New research shows two widely used computer models that predict summer melt pond formation on sea ice greatly overestimate their extent, a key finding as scientists work to make accurate projections about Arctic climate change. The finding comes from measurements made during a year-long expedition aboard the research vessel Polarstern. For the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for […]
Melinda Webster splashed daily through the clear water of Arctic melt ponds to measure the depth of the water cradled in pockets dotting the polar sea ice. She was a common sight in the white and blue icescape in which the research vessel Polarstern, her home for 126 days last year, had been deliberately left to […]
Anchorage, AK –Pilots landing CAP floatplanes or their personal aircraft on water ways are vigilant to check the surface for boats, logs, sandbars, and other impediments to safety. Now, Southcentral Alaskan lakes have a new hazard to avoid: ELODEA. Pilots are encouraged to be attentive to Emergency Order 2-NP-2-16-19 (https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Static-sf/EONR/PDFs/2019/R2/EO%202-NP-2-16-19%20Alexander_final.pdf) regarding the water bodies […]
Animals the size of Labrador retrievers are changing the face of Alaska, creating new ponds visible from space. “These guys leave a mark,” UAF ecologist Ken Tape said of North America’s largest rodents, beavers. He has observed the recent work of beavers north of Arctic Circle using satellite images. He and a group of arctic […]