The photographs depict Sachs Harbour’s eroding cliffs looming over homes, highlighting the climate emergency facing Arctic communities and the potential rise of climate refugees in Canada.

A winning image shows an Inuit hunter with a goose decoy against melting ice and murky water, illustrating how warming alters bird migration and traditional hunting practices.

The series centers on permafrost thaw driving coastal erosion, releasing mercury and other contaminants into habitats and threatening fish and ecosystem health.

The collection will be exhibited at the Royal Geographical Society in London through July 24.

Included are scenes from Pelly Island where thawing permafrost releases greenhouse gases, potentially accelerating global warming and further melting.

A broad Arctic landscape view shows sunken polygonal waterways and ice-cored hills, demonstrating how thaw reshapes habitats and creates barriers for caribou and other species.

Natalya Saprunova’s photo series on coastal erosion and permafrost thaw in Inuvialuit territories, Canada, won the New Scientist Editors Award at Earth Photo 2026.

Additional photographs feature an Inuit resident handling fish and wildlife affected by climate change, underscoring shifts in animal behavior and impacts on food security.

Saprunova’s narrative emphasizes broader Arctic thaw consequences for biodiversity, traditional ways of life, and the resilience of coastal communities.