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Wildfires blister Alaska with increased frequency, intensity
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on June 25th, 2015
Associated Press: Alaska residents endure the nation's harshest winters for the reward of beautiful summer days with sunshine that lingers until midnight.
But increasingly, large wildfires have marred the pristine outdoors, filling the skies with black smoke and forcing people who live near forests to flee for safety.
A study released Wednesday reinforces a trend revealed by state records, showing that wildfires have been blistering Alaska with greater frequency and intensity.
The findings have left forest...
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Despite Protests, Construction Controversial Hawaii Telescope Will Resume
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on June 21st, 2015
Associated Press: The construction of a $1.4 billion telescope on land considered sacred by some Native Hawaiians will resume Wednesday, according to the nonprofit company behind the project.
Henry Yang, chairman of the Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Board, in a statement said the board decided to move forward after more than two months of consultations.
"Our period of inactivity has made us a better organization in the long run," Yang said. "We are now comfortable that we can be better stewards and better...
Researchers say permafrost carbon release will be gradual
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on April 10th, 2015
Associated Press: Frozen Arctic and sub-Arctic soil that thaws from global warming will add substantial amounts of carbon to the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gases, accelerating climate change the rest of the century, but it won't come in a sudden burst, researchers say in a new paper.
A review by government and academic experts concludes that harmful carbon dioxide and methane generated by microbes digesting thawed plant and animal material will instead enter the atmosphere gradually. But it's a carbon...
Study predicts fewer icebergs from Alaska glacier
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on November 27th, 2012
Associated Press: The rate of icebergs breaking off from Alaska's Columbia Glacier will significantly slow within eight years, according to a new study.
Scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder used a computer model that indicated the tidewater glacier by 2020 will retreat to a new, stable position in shallower water. The glacier, the study said, will achieve "dynamic equilibrium," where the rate of ice accumulation equals the rate of ice ablation, or ice removal.
That should slow the dramatic discharge...
Study refines calculations of thawing permafrost
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on October 30th, 2012
Associated Press: A new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey refines estimates of how frozen Arctic soils could thaw and release gases into the atmosphere, including nitrogen, which could have an effect on plants and water.
Lead author Jennifer Harden, a USGS research soil scientist, said it's too soon to make grand statements about nitrogen's effect.
"It's sort of a flag to look at it and measure it in different environments," she said from Menlo Park, Calif. "As of yet, it looks like a very small amount...
Research confirms climate warming for yellow cedar death
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on February 18th, 2012
Associated Press: U.S. Forest Service researchers have confirmed what has long been suspected about a valuable tree in Alaska's Panhandle: Climate warming is killing off yellow cedar.
The mighty trees can live more than 1,000 years, resisting bugs and rot and even defending themselves against injury, but their shallow roots are vulnerable to freezing if soil is not insulated by snow. And for more than a century, with less snow on the ground, frozen roots have killed yellow cedar on nearly a half-million acres in...
USGS uses airborne tool to map Alaska permafrost
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on January 24th, 2012
Associated Press: The agency announced Monday that an airborne survey in Alaska's Yukon River drainage had collected unprecedented images of the presence and absence of permafrost down to 328 feet. The study used an electromagnetic survey tool flown beneath a helicopter.
"We really think we've got the story nailed down from these data," research geophysicist Burke Minsley said by phone from the Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center in Denver.
Minsley is lead author of the study published Friday...
EPA grants air permit to Shell for Arctic drilling
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on September 19th, 2011
Associated Press: The Environmental Protection Agency has approved an air quality permit for a Shell Oil drilling vessel and accompanying vessels that the company hopes to use in Arctic waters next year.
The EPA on Monday approved the air permit for the drilling vessel Noble Discover.
The permit was a key hurdle for Shell to overcome before it can begin exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast.
Environmental groups and some Alaska Native groups oppose offshore drilling. Drilling...