Background Articles

The Biden administration supports a land trade in an Alaskan wildlife refuge, exchanging 490 acres for 31,198 acres, despite controversy and opposition from some tribal communities.

The article discusses a contentious proposal for new fish passage infrastructure at the Eklutna River dam, with differing plans and potential legal challenges as stakeholders await the governor's decision.

An AP investigation reveals that political disputes and blame fears halted the search for COVID-19's origins in China, contradicting public claims of ongoing efforts.

Russia's objection to U.S. claims off Alaska highlights tensions in maritime relations and underscores the U.S. disadvantage in territorial disputes due to its non-ratification of the Law of the Sea treaty.

The years-long debate is taking on increasing urgency as subsistence harvesting bans continue and the policy responses under consideration threaten to impose steep costs on the industry.

The Chemring Nobel explosive plant in Norway is increasing its emissions fivefold, raising concerns about worsening nitrogen pollution in the Oslo fjord.

The article discusses concerns over the impact of human-made noise on endangered Cook Inlet belugas and the debate over noise mitigation measures.

The Russian war on Ukraine has led to the exclusion of Russian data from Arctic research, significantly increasing uncertainty in climate predictions and impacting global environmental understanding and management efforts.

Indigenous communities in the Bering Strait region advocate for maintaining federal protections on D-1 lands to safeguard their subsistence lifestyle and cultural heritage from the impacts of state management and resource extraction.

Norway faces criticism from the European Parliament and environmental groups for its decision to allow mineral exploration in the Barents and Greenland Seas, despite concerns over potential ecological impacts and calls for a ban until proven safe.

Peter Pan's King Cove plant closure during the winter will impact local revenue and fishermen, amid industry-wide financial struggles and delayed payments.

The U.S. Department of the Interior released a 1,200-page supplemental environmental impact study (EIS) on the proposed Ambler Access Road in Alaska, which reveals potentially greater social and environmental impacts than previously thought, including concerns about disrupting traditional hunting and fishing lifestyles and causing permafrost thaw.

While the ships are free to pass through the Bering Strait, its 55-mile width means that any spills would be likely to drift toward Alaska communities.

So far, 22 sea lions have been found, with signs of human interaction, including gunshot wounds.

The forces of climate change that are reducing ice cover and opening up the Arctic to more activity are making Alaska more important in regards to Homeland Security. For the Department, which has a combination of public safety, emergency response and law-enforcement functions, climate change is creating new challenges for which old responses are no longer adequate.

Rick Thoman is thinking hard about the cost of climate change and the benefits of better tracking, potentially influencing Alaska’s response to extreme weather and more.

A research project found that the Bering Strait is at least a meter deeper on the Alaska side than previously believed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The project evaluated new and old bathymetric surveys, applying modern technology to the latter to more accurately pinpoint locations.

The Bering Sea region is front and center for federal fisheries researchers after the 2019 heatwave produced extreme change in the marine ecosystem.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Subsistence Management held the second public hearing on May 2 about the proposal to reduce the caribou harvest limit for resident hunters across the range of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd from five caribou per day to four caribou per year, only one of which may be a cow.

For nearly three decades, the Arctic Council has been a successful example of post-Cold War cooperation. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a freezing of relations; what risks do the breakdown of Arctic collaboration pose to the region?