Alaska

Northern sea ice, such as this surrounding the community of Kivalina, has declined dramatically in area and thickness over the last few decades. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell

20 years of Arctic report cards

Twenty years have passed since scientists released the first version of the Arctic Report Card, now a staple at the Fall Meeting of the American… Continue reading

 

Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures during his State of the State address on Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Opinion: It’s time to end Alaska’s fiscal experiment

For decades, Alaska has operated under a fiscal and budgeting system unlike any other state, and some could argue any place in the world. It… Continue reading

 

A young male ringed seal, rescued from an oilfield in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea on Dec. 17, 2025, is receiving care at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center

Sealife center takes in ringed seal

This response is one of only 30 ringed seal cases in the Alaska SeaLife Center’s 28-year history.

 

Photo courtesy of the UAF Geophysical Institute Carl Benson pauses during one of his traverses of Greenland in 1953, when he was 25.

Carl Benson embodied the far North

Carl Benson’s last winter on Earth featured 32 consecutive days during which temperatures in his chosen town did not rise above zero degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s… Continue reading

Photo courtesy of the UAF Geophysical Institute Carl Benson pauses during one of his traverses of Greenland in 1953, when he was 25.
Six-foot-six Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres possesses one of the fastest slap shots in the modern game. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell

The physics of skating and slap shots

When two NHL hockey players collide, their pads and muscles can absorb enough energy to power a 100-watt light bulb for a minute and a… Continue reading

Six-foot-six Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres possesses one of the fastest slap shots in the modern game. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell
Jim Jansen and Joe Schiernhorn are co-chairs of the Keep Alaska Competitive Coalition. Photo courtesy of Keep Alaska Competitive

Opinion: Alaska’s winning formula

Alaska is experiencing an energy renaissance, thanks to a stable fiscal framework that gives businesses and investors the certainty they need to put down roots,… Continue reading

Jim Jansen and Joe Schiernhorn are co-chairs of the Keep Alaska Competitive Coalition. Photo courtesy of Keep Alaska Competitive
Pam Groves of the University of Alaska Fairbanks looks at bones of ancient creatures she has gathered over the years from northern rivers. The remains here include musk oxen, steppe bison and mammoth. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell

What killed the world’s giants?

Most of the large animals that have walked the surface of Earth are no longer here. Why? Dan Mann thinks it’s because our recent climate… Continue reading

Pam Groves of the University of Alaska Fairbanks looks at bones of ancient creatures she has gathered over the years from northern rivers. The remains here include musk oxen, steppe bison and mammoth. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell
A 9-year-old female wolf with a satellite collar limps alongside the highway near Denali National Park in February 2019. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell

The Riley Creek pack’s sole survivor

As I was driving down the highway one spring day eight years ago, I saw a shaggy, gray-black canine cruising along on the snowpack, right… Continue reading

A 9-year-old female wolf with a satellite collar limps alongside the highway near Denali National Park in February 2019. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell
UAF seismologist Carl Tape, age 9, stands outside on his family’s Fairbanks deck at minus 50 degrees F on Jan. 23, 1989. “Carl was ahead of his time,” said Rick Thoman. “Now people pose in front of the UAF sign.” Photo courtesy Walt Tape

Fuzzy memories of a real Alaska cold snap

More than 35 years have ticked away since I turned my pickup left onto a North Pole road and noticed the clutch pedal remained on… Continue reading

UAF seismologist Carl Tape, age 9, stands outside on his family’s Fairbanks deck at minus 50 degrees F on Jan. 23, 1989. “Carl was ahead of his time,” said Rick Thoman. “Now people pose in front of the UAF sign.” Photo courtesy Walt Tape
Low clouds hang over Cook Inlet north of Anchor Point on Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Inletkeeper condemns federal management of Cook Inlet oil lease sale

The agency alleges an environmental study by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management was conducted with a “serious” lack of transparency.

Low clouds hang over Cook Inlet north of Anchor Point on Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Seismologist Carl Tape stands at the site of Dome City in summer 2025. Dome City ghosted out many years ago, but not before miners unearthed many fossils, some of which they donated to the University of Alaska. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell

A whale of a mammoth tale

Matthew Wooller couldn’t believe his ears after a California researcher rang his cellphone recently. The radiocarbon expert said a few of Wooller’s submitted fossils were… Continue reading

Seismologist Carl Tape stands at the site of Dome City in summer 2025. Dome City ghosted out many years ago, but not before miners unearthed many fossils, some of which they donated to the University of Alaska. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell
Commercial fishing and recreational vessels are docked in the Homer harbor on Oct. 23, 2025. The commercial fishing industry endured a series of challenges over the year, some of them imposed by the new Trump administration. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska fisheries in 2025: turmoil, economic and environmental challenges and some bright spots

NOAA cuts, economic headwinds and invasive species pose problems, but there was some recovery in crab stocks and salmon harvests.

Commercial fishing and recreational vessels are docked in the Homer harbor on Oct. 23, 2025. The commercial fishing industry endured a series of challenges over the year, some of them imposed by the new Trump administration. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Cook Inlet near Clam Gulch is seen on Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Disputed oil lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet upheld in new Trump administration decision

After completing a court-ordered environmental study, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said no changes are needed for the 2022 sale that drew just one bid.

Cook Inlet near Clam Gulch is seen on Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Voting booths are filled at the Kenai No. 2 precinct, the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Point of View: Alaskans, don’t be duped by the Citizens Voter initiative

A signature drive is underway for a ballot measure officially titled the United States Citizens Voter Act. Supporters say it would “clarify” that only U.S.… Continue reading

Voting booths are filled at the Kenai No. 2 precinct, the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska Department of Natural Resources logo (graphic)

State proposes changes to material sales regulations

The Department of Natural Resources is proposing changes to regulations related to material sales and conveyances to state agencies.

Alaska Department of Natural Resources logo (graphic)
A map depicts the Cook Inlet Area state waters closed to retention of big skates through Dec. 31, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Cook Inlet area closed to big skate bycatch retention

The closure is effective in Cook Inlet Area state waters through Dec. 31.

A map depicts the Cook Inlet Area state waters closed to retention of big skates through Dec. 31, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Starting Dec. 2, Aleutian Airways will offer roundtrip flights between Anchorage and Unalakleet every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Aleutian Airways to offer roundtrip flights between Anchorage and Unalakleet

Starting Dec. 2, Aleutian Airways will offer three roundtrip flights per week.

Starting Dec. 2, Aleutian Airways will offer roundtrip flights between Anchorage and Unalakleet every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
A map shows the locations of the 21 Alaska federal offshore oil and gas lease sales proposed by the Trump administration. (Map provided by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)

Trump administration proposes offshore leasing in almost all Alaska waters

A new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan proposes 21 sales in Alaska, from the Gulf of Alaska to the High Arctic, and 13 more off the U.S. West Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.

A map shows the locations of the 21 Alaska federal offshore oil and gas lease sales proposed by the Trump administration. (Map provided by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)
Quinhagak resident Sarah Brown holds a mask attachment she found on the beach on Oct. 24, 2025. This item might represent a hand or fin of an animal or spirit being. Photo courtesy Alice Bailey

Faces on a beach in Southwest Alaska

Walking a storm-scoured Alaska beach, archaeologist Rick Knecht knelt to pick up a wooden figurine the size of his palm. He squinted at it and… Continue reading

Quinhagak resident Sarah Brown holds a mask attachment she found on the beach on Oct. 24, 2025. This item might represent a hand or fin of an animal or spirit being. Photo courtesy Alice Bailey
Alaska’s natural gas pipeline would largely follow the route of the existing trans-Alaska oil pipeline, pictured here, from the North Slope. Near Fairbanks, the gas line would split off toward Anchorage, while the oil pipeline continues to the Prince William Sound community of Valdez. (Photo by David Houseknecht/United States Geological Survey)

Tokyo Gas signs preliminary agreement with trans-Alaska gas pipeline developer

The largest gas company in Japan has signed a letter of intent signifying that it would buy up to 1 million tons of liquefied natural… Continue reading

Alaska’s natural gas pipeline would largely follow the route of the existing trans-Alaska oil pipeline, pictured here, from the North Slope. Near Fairbanks, the gas line would split off toward Anchorage, while the oil pipeline continues to the Prince William Sound community of Valdez. (Photo by David Houseknecht/United States Geological Survey)