Glacier icefields cover a significant part of Alaska and they effect the state’s resource based economy. Power generation, tourism activities and fish productivity are all influence by the behavior of glaciers. Glacier change from icefield to ocean affects Alaska’s future. Shad O’Neel, a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey has coauthored a paper that begins […]
More Deep Trouble for Kayakers
By their own admission, most Alaskans will admit to having a knack for getting into difficult outdoor situations. After the first big move to Alaska, it is a wonder we survive first contact with the wilderness just outside our door and lessons it holds for the unprepared. More deep trouble for kayakers is the theme […]
Explaining Extreme Weather Events During...
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has published a recap explaining extreme weather events during 2012 and an explanation for them based on a climate perspective. Explaining the cause of severe weather occurrences is a challenge, especially in the world climate change politics. The AMS has brought together 19 analyses, from 18 different research groups, to […]
Alaska Wildfire Tornado or Firenado
Tim Whitesell, a firefighter for the Alaska Division of Forestry has posted a video of an Alaska wildfire tornado or firenado on YouTube. An example of extreme fire behavior, footage of the phenomenon highlights the high temperatures and severe wildfires being seen across Alaska this season. Fire tornadoes or fire whirls are generated by rapidly […]
Frequency of Fires Occurring in the Alas...
The vast forested areas of Alaska covered by spruce, aspen, poplar and birch trees, overlying permafrost soils are known as a boreal forest. The boreal forests that spread across the circumpolar north represent one of the largest ecosystems found in the world. An environment rich in wildlife; the boreal forest is influenced by severe winters, […]
NASA: Is a Sleeping Climate Giant Stirri...
NASA: Is a Sleeping Climate Giant Stirring in the Arctic? Permafrost zones occupy nearly a quarter of the exposed land area of the Northern Hemisphere. NASA’s Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) is probing deep into the frozen lands above the Arctic Circle in Alaska to measure emissions of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide […]