“This was the second-warmest year on record in the Arctic,” said Emily Osborne, a climate scientist with NOAA. “And to add to that, (the) last five years have been the warmest on record.”
Ravenna Koenig, Alaska's Energy Desk
Reactions from Utqiaġvik on a whaling quota rule change: ‘We don’t have to beg anymore’
“I had hoped to see that happen during my lifeterm,” said Eugene Brower, former president of the Barrow Whaling Captains Association of the rule change. “I’m happy that we don’t have to beg anymore.”
Anchorage area hospitals report initial wave of earthquake injuries: Two life threatening, but mostly minor
Mat-Su Regional Medical Center says in the first nine hours after the earthquake they saw 99 disaster related injuries.
Science and traditional knowledge converge in North Slope Borough’s bowhead whale program
Scientists have spent the past few decades catching up to traditional knowledge, documenting scientifically what whale hunters already knew. Like the fact that the whales can smell, and that they can travel under sea ice.
New study says Chukchi polar bears are healthy despite sea ice loss — for now
“Unless the underlying problem of climate change is addressed, the sea ice is expected to continue to diminish,” said polar bear researcher Eric Regehr. “And at some point that will likely have a negative effect on the bears in this Chukchi area.”
In a warming Arctic, October in Utqiaġvik presents an especially striking picture
Billy Adams, a hunter in his 50s, says that when he was growing up in Utqiagvik, there was almost always ice attached to the shore by now.
Fall whaling in Utqiaġvik: joy, excitement and this year, mourning too
Whaling Captain Crawford Patkotak says many in the community are still mourning the loss of two whalers in an accident this season, but the overarching dedication to continuing the tradition of whaling remains strong.
A warming Arctic means a change of plans for offshore drilling project
As the Arctic warms, Hilcorp is already having to tweak its proposal to accommodate climate change. And future companies looking to drill offshore in the Arctic may have additional changes to plan for.
Alaskans rally in support of youth climate lawsuit, currently in limbo
“This is no longer a scientific issue, it’s not a scientific question. It’s a moral and spiritual issue,” said Tom Baring of Fairbanks, the father of one of the plaintiffs.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin talks gasline, Alaska economy in Fairbanks
Gov. Bill Walker said the primary reason for the visit was for the Secretary to get a better understanding of the Alaska LNG Project.