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northern Europe

A man walks in the snow next to the Houses of Parliament in London on March 1. Brtain and much of the rest of Europe have been hit with a late winter blast linked to extreme warming in the Arctic.

Europe’s cold blast, Arctic’s heat wave are ‘two sides of the same coin’

Environment

While it’s been unusually cold and snowy in much of Europe, the Arctic has been seeing record warm temperatures and a huge loss of ice. Here’s how the two are linked, and what they might have to do with climate change.

A satellite image of Arctic sea ice fractures caused by the force of the Beaufort Gyre

Scientists are keeping a close eye on the Beaufort Gyre

Environment
Dikes once protected this broad area near the Dutch city of Nijmegen from flooding. But under a new policy for managing rising water levels due to climate change, the dikes have been moved back to allow a branch of the Rhine River to broaden out into its

Holland is relocating homes to make more room for high water

Environment
The biggest mobile barrier in the world, the Maeslant storm surge barrier was built to protect the Dutch city of Rotterdam from a one-in-10,000-year storm. It's part of the massive investment the Dutch are making to protect themselves in a new era of risi

As sea levels rise, Rotterdam floats to the top as an example of how to live with water

Environment
Russia bans foot traffic across the border with Norway. And Norway fines drivers for carrying migrants across. So those making the journey across have to bike.

Why some refugees are choosing to bike across the Russia-Norway border

Conflict
Beachcomber and historian Tracy Williams discovered her first Tjipetir block in the summer of 2012. Now, she runs a Facebook group collecting photos and stories of other blocks that have washed up on beaches throughout northern Europe.

We finally know why these mysterious ‘Tjipetir blocks’ are washing up on European beaches

Environment

You never know what’s going to wash up on the beaches of Cornwall, England. In recent years, among the seaweed and driftwood, mysterious 100-year-old blocks of rubber have appeared. But an amateur historian from England might have cracked the case.

Stian Westerhus

Norway’s Stian Westerhus provides a spacey guitar soundtrack for Scandanavian spring

Arts, Culture & Media

Norway’s Stian Westerhus does things with instruments you won’t hear from anyone else.Norway’s Stian Westerhus does things with instruments you won’t hear from anyone else.

The Kado licorice shop in Graefekiez, Berlin.

How would you like your licorice? Fudge-filled, salty, sugar-free, organic…

Business, Economics and Jobs

Licorice is often referred to as “Bärendreck,” or bear poop, in parts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. But one sharp entrepreneur in Berlin has created a local sensation.

King County in Washington trying to convert sewage to energy

Environment

King County wants to make you a deal. They’ll give you access to their sewage for free. You just have to do something with it. If this sounds like a bit of a raw deal, hang on. That sewage is actually warm, and could become a source for clean, renewable heat for buildings.

In Spain’s Canary Islands, an underwater volcano excites, frightens

Environment

Off the coast of El Hierro, one of the smallest of the Canary Islands, a volcano is bubbling magma to the surface. If it carries on long enough, El Hierro could become bigger, or a new island could be former. For now, though, the locals just want it to go away so the tourists come back