Kamala Kelkar

Whaling is an Inupiat tradition stretching back thousands of years and countless generations. But this generation may be the first to witness a new twist on an ancient practice; for the first time in memory, women are throwing the harpoons.

Wind-driven waves from Arctic Ocean storms in the increasingly ice-free summer and fall are eroding Barrow's coastline -- and unearthing human remains long ago buried in the threatened bluffs.

Since 2007, as fall sea ice has retreated, Pacific walruses have hauled out near Point Lay on Alaska's North Slope by the thousands in what has become an iconic image of climate change. But how long have they been doing it?

To support its offshore drill rigs, Shell has built a camp on the outskirts of Barrow. It's full of amenities designed to keep workers comfortable, since the company prohibits nonlocals from going into town.

Times are changing, technology is advancing and the technicians are worried the apparatus that requires a physical presence at the Barrow station -- the balloon -- may become a thing of the past.

Can the death of an individual polar bear be ascribed to climate change? Two startling photographs of bears -- one dead, the other distressed -- went viral on social media in recent weeks, sparking debate on the subject.

Arctic sea ice reached its fourth-lowest extent on record this year, as melting came to a halt on Friday, according to a preliminary report from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

An Alaska environmental activist asked federal wildlife officials to try anchoring haul-out rafts near prime Pacific walrus feeding grounds to replace diminished late-summer sea ice, but officials have said no to the plan, at least for now.

As a cruise ship carrying some 1,700 passengers and crew plans a 2016 voyage through the Northwest Passage, coastal communities Alaska are preparing for a possible emergency -- and worrying the infrastructure won't be adequate.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy reached the North Pole over the Labor Day weekend, making it the first U.S. surface ship to travel there unaccompanied by an escort.

The Coast Guard will present worst-case scenarios for drilling and shipping in the Arctic to the Emergency Prevention Preparedness and Response working group of the Arctic Council later this month.

Arctic sea ice in August melted faster than usual, putting 2015 on pace to be the year with the third- or fourth lowest ice extent on record. The faster rate means Canada's M'Clure Strait passage may be open this year for the first time since 2007.

Arctic coastal communities that are primarily indigenous and facing forced relocation because of the effects of climate change face not only environmental threats but also bureaucratic hurdles.

While the prospect of a trip to see thousands of walruses charging Alaska’s northwest coastline in Point Lay may sound exciting, federal officials are reiterating that people who do visit could end up breaking the law.

A photographer posted the first images from this year of thousands of walruses at a large haulout near Point Lay, but the images have federal officials worried that photographers will ignore warnings to stay away from the site.