Children’s singer and songwriter Raffi may have brought beluga whales into popular culture with his 1980 song “Baby Beluga,” but surprisingly little is actually known about the life and ecology of these elusive marine mammals that live in some of the world’s most remote, frigid waters. Two distinct populations spend winters in the Bering Sea, […]
Stronger winds and thinner ice are forcing Alaska polar bears to work harder to remain in Alaska, according to scientists who have studied increased movements of both sea ice and bears. “There’s an energetic cost to stay in Alaska,” said David Douglas of the U.S. Geological Survey Science Center. He and others compared wanderings of […]
(FAIRBANKS, Alaska) – After reviewing current overflow patterns and locations on the Dalton Highway, the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) is moving forward with contingency plans to protect the road from the Sag River. ADOT&PF is pursuing construction of a gravel berm adjacent to the Dalton Highway. The berm will be constructed […]
The ice floating on top of the world covers pretty much the entire Arctic Ocean in midwinter. By late summer it shrinks to half that much. If trends continue, by mid-century the summer ice may take up less space than Japan. As the Arctic Ocean becomes more blue, it absorbs much of the sun’s heat […]