The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) supports a rich range of Arctic research, education, and communication activities. Our Polar Media Archive is a valuable resource that is home to over 20,000 beautiful photos from across the Arctic. Of these, we’re proud to present 30 handpicked images to serve as virtual meeting backgrounds.
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A bearded seal rests on its own private iceberg. Ny Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway.
A view looking down the river valley past Atigun Falls, near Toolik Field Station, Alaska.
Feather-shaped ice crystal formations on the ground at Toolik Field Station, Alaska.
A mini mushroom forest at the Carbon in Permafrost Experimental Heating Research (CiPEHR) site, near Healy, Alaska.
Two red fox kits play in the snow outside of Toolik Field Station, Alaska.
Vibrant colors of the tundra at the base of the Greenland Ice Sheet near Kangerslussuaq, Greenland.
A white-crowned sparrow nest containing eggs, near Atigun Gorge on the North Slope of Alaska.
A view of the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean as seen from the deck of the USCGC Healy icebreaker.
Sea ice with melt ponds on the surface and fresh snow. Aboard the USCGC Healy icebreaker in the Arctic Ocean.
A polar bear cub sits in front of their mother on sea ice near the R/V Akademic Fedorov in the Central Arctic Ocean.
A mother polar bear and yearling cub in an area of open water. Aboard the R/V Akademic Federov in the Central Arctic Ocean.
A polar bear walks along the Healy before swimming across an open lead. Aboard the USCGC Healy icebreaker in the Beautfort Sea.
A black spruce sapling growing out of the mossy permafrost active layer. Nikolai, Alaska.
Sunset at Lake El'gygytgyn with ice crystals in the air. Camp El'gygytgyn, Chukotka, Russia.
Interesting icebergs in front of a glacier in the inlet of Kongsfjorden, near Ny Alesund, Svalbard, Norway.
Fog rolls in over a batch of icebergs in Ilulissat, Greenland.
A view of the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean as seen from the deck of the USCGC Healy Icebreaker.
The USCGC Healy Icebreaker in the Canada Basin, as seen from aboard the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent in the Arctic Ocean.
An aerial view of a fjord valley near Sukkertoppen Ice Cap, Greenland.
An aerial view of crevasses of a glacier in Greenland as seen from aboard a P-3 Orion aircraft.
A glacier terminus containing a variety of rock and debris. Kongsfjorden inlet near Ny Alesund, Svalbard, Norway.
Frost flowers forming on the refreezing ice of a lead in the sea ice at the SEDNA/APLIS Ice Camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
A view of the R/V Akademik Fedorov from the sea ice in the Central Arctic Ocean during the MOSAiC expedition.
The Carbon Balance in Warming and Drying Tundra team ride on dog sleds near Healy, Alaska.
A tussock of cotton grass near Healy, Alaska.
A view of the Chukchi Sea on a mid-July evening, Utqiaġvik, Alaska.
A caribou strolls through light snow near Healy, Alaska.
A close-up of candle ice (long, thin pieces of ice) on Toolik Lake at Toolik Field Station, Alaska.
Candle ice in Toolik Lake at Toolik Field Station, Alaska.
Belugas in the Bering Sea seen during the April 2006 US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Walrus Survey.
