Science

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

 

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

 

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

 

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Former refuge manager speaks on loving the land

Robin West presented his talk, “Looking Back, Looking Forward,” in Soldotna on Tuesday evening.

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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
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
A 1958 earthquake on the Fairweather Fault that passes through Lituya Bay shook a mountaintop into the water and produced a wave that reached 1,740 feet on the hillside in the background, shearing off rainforest spruce trees. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell

A wrinkle beneath the icy face of Alaska

A few days ago, the forces beneath Alaska rattled people within a 500-mile radius: A magnitude 7 earthquake ripped under Hubbard Glacier. The earthquake’s main… Continue reading

A 1958 earthquake on the Fairweather Fault that passes through Lituya Bay shook a mountaintop into the water and produced a wave that reached 1,740 feet on the hillside in the background, shearing off rainforest spruce trees. Photo courtesy Ned Rozell
This figure shows the approximately 2,700 earthquakes that occurred in Southcentral Alaska between Sept. 10 and Nov. 12, 2025. Also shown are the locations of the two research sites in Homer and Kodiak. Figure by Cade Quigley

The people behind earthquake early warning

Alders, alders, everywhere. When you follow scientists in the Alaska wilderness, you’ll almost certainly get alder-snagged. In November, near Homer, alders grew considerately on Grewingk… Continue reading

This figure shows the approximately 2,700 earthquakes that occurred in Southcentral Alaska between Sept. 10 and Nov. 12, 2025. Also shown are the locations of the two research sites in Homer and Kodiak. Figure by Cade Quigley
Patricia Ann Davis drew this illustration of dancing wires affected by air movement. From the book “Alaska Science Nuggets” by Neil Davis

The mystery of the dancing wires

In this quiet, peaceful time of year, with all the noisy birds flown south and all the scary bears in hillside dens, little things catch… Continue reading

Patricia Ann Davis drew this illustration of dancing wires affected by air movement. From the book “Alaska Science Nuggets” by Neil Davis
The research vessel Sikuliaq navigates Resurrection Bay on the way to its homeport at the Seward Marine Center in 2020. Photo courtesy of Sarah Spanos

Seward-based research vessel sets sail for Antarctica

The Sikuliaq will support three research projects starting in early January.

The research vessel Sikuliaq navigates Resurrection Bay on the way to its homeport at the Seward Marine Center in 2020. Photo courtesy of Sarah Spanos
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
“Hair ice” grows from the forest floor in Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo courtesy of Ned Rozell

‘Hair ice’ enlivens an extended fall in Interior Alaska

Just when you thought you’d seen everything in the boreal forest, a reader points out white whiskers sprouting from the ground. Chris Greenfield-Pastro of Fairbanks… Continue reading

“Hair ice” grows from the forest floor in Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo courtesy of Ned Rozell
The Seward Sleeper Sharks present during the 28th Annual Alaska Tsunami Bowl in the Seward High School Auditorium in Seward, Alaska, on Feb. 28, 2025. (Photo provided by Mica Van Buskirk)

Seward teams earn 2nd, 4th place at Alaska Tsunami Bowl

Seward students who competed this year were recognized Monday with a commending resolution by the Seward City Council.

The Seward Sleeper Sharks present during the 28th Annual Alaska Tsunami Bowl in the Seward High School Auditorium in Seward, Alaska, on Feb. 28, 2025. (Photo provided by Mica Van Buskirk)
Seadrone photo showing stone fish trap found in Shakan Bay on the west side of Prince of Wales could potentially be oldest ever found in the world. The structure was first discovered in 2010 and officially confirmed as a stone weir earlier this year. (Courtesy Photo / Sealaska Heritage)

Ancient weir sheds new light on Alaska Native history

Stone fish trap dates to at least 11,100 years ago, according to scientists.

Seadrone photo showing stone fish trap found in Shakan Bay on the west side of Prince of Wales could potentially be oldest ever found in the world. The structure was first discovered in 2010 and officially confirmed as a stone weir earlier this year. (Courtesy Photo / Sealaska Heritage)
Larry Talley / Courtesy photo A dead whale previously seen and necropsied on a small island near Angoon was spotted afloat on March 3. The cuts visible come from the necropsy effort, said a NOAA official.

Whale’s body spotted near Tenakee Inlet in Southeast Alaska

The animal with a long history in the area has been necropsied.

Larry Talley / Courtesy photo A dead whale previously seen and necropsied on a small island near Angoon was spotted afloat on March 3. The cuts visible come from the necropsy effort, said a NOAA official.
A team of marine mammal experts performs a necropsy on a male sperm whale. (Courtesy photo | Johanna Vollenweider, NOAA)

Beached whale offers scientific opportunity

It washed up just north of Juneau.

A team of marine mammal experts performs a necropsy on a male sperm whale. (Courtesy photo | Johanna Vollenweider, NOAA)
The R/V Sikuliaq’s Third Mate Arthur Levine scans the entire vessel on Nov. 27 for safety concerns before the ship departs for Seattle via the Gulf of Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

R/V Sikuliaq connects scientists to a sea of research

After over a month spent docked in Seward, the R/V Sikuliaq set sail last Wednesday. The vibrant blue-hulled, 261-foot oceanographic research vessel left on a… Continue reading

The R/V Sikuliaq’s Third Mate Arthur Levine scans the entire vessel on Nov. 27 for safety concerns before the ship departs for Seattle via the Gulf of Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Beluga food sources shifted from marine to freshwater over past 50 years

Over the past fifty years Cook Inlet’s endangered beluga whales have changed their feeding habits, eating less prey that originates in marine waters and more… Continue reading