SEATTLE — The Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) departed Seattle on Saturday, July 10, for a months-long Arctic deployment and circumnavigation of North America. The crew aboard Healy, a 420’ medium icebreaker, will provide U.S. surface presence in the Arctic, conduct high latitude science and research missions, engage in exercises and professional exchanges with […]
Arctic species poorly adapted for coping with rising temperatures as the Arctic continues to warm The Arctic is warming at approximately twice the global rate. A new study led by researchers from McGill University finds that cold-adapted Arctic species, like the thick-billed murre, are especially vulnerable to heat stress caused by climate change. “We discovered […]
Washington — Today the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it will withdraw a December 2020 proposal from the Trump administration that would have weakened safety regulations for oil drilling in Arctic waters. Statement by Leah Donahey, Legislative Director, Alaska Wilderness League said in a statement: “Given the massive challenges of conducting offshore […]
Lightning strikes in the Arctic tripled from 2010 to 2020, a finding University of Washington researchers attribute to rising temperatures due to human-caused climate change. The results, researchers say, suggest Arctic residents in northern Russia, Canada, Europe and Alaska need to prepare for the danger of more frequent lightning strikes. The study, published March 22 in […]
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, toured and spoke at three of Alaska’s military installations, expounding on the Alaska National Guard’s role in Arctic Strategy, Mar. 23 – 25. “We are an arctic nation because of Alaska,” said Saxe, addressing the Airmen of Clear Air […]
JUNEAU, Alaska — The Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) arrived in Juneau, Friday, for a logistics stop as the crew nears the end of their months-long Arctic deployment conducting scientific research and protecting the nation’s maritime sovereignty and security throughout the polar region. In addition to Polar Star’s strategic national security objectives, the nation’s sole […]
Bowhead whales are true northern creatures, swimming only in cold oceans off Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Svalbard and Russia. These bus-size whales have the largest mouths in the animal kingdom, can live for 200 years and can go without eating for more than a year due to their remarkable fat reserves. Bowheads are also a rare […]
January 20, 2021 (Juneau, AK) – Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a statement on today’s decision of incoming President Joe Biden to halt oil and gas activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The decision follows the historic lease sale held on January 6, 2021. Today’s announcement to shut down development in the Arctic […]