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  Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

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  Atlantic Walrus mother & calf on sea ice, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) mother and calf on sea ice in Barents Sea, near Stoliczka Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia.

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  Bukhta Maka, Severny Island, northern Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Russia

  Bukhta Maka, Severny Island, northern Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers more than 46,000 sq km of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

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• Bukhta Legzdina, Severny Island, Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Russia

  Glacier, icebergs, and melting bits of shoreline ice, Bukhta Legzdina, Severny Island, Northern Novaya Zemlya, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers more than 46,000 sq km of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Atlantic Walrus mother & calf on sea ice, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) mother and calf on sea ice in Barents Sea, near Stoliczka Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia.

• Receding Glacier, Bukhta Legzdina, Severny Island, Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Russia

  Receding glacier, icebergs, and melting bits of shoreline ice, Bukhta Legzdina, Severny Island, Northern Novaya Zemlya, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers more than 46,000 sq km of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Atlantic Walruses, Novaya Zemlya, Russia

  Atlantic Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) swimming near shore at a small haul-out on Ostrova Oranskie, northern Novaya Zemlya, where the Barents Sea and Kara Sea meet, in the Russian High Arctic. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (aka Severny Island) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Atlantic Walruses, Novaya Zemlya, Russia

  Atlantic Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) resting and swimming near shore at a small haul-out on Ostrova Oranskie, northern Novaya Zemlya, where the Barents Sea and Kara Sea meet, in the Russian High Arctic. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (aka Severny Island) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Bukhta Legzdina, Severny Island, Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Russia

  Glacier, icebergs, and melting bits of shoreline ice, Bukhta Legzdina, Severny Island, Northern Novaya Zemlya, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers more than 46,000 sq km of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Polar bear still-hunting, Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea

  Subadult or young adult female polar bear (Ursus maritimus) "still-hunting" in Bukhta Maka, near a glacier front on Severny Island, northern Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers more than 46,000 sq km of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Glacier Front, Newcombe Sound, Nansen Archipelago, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Glacier Front, Newcombe Sound, Nansen Archipelago, Franz Josef Land, Russia.

• Bukhta Legzdina, Severny Island, Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Russia

  Glacier, icebergs, and melting bits of shoreline ice, Bukhta Legzdina, Severny Island, Northern Novaya Zemlya, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers more than 46,000 sq km of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Atlantic Walruses, Novaya Zemlya, Russia

  Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) rest on shore at a small haul-out on Ostrova Oranskie, northern Novaya Zemlya, where the Barents Sea and Kara Sea meet, in the Russian High Arctic. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers more than 46,000 sq km of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (aka Severny Island) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Atlantic Walruses, Novaya Zemlya, Russia

  Atlantic Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) resting and swimming near shore at a small haul-out on Ostrova Oranskie, northern Novaya Zemlya, where the Barents Sea and Kara Sea meet, in the Russian High Arctic. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (aka Severny Island) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Atlantic Walrus, Novaya Zemlya, Russia

  An Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) resting on shore at a small haul-out on Ostrova Oranskie, northern Novaya Zemlya, where the Barents Sea and Kara Sea meet, in the Russian High Arctic. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers more than 46,000 sq km of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (aka Severny Island) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Polar bear climbing on cliff to eat seabird eggs, Novaya Zemlya, Russian High Arctic

  A subadult male polar bear (Ursus maritimus) climbs precariously on the face of a cliff above the ocean at Ostrova Oranskie in northern Novaya Zemlya, attempting unsuccessfully to feed on eggs in the nests of Brünnich's Guillemots (Uria lomvia). Glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) lurk nearby, also hoping to eat eggs. This bear was marooned on land, unable to feed on seals -- his normal prey -- because the sea ice had melted throughout the region and receded far to the north as the result of climate change. Polar bears cannot hunt seals in the absence of sea ice. A blubber-rich diet of marine mammal prey is essential for these iconic predators. They occasionally snack on eggs, vegetation, human garbage, and other things when they're trapped on land and unable to hunt seals; however, such alternate foods cannot sustain them. In this instance, by climbing on the face of a cliff to seek birds' eggs, this polar bear endangered his life and expended more calories than he would have gained e

• Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Giant Spherical Concretions, Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Huge spherical concretions (occasionally referred to incorrectly as geodes), some nearly 3 meters in diameter, at Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Giant Spherical Concretions, Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Huge spherical concretions (occasionally referred to incorrectly as geodes), some nearly 3 meters in diameter, at Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Giant Spherical Concretions, Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Huge spherical concretions (occasionally referred to incorrectly as geodes), some nearly 3 meters in diameter, at Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Giant Spherical Concretion, Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  A huge spherical concretion (occasionally referred to incorrectly as a geode), one of many at this location, near Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Giant Spherical Concretions, Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Huge spherical concretions (occasionally referred to incorrectly as geodes), some nearly 3 meters in diameter, at Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Cape Flora, Northbrook Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia

  Cape Flora, Northbrook Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries. Cape Flora on Northbrook Island is particularly important historically as the site where several pioneering arctic expeditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries had temporary bases or over-wintering camps.

• Arctic Poppies, Cape Flora, Northbrook Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Arctic poppies (the Papaver dahlianum aggregate, variously described as P. dahlianum, P. polare, P. radicatum, P. radicatum polare, P. cornwallisense), Cape Flora, Northbrook Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. Proper characterization of species and subspecies in various regions throughout the Arctic is currently disputed and a subject of research. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic explorat

• Flowers cover the tundra at Cape Flora, Northbrook Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Lush flora -- including arctic poppies, saxifrage, and an extensive variety of mosses -- carpet the ground at Cape Flora on Northbrook Island in Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. The plants flourish in nutrient-rich soil beneath a large seabird colony on the cape Flora cliffs. White and yellow arctic poppies (the Papaver dahlianum aggregate, variously described as P. dahlianum, P. polare, P. radicatum, P. radicatum polare, P. cornwallisense) are especially prominent. (Proper characterization of species and subspecies of poppies in various regions throughout the Arctic is currently disputed and a subject of research.) This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much

• Cape Flora, Northbrook Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia

  Cape Flora, Northbrook Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries. Cape Flora on Northbrook Island is particularly important historically as the site where several pioneering arctic expeditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries had temporary bases or over-wintering camps.

• Rubini Rock seabird colony, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia

  Rubini Rock seabird colony, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. Rubini Rock, near Hooker Island, is a spectacular ancient formation of columnar basalt that was metamorphosed and deformed at great depth before the less erosion-resistant rock surrounding it was eroded away. The ledges on its nearly-sheer cliffs support one of the largest seabird colonies in the northern hemisphere. The most numerous breeding birds are Brünnich's guillemots (Uria lomvia) -- aka thick-billed murre -- and black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla); other species here include glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus), black guillemots (Ceppphus grylle), and little auks (Alle alle).

• Rubini Rock seabird colony, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia

  Rubini Rock seabird colony, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. Rubini Rock, near Hooker Island, is a spectacular ancient formation of columnar basalt that was metamorphosed and deformed at great depth before the less erosion-resistant rock surrounding it was eroded away. The ledges on its nearly-sheer cliffs support one of the largest seabird colonies in the northern hemisphere. The most numerous breeding birds are Brünnich's guillemots (Uria lomvia) -- aka thick-billed murre -- and black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla); other species here include glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus), black guillemots (Ceppphus grylle), and little auks (Alle alle).

• Gelifluction (or Solifluction) on George Land, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Striping of vegetation, a phenomenon known as gelfluction (also referred to as solifluction, soil fluction , or "floating soil") on a slope above Geographers Bay on George Land, Franz Josef Land’s largest island. Gelfluction occurs in periglacial environments such as this, where annual melting of surface ice and snow saturates upper soil layers, causing them to slide slowly across lower frozen layers of permafrost. This downslope "flow" may create unusual patterns of flora, as it has done here. The species of flora here include tufted saxifrage (Saxifraga cespitosa ssp. cespitosa), stunted arctic poppies (the Papaver dahlianum aggregate, variously described as P. dahlianum, P. polare, P. radicatum, P. radicatum polare, P. cornwallisense), a variety of mosses and lichens, and other plants.

• Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia

  Cape Trieste, Champ Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. This area is within the new Russkaya Arktika National Park (Russian Arctic National Park) established by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by decree in June 2009 and officially opened in summer 2011. The park covers nearly 1.5 million hectares (14,260 sq km) of islands and sea in the Arctic Ocean. The land regions are northern Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island and other much smaller islands near its coast) and Franz Josef Land (an archipelago of 191 islands). The park was established to preserve ecosystems, wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales, and unique cultural heritage related to the history of Arctic exploration and discovery during the past several centuries.

• Cape Tegetthoff, Hall Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia

  A storm at Cape Tegetthoff, Hall Island, Franz Josef Land, Barents Sea, Russia. Cape Tegetthoff on Hall Island was the first portion of Franz Josef Land definitively documented to have been seen by explorers. An Austro-Hungarian expedition, trapped on the ship Tegetthoff in drifting pack ice, spotted the dramatic volcanic rock formations of the island on 30 August 1873. Remains of the 1898-99 over-wintering site of the Wellman expedition (which attempted to reach the North Pole, but failed) can still be seen near the shoreline.

• Horned Puffins (Fratercula corniculata), Kolyuchin Island, Chukotka, Chukchi Sea, Russia

  Adult horned puffins (Fratercula corniculata) at a huge cliffside seabird colony on Kolyuchin Island, Chukotka, in the Chukchi Sea, Russia. In addition to the horned puffin, breeding species at the colony include the tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata); common guillemot (Uria aalge), aka common murre; Brunnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia arra), aka thick-billed murre; pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus); black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla pollicaris); and glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus).

• Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)

  Adult pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) with chicks at a huge cliffside seabird colony on Kolyuchin Island, Chukotka, Siberia. Breeding species at the colony include horned and tufted puffins, glaucous gulls, pelagic cormorants, common and Brunnich's guillimots, and black-legged kittiwakes.

• Seabird colony, Kolyuchin Island, Chukotka, Chukchi Sea, Russia

  A portion of a huge cliffside seabird colony on Kolyuchin Island, Chukotka, Chukchi Sea, Russia. Breeding species at the colony include: horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata), tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata); common guillemot (Uria aalge), aka common murre; Brunnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia arra), aka thick-billed murre; pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus); black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla pollicaris); and glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus). The birds in the photograph are common and Brunnich's guillemots, and pelagic cormorants.

• Pacific Walruses, Wrangel Island, Chukchi Sea, Russia

  Pacific Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) hauled out and jammed together on a very narrow small stretch of rocky shore backed by nearly-shear cliffs, Wrangel Island, Chukchi Sea, Russia. An overhanging shelf of melting ice and snow is above the walruses. The Pacific walrus needs Arctic sea ice for resting, socialization, giving birth, and nursing young. Because it is an ice-dependent species, scientists believe it is declining due to climate change and the deterioration of its Arctic sea ice habitat. Over-hunting is another significant concern, as is off-shore oil drilling in the Chukchi, Bering and Beaufort Seas. A petition to list the Pacific walrus as a Threatened species under the US Endangered Species Act was filed in February 2008; in February 2011 the US Interior Department determined that listing was "warranted but precluded" due to an overwhelming backlog of other pending listing proceedings. So the walrus is now on a "candidate" list, essentially a waiting list for bein

• Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) skull, Wrangel Island, Russia

  The skull of a subadult Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) lying on the rocky tundra near the shore of Wrangel Island, Siberia, Russia. The Pacific walrus is an Arctic marine mammal that is dependent on the existence of sea ice for breeding and for resting in between bouts of intensive foraging on the ocean floor. The species is currently classified by the IUCN as "Data Deficient" because insufficient data currently exist to support a scientific determination of population status and trends. However, there is significant concern about the effects of climate change on this ice-dependent animal, as well as concern about over-hunting. A petition to list the Pacific walrus as a Threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act is currently pending (2009); an initial positive finding was made in September 2009, and a final decision is expected in September 2010. In the summer and fall of 2007, when Arctic sea ice declined dramatically and retreated to the lowest extent ever

• Arctic Tundra, Frost-Wedging Features, Thawing Permafrost,Wrangel Island, Russia

  Arctic tundra with frost-wedging features caused by repeated freeze-thaw processes in rocky soil, and surface water accumulation from melting permafrost. Wrangel Island, Siberian Arctic, Chukchi Sea, Russia. Wrangel Island is situated where the East Siberian and Chukchi Seas meet, 140 km off the north coast of Chukotka (aka northeastern Siberia, Chukchi Peninsula). In the Late Pleistocene, Wrangel Island was connected to the mainland of Siberia and formed a part of the Bering land bridge (aka Beringia), an area including Chukotka, Alaska, and the now-submerged continental shelf. Wrangel Island became separated from the Eurasian continent in the early Holocene epoch, around 10,000 years ago. The Arctic ecosystem on Wrangel Island is beginning to show the effects of climate change.

• Snow Geese, Wrangel Island, Russia

  A flock of snow geese (Chen caerulescens) flying at dusk over the tundra on Wrangel Island, East Siberian Sea, Russia. A small population of snow geese migrates to Wrangel Island for nesting in summer, traveling there from winter habitat in southwestern North America, primarily California. This population of snow geese is the only one that occurs in Eurasia. Wrangel Island is located in the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia, where the East Siberian Sea meets the Chukchi Sea. It is protected as a federal Nature Reserve in Russia and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Snow Geese, Wrangel Island, Russia

  A flock of snow geese (Chen caerulescens) flying at dusk over the tundra on Wrangel Island, East Siberian Sea, Russia. A small population of snow geese migrates to Wrangel Island for nesting in summer, traveling there from winter habitat in southwestern North America, primarily California. This population of snow geese is the only one that occurs in Eurasia. Wrangel Island is located in the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia, where the East Siberian Sea meets the Chukchi Sea. It is protected as a federal Nature Reserve in Russia and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Reindeer antler on Arctic Tundra, Wrangel Island, Russia

  Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) antler, Wrangel Island, Siberia, Chukchi Sea, Russia. Wild reindeer are known as Caribou in North America. Settlers introduced domestic reindeer to Wrangel Island during the 20th Century; however, wild reindeer previously inhabited the island. Wrangel Island is situated where the East Siberian and Chukchi Seas meet, 140 km off the north coast of Chukotka (aka northeastern Siberia, Chukchi Peninsula). In the Late Pleistocene, Wrangel Island was connected to the mainland of Siberia and formed a part of the Bering land bridge (aka Beringia), an area including Chukotka, Alaska, and the now-submerged continental shelf. Wrangel Island became separated from the Eurasian continent in the early Holocene epoch, around 10,000 years ago. The island provided the final refugium for a population of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) that survived into the Holocene, until approximately 3700 years ago.

• Wrangel Island at Sunset, Chukchi Sea, Russia

  Wrangel Island at Sunset, Chukchi Sea, Siberian Arctic, Russia. Wrangel Island is situated where the East Siberian and Chukchi Seas meet, 140 km off the north coast of Chukotka (aka northeastern Siberia, Chukchi Peninsula). In the Late Pleistocene, Wrangel Island was connected to the mainland of Siberia and formed a part of the Bering land bridge (aka Beringia), an area including Chukotka, Alaska, and the now-submerged continental shelf. Wrangel Island became separated from the Eurasian continent in the early Holocene epoch, around 10,000 years ago. The island provided the final refugium for a population of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) that survived into the Holocene, until approximately 3700 years ago.