How one of the two large basins underlying the Arctic Ocean formed during the Mesozoic Era remains a mystery to scientists. It’s one that geophysics professor Bernard Coakley of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute is hoping to unravel as he leads an international research project that set sail this week aboard the UAF […]
A new project will make it possible for scientists to better track a suite of phenomena in Alaska ranging from earthquakes to wildfires to sea ice. The five-year, $6.9 million project funded by the National Science Foundation will enhance measurements of Arctic change across western and northern Alaska. It’s led by the Alaska Earthquake Center, […]
A review article published in Nature Climate Change evaluates whether severe winter weather in the United States, Europe and Asia is sensitive to Arctic temperatures. The lead author is NSF-funded scientist Judah Cohen, director of seasonal forecasting at Atmospheric and Environmental Research. Despite a warming planet, winter weather has remained surprisingly resilient across the mid-latitudes of the Northern […]
Mini-microplastics uncovered in the stomachs of filter-feeding marine organisms Nothing seems safe from plastic contamination. A new study by NSF-funded researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggests there could be a million times more pieces of plastic in the ocean than previously estimated. Biological oceanographer Jennifer Brandon found some of the tiniest microplastics in seawater at much higher […]
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]cting on the advice of medical experts, National Science Foundation (NSF) officials have directed the NSF-chartered research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer to put ashore a person in need of a level of care not available aboard the ship. The Palmer, which is at sea in Antarctic waters, will divert to the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Station. After arriving […]
The Coast Guard Cutter Healy has begun a four-month deployment to the Arctic Ocean to conduct several science research missions. Coast Guard officials in Seattle, Washington, said Healy’s first mission will be for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to increase understanding of biological processes along Alaska’s Continental Shelf. The second mission, sponsored by the […]
It was announced on Thursday that the former Finance Director for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council has been indicted on several charges concerning misapplications of federal funds by a grand jury this week. 38-year-old David Michael McGraw of Fairbanks was indicted on charges of misapplication from an organization receiving federal funds, money laundering, and making […]
Genetic analysis of ancient DNA from a 6-week-old infant found at an Interior Alaska archaeological site has revealed a previously unknown population of ancient people in North America. The findings, published in the Jan. 3 edition of the journal Nature, represent a major shift in scientists’ theories about how humans populated North America. The researchers have […]
The National Science Foundation is funding the largest marine seismic-monitoring effort yet along the Alaska Peninsula, a region with frequent and diverse earthquake and volcanic activity. Involving aircraft and ships, the new Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment will be led by Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, with partners at the University of Washington and seven other […]