Russian and Western scientists no longer collaborate in the Arctic
That is bad, not least for climate research
KNEE-DEEP in the rushing waters of a creek in the valley of the Pasvik river, Paul Aspholm of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research is trying to prevent a lifetime’s work from being washed away by politics. Wading into the frozen stream, he peers through a water visor and tots up how many mussels he can spot in an area recently exposed by thawing ice. He would normally compare these numbers with similar data gathered by Russian counterparts splashing likewise in rivers a few kilometres farther east. But all contact with them has stopped.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Frozen”
From the May 14th 2022 edition
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