PUYUQ – SMOKE MECUUSQANEK KENERQAT PUYURNARTUU’UT. – WET FIREWOOD IS VERY SMOKY. In Alutiiq communities, wood smoke is best known for its ability to flavor and preserve fish. Each family has its own special recipe for creating savory smoked salmon. Some rely on cottonwood, as both the bark and the wood of this widely […]
Calmer winds and rising humidity helped firefighters battle more than 100 wildfires Saturday that continued to rage largely uncontrolled along the U.S. West Coast from California to Washington state and beyond, incinerating entire towns and killing at least 24 people. Authorities were concerned, however, that the receding flames could lead to the discovery of […]
A scientist has an idea for reducing global carbon-dioxide emissions — fight Alaska forest fires more aggressively. Carly Phillips, an ecologist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, thinks there is a unique Alaska opportunity to keep carbon in the soil, and in tissues of living trees and other plants. “Alaska stores nearly one half […]
Photo: This is a 2009 phytoplankton bloom in the Bering Sea. Cloud seed bacteria may feed on phytoplankton. CREDIT: NASA, Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center WASHINGTON – New research finds Arctic Ocean currents and storms are moving bacteria from ocean algae blooms into the atmosphere where the particles help clouds […]
STERLING HIGHWAY HAS REOPENED between Mileposts 75-53. Expect delays and be prepared for sudden highway closures due to fire activity and dense smoke. Drive with headlights on and be alert for pilot cars, flaggers, and firefighters. Also, Skilak Lake Loop Road is closed to traffic. For highway conditions statewide, visit 511.alaska.gov For wildfire updates […]
British Columbia wildfires in 2017 created a massive cloud that circled the Northern Hemisphere Photo: An enormous cloud of smoke from intense wildfires drifted over northern Canada on August 15, 2017. The image is a mosaic composed from several satellite overpasses because the affected area was so large. Image: NASA Earth Observatory Extreme […]
ANCHORAGE – Smoke produced by several active wildfires has resulted in air quality advisories for many regions of the state in recent weeks, including Southeast, Southwest, Southcentral, Central and the Eastern Interior of Alaska. Alaskans should check for air quality advisories on the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Air Quality Advisories/Episodes web page (or sign […]
Fourteen sailors have died in a fire on a deep-sea submersible, the Russian military says. The fire broke out Monday while the crew was in Russian territorial waters, gathering biometric measurements for a military survey, according to the Defense Ministry. The seamen died of smoke inhalation. The submersible is now at the arctic port […]
Hot and dry weather and winds from the north-northeast pushed the Swan Lake fire within two miles of the Sterling Highway on Sunday. The advancing wildfire prompted a closure of the highway and the relocation of firefighters as the flaming front became obscured in smoke. Alaska Interagency Management Team asked for traffic to be […]