Arctic Report Card Marks Record Temperatures and Rainfall in Arctic NYT | Top Stories Eric Niiler 17 December 2025 at 01:27 A yearly checkup on the region documents a warmer, rainier Arctic and 200 Alaskan rivers “rusting” as melting tundra leaches minerals from the soil into waterways. © Josh Koch/U.S. Geological SurveyA tributary of the Kugaaruk River in northern Alaska turning orange from elevated heavy metal concentrations.