Three new research tools will help scientists and the public better understand the effects of climate change on freshwater fish. A stream classification tool, a searchable database of research papers, and a salmon life cycle model, funded by agencies and public dollars, will all be accessible online. “Freshwater aquatic ecosystem data are relatively scarce […]
A University of Alaska Fairbanks-led research team has developed a way to use satellite images to determine the amount of methane being released from northern lakes, a technique that could help climate change modelers better account for this potent greenhouse gas. By using synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, researchers were able to find a […]
Altruistic helping — the act of giving away something desirable, even at a cost to oneself — is perhaps no more evident than when it comes to food. Human adults often respond to hungry people, whether through food banks or fundraisers, or by simply handing over their lunch. But when, and how, does […]
University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists are developing a new method to predict ecosystem change in Interior Alaska, and their techniques could prove useful elsewhere in the world. The study uses real-time water data, rather than simulations, to predict ecosystem “tipping points.” “We’re pretty good, as ecosystem ecologists, at using stream chemistry to tell us […]
By 2099, winds along Alaska’s northwestern coasts are projected to grow stronger, according to a new study from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. To understand past and future winds, programmer Kyle Redilla, of UAF’s International Arctic Research Center, and Sarah Pearl, an undergraduate from Dartmouth College, analyzed over 30 years of data from 67 airports […]
University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists presented their work at the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting in San Francisco this week. Here are some research highlights from the world’s largest Earth and space science meeting. A decades-old research project on Alaska’s North Slope indicates that deciduous shrubs shift more carbon from the soil to the atmosphere […]
On Dec. 15, 1989, a pilot who had flown a 747 passenger jet all the way from Amsterdam was looking forward to landing in Anchorage. There, he would take a short break before continuing to Tokyo. Descending over Southcentral Alaska, he and his co-pilot saw what looked like an inky storm cloud ahead. Flying into […]
Most of the large animals that have walked the surface of Earth are no longer here. Why? Dan Mann thinks it’s because our recent climate has been too stable, at least when compared to the wacky ups and downs of the last ice age. Mann, a University of Alaska Fairbanks professor, presented his idea at […]
The logistics of doing research in the Arctic are challenging and complex. Travelling hundreds of miles through tundra, sometimes in temperatures well below freezing, to collect data in one of the most extreme environments in the world requires careful planning. The difficulties could be cut down significantly if better infrastructure was in place. There are […]