.1 cm deep. It has snowed once on this date since 2015, with 1 cm falling in 2020.

While en route to the North Pole on a modern ice-going vessel, glaciologist Henry Patton reveals some of the crazy mapping mistakes and theories of what people used to believe lay hidden in this icy kingdom. 📽️ Editing by @media.elizaveta.no

How Switzerland's glaciers have shrunk

Hello BlueSky! 👋 We are thrilled to be here and connect with everyone on this new platform! Interested in Quaternary science in the Nordics? Then follow us for news/opportunities/jobs, and more. Our network is also free to join at nordqua.org

After 35 unforgettable days at sea, the i2B expedition has come to an end. The team retrieved nearly 250 meters of sediment cores from key sites across the #Arctic Ocean — records that will help unravel the story of past warm climates. 🔗 Read chief scientist Jochen Knies’ reflection: arcg.is/0favaf0

Did the midnight ☀️ bleach into the sub-surface of rocks in the Arctic? Following our OSL dating of cobbles from moraines in the Tibetan Plateau (doi.org/10.1016/j.qu...) we are applying this technique to moraines in the Lyngen Alps (Lyngsfjellan / Ittuvárit), Troms, Arctic Norway @rhewlif.xyz 🏔️❄️🌈🌞

🚢 4 weeks at sea, 6,400 samples, and a record-breaking 22 m core ❄️🌊 The i2B team is piecing together the Arctic’s climate history, sample by sample — day and night. 🔗 Read co-chief scientist Stijn De Schepper’s update: arcg.is/0favaf0 📸 Tim Kalvelage @bjerknes.uib.no

🚨 A small break from cruise updates to say that: We’re hiring! i2B is looking for a Postdoc in Arctic Marine Geology and Marine Geophysics. Find out more about the position here: www.jobbnorge.no/en/available... Please share with your networks 😊

When was that moraine created?? Luminescence ages from the sub-surface of cobbles, collected from moraines in the Konglongluo Valley, Tibetan Plateau, agree with external age control! Do get in touch if interested in this new moraine-dating technique!! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🚢🔎 From hidden channels to towering seamounts, the i2B expedition is uncovering the Arctic seafloor in remarkable new detail. Read more about our findings in our latest blog written by @rhewlif.xyz : 🔗 arcg.is/0favaf0

Straight from the North Pole! See the great pics by @rhewlif.xyz, who is now sailing on board the icebreaker vessel Kronprins Haakon. The story of how researchers grappled with 'unsettling' feelings three decades after their first visit to the northernmost point on Earth. Plus 📷 of a polar bear.

'Polhavet 2050' was announced this week by the Norwegian government. 1 billion NOK (€85m) and 18 institutions to focus on Arctic Ocean research over 10 years.

❄️ One week at sea, and life aboard R/V Kronprins Haakon has settled into a rhythm of 24/7 science. Six long sediment cores, countless samples — and our first real test in the Arctic sea ice. 🚢 🔗 arcg.is/0favaf0 @paleodyn.bsky.social

🦇 Ping… ping… ping… just like a bat in the night, our ship uses sound to “see” beneath the Arctic seafloor. These echoes guide us to the best coring sites and help us avoid hidden obstacles — each profile a map to sediments laid down during ancient ice ages. ❄️🌊 🔗 arcg.is/0favaf0 @rhewlif.xyz

"Maybe they should enjoy nature instead of being confused" In this short Midnight Sun report by @media.elizaveta.no I contributed drone footage of some amazing North Norwegian landscapes. First time seeing a brown bear up close too 🐻

Interesting reading...'Scientists discover long-lost giant rivers that flowed across Antarctica up to 80 million years ago' doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Is the #AMOC nearing collapse? In February, I joined researchers from @bjerknes.uib.no on the icebreaker Kronprins Haakon to the Greenland Sea. My text and images about their encounters during #Arctic winter and the future of the AMOC: www.nature.com/articles/d41... @frontiersmedia.bsky.social

🌍 i2B at the final PalaeoArc Conference ❄️ Last week in Tromsø, i2B team members joined the 6th & final #PalaeoArc — sharing Arctic science through talks and posters, and helping organise too! Great science + great people = fantastic conference! 👏 More info: site.uit.no/palaeoarc2025/

Mercator produced the first map solely dedicated to the Arctic regions, posthumously published in 1595. While a product of its time, the Septentrionalium Terrarum Descriptio is laden with features now known to be entirely mythical or significantly misrepresented. A 🧵

Still a lot of snow across northern Norway - good for spotting the locations of old ice streams 😀

My dear fellow researchers in #America and elsewhere! If you are in the midst of finding a new #academic home and securing new #research #funding the Research Council of Finland is preparing a large funding call to cover the period from 2026 to 2030. www.aka.fi/en/about-us/... #science #phd

"Here in #Norway we can't say to tourists that you're not welcome. #Tourism is an industry that has become very important", Gaute Svensson, Associate Professor at the UiT Business School told the Barents Observer. Photo-report. #Arctic #Tromsø

The PalaeoArc 2025 conference is now offering a limited number of travel grants to ECRs. Register and submit your abstract before the extended deadline of April 22nd!

Exciting new position is now open! Come and work with i2B 🤩

🥇 NEW TROMSØ SNOW RECORD 🌨️ The total snowfall of 205 cm so far this month in Tromsø is a new monthly record for March. It breaks the previous record of 179 cm set in 2023. With still a few days left to go the record could still reach higher 📈

📣 Registration has just opened for the 6th (and final) PalaeoArc conference in Tromsø, Norway. Low fees, and a fantastic opportunity for PhD/MSc/BSc students with accomodation, dinner and excursion also included. site.uit.no/palaeoarc2025 Be quick, registration closes April 15th! ⚒️

The eyes of a man found after more than two years alone with his comrade in the remotest parts of Greenland. His rescue brought news to the world that a major map myth had been finally busted. Read the story full of tragedies and perseverance on our blog: myths.rhewlif.xyz/blog/peary-c...

The 2025 NORDQUA excursion will visit Gdańsk, Poland, 17-19 Sept. Three full days will cover the origin and evolution of glacial landforms, sediments and lakes, as well as processes of past and present coastal hazards in the Baltic coast. Sign up by the end of April! forms.gle/vZ4ECaVMxpfy... ⚒️

Fascinating images from these 17th-century graves on Svalbard, now under threat.

More than a century before the giants of Antarctic exploration had stepped foot on the frozen continent, a pioneering French geographer produced a map that cannily foreshadowed its discovery. Read more in this latest long-read post... myths.rhewlif.xyz/blog/mer-gla...

I made a short cameo in this new video from @media.elizaveta.no about climate change in the Arctic. Freya Sykes is the natural star though, alongside some epic drone shots from Greenland and northern Norway 😍