In the near future, Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier will withdraw its icy toe from the lake of its making, scientists say. “The lake is about to not have a glacier in it,” said hydrologist Eran Hood of the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. “Within the next few years is my guess.” Hood is part of […]
In a new study, a team of geologists and biologists led by CU Boulder resurrected ancient microbes that had been trapped in ice—in some cases for around 40,000 years. The study is a showcase for the planet’s permafrost. That’s the name for a frozen mix of soil, ice and rocks that underlies nearly a quarter of […]
UPPER CHENA RIVER — On this rainy September afternoon, Erik Schoen vacuums water from a backwater slough. The clear flow runs through a plastic tube and into a jar. The liquid will tell him if toothy finned predators swim in this body of water. Earlier this summer, more than 50 juvenile Chinook (king) salmon hovered […]
The glorious paper birch outside the window that has for the past three weeks beamed a sunny glow is losing its luster, one golden coin at a time. The 10,000 solar panels the tree has worn since early spring are releasing their grip without a sound and spiraling to the forest floor. In deciduous plants, […]