Some Alaskans have the dubious distinction of a volcano practically in their backyard, across the water or upwind. Now, a new radio program will help keep them, and other listeners across the state, informed about what’s going on with Alaska’s 54 active volcanoes. The Alaska Volcano Observatory, or AVO, is starting up the weekly two-minute public radio […]
Whale Population Plummeting in Project Area, New Federal Data Show ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Conservation groups Friday threatened to sue the Trump administration for approving oil exploration in Alaska’s Cook Inlet after new federal data found a dramatic decline in the area’s population of endangered beluga whales. The formal notice of intent to file an Endangered Species Act lawsuit […]
A scientist has an idea for reducing global carbon-dioxide emissions — fight Alaska forest fires more aggressively. Carly Phillips, an ecologist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, thinks there is a unique Alaska opportunity to keep carbon in the soil, and in tissues of living trees and other plants. “Alaska stores nearly one half […]
Across much of Alaska, permafrost is thawing. In most locations of interior and south Alaska, what permafrost exists is protected by the ecosystems around it. Trees, moss and peat shade the ground from summer heat and help slow thaw. At the same time, scientists predict that wildfire seasons in Alaska will increase in duration and […]