Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell Elemental: The New Geography of Climate Change
Mar 18, 2026
A narrated chapter about shrinking Arctic sea ice and risky polar travel. Vivid stories of changing expeditions and the historical race for the Northwest Passage. Discussion of new shipping routes, strategic fights over Arctic waterways, and Russia’s push to control northern resources and infrastructure.
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Svalbard Polar Bear Protocols
- Arthur Snell recounts snowmobile travel across Spitsbergen where polar bears outnumber people and guides carry rifles for deterrence.
- He describes seeing only a stuffed bear in a hotel lobby and notes bears can sprint ~40 km/h, making encounters dangerous and protocols essential.
Summer Arctic Could Be Ice Free By 2035
- Robbie Mallett and a 2020 model predict summer Arctic sea-ice could be gone by 2035 due to melt ponds lowering albedo and accelerating melt.
- The model links summer melt ponds to rapid loss of reflectivity, supporting an ice-free summer Arctic projection.
Explorer Ben Saunders Notes Vanishing Pack Ice
- Explorer Ben Saunders contrasted 2001’s walk-from-beach to the North Pole with later years where open water forced starts from pack ice.
- He notes nobody has repeated the original land-start journey because consistent pack ice has disappeared.
