The journal was established  in 1937 mainly due to the newly emerging possibility to use the Northern Sea Route on a regular basis and the industrial development of the Russian North that came with it.

During those years the journal published the research findings of expeditions, information about the current work in the Arctic – in expeditions, at the polar stations, during winterings, – as well as papers about new Arctic towns and industry.

The first Chief Editors were outstanding Russian scientists – Vladimir Wiese and Rudolf Samoylovich.  The first issues included papers by famous scientists –oceanologists Vladimir Wiese and Yakov Gakkel, geologists Sergey Obruchev and Nikolay Urvantsev, botanists Theodosis Sambuk and Mikhail Ermolaev, geomagnitologist Nikolay Rose, and others.

After the beginning of regular Antarctic research in 1955, when the first Soviet Antarctic Expedition was organized, and after the completion of the observations and experiments in the framework of the International Geophysical year (1957/1958), the journal began to publish findings of Antarctic studies and was renamed accordingly.

63 volumes were published including 114 issues.