Decision based on dry conditions and limited resources (PALMER) – The Alaska State Fair’s Annual Night of Fireworks has been cancelled this year due to extreme fire danger conditions and a lack of fire mitigation resources. Several large wildfires currently being fought in the Susitna Valley and statewide have stretched firefighting resources thin. Specifically, […]
Following the warmest March Alaskans have ever felt, forecasters are predicting a mellow transition from ice to water for most big rivers in the state. Things don’t always go that way during spring breakup, when chunks of river ice freed from the cold grip of winter can lock up in river bends and back […]
It’s time for falling leaves, hot drinks, and runny noses. It’s also time for the Alaskan clothing combination of hats, sweatshirts, and shorts because we know it’s cold but are refusing to relinquish summer. You’re probably reminding yourself that it’s time to clean out the gutters, put away the garden hose, and find the extension […]
An ancient jawbone has led scientists to believe that polar bears survived a period thousands of years ago that was warmer than today. Sandra Talbot of the USGS Alaska Science Center in Anchorage was one of 14 scientists who teamed to write a paper based on a polar bear jawbone found amid rocks on a […]
In 2014 the Bering Sea warmed, raising concerns that pollock populations would plummet as they did in the previous warm phase of 2001-2005. But a new study suggests that this time young pollock had alternative resources that weren’t available during the last warming phase to help buffer ill effects of warming. With 2017 showing signs of cooling, […]
Record breaking warm temperatures this winter have caused plants to bloom early in the eastern United States. Unfortunately this has also resulted in the formation of spring-like severe thunderstorms and deadly tornadoes. Multiple tornado sightings were made in three of the last seven days. On Saturday February 25, 2017 destructive tornadoes were reported in Maryland, Pennsylvania […]
Boulder, Colo.–Unusually high air temperatures and a warm ocean have led to a record low Arctic sea ice extent for November, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). In the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctic sea ice extent also hit a record low for the month, caused by moderately warm temperatures […]