19 Aleutian Terns
Image: An Aleutian tern in Yakutat. Photo by Nate Catterson. YAKUTAT — On sandy barrier islands between mountains and the sea, two different birds that look alike lay their eggs…
The Sound of Silence in Russell Fjord
Image: Dead trees near a shoreline of Russell Fjord about 15 miles from the town of Yakutat. Ned Rozell photo. RUSSELL FJORD — Standing on this smooth gravel shoreline, 15…
How Many Alaska Glaciers? There’s No Easy Answer
Image: Yakutat Glacier. Photo by Sam Herreid Not long ago, a glaciologist wrote that the number of glaciers in Alaska “is estimated at (greater than) 100,000.” That fuzzy number, maybe…
Ruddy Ducks Among Many Moving Northward
Photo: A brood of ruddy ducks in Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in summer 2018. Photo by Michelle Lake, USFWS. Every spring, millions of ducks touch down on Yukon Flats…
The Man who Broke through the Northwest Passage
Fifty years ago, a ship long as the Empire State Building sailed toward obstacles that captains usually avoid. The icebreaking tanker SS Manhattan was an oil company’s attempt to…
Breath of Clams Leads to Big Picture
To learn more about one of the largest environmental changes of our lifetimes, Brittany Jones studies clam breath. Jones is a student earning her Ph.D. at the University of…
A Powdery Idea to Reduce Sea-Ice Loss
A team of researchers has a plan to slow the melting of northern sea ice using a sand-like substance. Leslie Field is an inventor trained in chemical and electrical…
Warm Spring may Result in Gentle Breakup
Following the warmest March Alaskans have ever felt, forecasters are predicting a mellow transition from ice to water for most big rivers in the state. Things don’t always go…
Birds Large and Small Sniff Their Way Through Life
In the 1820s, painter and naturalist John James Audubon designed an experiment to test if birds had a sense of smell. He dragged a rotten hog carcass into a…
