As average temperatures rise, two University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers are mapping permafrost’s impact on Alaska. Vladimir Romanovsky and David McGuire are members of a team working to identify worldwide regions susceptible to thermokarst.
Weather
In rural Alaska, loss of heating assistance hits hard
Cuts to state and federal heating assistance programs hit rural, urban Alaska differently
Much of the southeast U.S. is grappling with drought
Months of severe drought are causing water shortages and wildfires, particularly in Alabama and Georgia. The USDA has designated part of Georgia a disaster area for farmers.
Giant snowballs wash up on Siberian beach
The masses of balls that appeared along 11 miles of coast in western Siberia were snowy and icy. Some of them were small, and some were quite large.
Ask a Climatologist: Arctic sea ice at record low for the season
This late in the fall, the Arctic Ocean sea ice should be forming near the community of Barrow. Instead, the ocean is open for hundreds of miles.
Hurricane Matthew took a big bite out of Southeastern states’ beaches
The U.S. Geological Survey finds the storm damaged 15 percent of sand dunes on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, 30 percent along Georgia’s coastline and 42 percent of the dunes on South Carolina beaches.
As Climate Changes, Meteorologists Relying Less on ‘Using the Past to Inform the Future’
National Weather Service Meteorologist, Rick Thoman, believes the arctic is in for a more normal winter this year, but he says climate change has made past weather events less useful for predicting arctic weather.
Denali’s dogs: Protecting the environment and preserving heritage
There’s only one park in America with canine rangers: Denali National Park. The use of sled dogs is older than the park itself. In the summers, the dogs serve as ambassadors. During the winter months, they ferry park employees through areas closed to motorized vehicles.
How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California’s Drought?
Four years of too little water is killing millions of trees in the Sierra, yet some giant sequoias still thrive. Tree-climbing scientists are exploring sequoias branch by branch to find their secret.
Ripinsky weather station provides data on mountain conditions
A new weather station installed on Mt. Ripinsky last month is now relaying data on weather conditions that could help hikers, climbers and skiers prepare for bad weather — especially avalanches.