Every Alaskan owns at least one version of a sensitive scientific instrument: the thermometer. But what is it measuring? Because hot and cold are relative terms, sometimes our senses can’t be trusted to tell us the difference. For example, a tub of ice water will feel warm if you stick your foot in it after […]
Image-Researchers studied changes in soil microbes in tundra near Denali National Park in Alaska. Credit: Ted Schuur Rising temperatures in the tundra of northern latitudes could affect microbial communities in ways likely to increase their production of the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide, a new study of experimentally warmed Alaskan soil suggests. The […]
Adult sockeye salmon returning to spawn in the lakes of Bristol Bay, Alaska.Jason Ching/University of Washington An ample buffet of freshwater food, brought on by climate change, is altering the life history of one of the world’s most important salmon species. Sockeye salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region are skipping an entire year […]
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]emperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as in the rest of the world, causing permafrost soils to thaw. Permafrost peatlands are biogeochemical hot spots in the Arctic as they store vast amounts of carbon. Permafrost thaw could release part of these long-term immobile carbon stocks as the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2) […]