It’s the fascinating research focus of two FROST members. In this article from La Conversation Canada, Thomas Pitot (postdoctoral researcher at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and data manager) and Catherine Girard (researcher at Université Laval) explore the discovery of these once-invisible members of the virosphere.

Sara Masure, a Master’s student working with Milla Rautio at UQAC (Canada), brings this question to life through a beautifully illustrated comic strip inspired by her research project. Through her artwork, Sara explores how warming winters and changing snow precipitation patterns may alter the amount of light reaching Arctic lakes beneath the ice. These changes in under-ice light conditions can directly influence the abundance, composition, and nutritional quality of phytoplankton, the microscopic organisms that form the foundation of Arctic lake food webs.

In this short interview from a popular radio program in Québec, Professor Catherine Girard responds to a thoughtful question from a teenager: could melting ice release ancient or unknown diseases?

During plenary sessions of ASM 2025, ArcticNet hosted graphic recording artist Esther Bordet of Yukon Graphic Recording to illustrate and disseminate the insightful information in an accessible and innovative way. ​

During these events, FROST’s Communication Officer created graphical notes to capture and share the key messages with other Frosties abroad and with the wider community.

After the fish kill, residents of Kangiqsualujjuaq quickly took action to clean up the lake, working alongside staff from the Nunavik Research Center in Kuujjuaq. They counted and measured the dead fish to estimate the total biomass.

In this presentation, shared with the Cambridge Bay community in March 2025, you’ll find accessible summaries of key findings from the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP), including information on mercury in Arctic environments and fish. It also highlights the history of Marlene’s work on Arctic char in Cambridge Bay, presents recent results, and outlines the next steps of the study.