Photo of the Day

a polar bear standing along the coast of Rudolf Island
August 3, 2014

North Star

A polar bear stands sentinel on Rudolf Island in Russia’s Franz Josef Land archipelago, destination of the multidisciplinary Pristine Seas Expedition in the summer of 2013. The expedition sought to uncover, among other mysteries, why the perennial ice is melting and what the ecological consequences may be.

See more pictures from the August 2014 feature story “The Meaning of North.”

Hear Cory Richards talk about pushing through personal struggles »

Get more on the Franz Josef Land expedition »

Photograph by Cory Richards

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