"permafrost"

The fire began burning on April 16 near the communities of Kwethluk, Bethel and Napakiak.

New research on how climate change affects things built on or in permafrost shows this type of infrastructure will deteriorate faster than expected.

This year, Newtok is sending one-third of its residents across the Ninglick River to its replacement village, Mertarvik.

The United Nations has released a major new report on climate change. It contains stark warnings on how rising emissions will affect environments across the globe — and much of Alaska.

The report concludes the $43 billion export project could have significant impacts on the environment — but would be a boost for state and local economies.

Akiak lost a mile-long stretch of riverbank to erosion in May. Six houses are now within 100 feet of the river and need to be moved — and soon. But some residents don’t want to move.

Officials are studying whether the existing path of the park’s 92-mile road can be spared from a creeping landslide. Scientists say it could be a preview of Denali’s future as permafrost thaws.

“It’s an area that I and some other colleagues have started thinking about: can you get methane forming in terrestrial environments? But it’s a very new area of science,” carbon scientist Katey Walter Anthony said.

Some scientists said the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, underscores the limitations and uncertainties of climate modeling – and how policymakers might need to take more aggressive steps if they want to keep global temperatures under control.

The change in regulation comes after a BP well failed last year; the company blamed it on thawing permafrost causing uneven pressure on the well.