As of Aug. 31, Arctic sea ice coverage dropped to the third-lowest extent on satellite record for that day, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Climate Change
There’s a new marine heatwave in the Pacific Ocean that looks a lot like ‘The Blob’
The new warming trend started in mid-June.
Democratic presidential candidates spent 7 hours talking climate change. Alaska was barely mentioned.
In a prime-time presidential climate change forum, Democrats spent seven hours on the issue. But there was no substantive discussion of Alaska, even though the state is one of the most affected by global warming.
School district meets deadline to move fuel away from eroding Kuskokwim riverbank
The Coast Guard had given the Lower Kuskokwim School District two weeks to move the fuel away from the riverbank when the erosion reached 76 feet from the nearest fuel tank.
Wildfires and warming could transform Alaska’s forests, making leafy trees dominant over evergreens, study says
If wildfire frequency and temperature rise in Alaska like the paper’s authors expect, broadleaf trees like birch and aspen could become dominant.
Experts: Heat and drought, not spruce beetles or leaf miners, turned Alaska forests into kindling
There are more insects in the forest than other years, but experts say climate is the biggest factor for fires.
Coast Guard gives school district until Aug. 30 to remove fuel from tanks threatened by Kuskokwim River erosion
The Lower Kuskokwim School District’s tanks hold about 36,000 gallons of fuel and are sitting less than 100 feet from the eroding Kuskokwim River bank.
In August, Southcentral Alaska has been abnormally dry and hot — prime conditions for wildfires
Usually by August, peak fire season has passed. But fire and climate experts say conditions in Southcentral Alaska were nearly perfect for fire this weekend, from the sky to the dry forest floor.
As the Kenai Peninsula dries out, the likelihood for fires increases
The Kenai Peninsula is drying out. And this summer, fires have sprouted up in some unusual places.
Summer heat accelerates Alaska peony harvest
Typically, Alaska peony growers have a window of time when the flowers aren’t being harvested anywhere else in the world. But this summer’s record-breaking heat led to an early and fast harvest, leaving farmers here wondering what the future will bring.