Background Articles

It funds maps, sirens and education. "Losing this program, really, at the end of the day could mean deaths in Alaska," says a state official.

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 $100 million Pretty Rocks Bridge will cross the site of a landslide that has closed the road at Mile 45 since 2021.

Canada's record wildfires contribute significantly to global non-tropical tree cover loss, with implications for climate change and biodiversity.

Canada and Alaska have agreed to a seven-year fishing moratorium on Yukon River chinook salmon to aid the species' recovery, following years of declining numbers.

Canada's mild winter has caused the longest recent delay in opening the Arctic ice road, essential for diamond mine access and goods transport, highlighting climate change impacts on infrastructure.

Alaska researchers are developing a method to detect landslide-triggered tsunamis, aiming to provide early warnings for such unpredictable events.

Sea ice loss, warming waters and the northward expansion of fish species like pollock are all contributing to a pattern in the Bering Strait region known as “borealization.” That means the Arctic ecosystem is becoming more like the boreal region to the south.

Emergency measures are in place in Kotzebue after a failure in the Swan Lake Loop left 74 households without water, prompting local and state officials to declare an emergency and take action to provide services and repair infrastructure.

Alaska's new Sustainable Energy Action Plan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy, excluding oil industry cuts.

Rep. Mary Peltola discusses the challenges facing Alaska's fisheries, including declining salmon populations and the impact on subsistence and commercial fishing, during her visit to Bethel for the Cama-i Dance Festival.

Alaska's Yukon River residents feel neglected by a new Canada-U.S. agreement aimed at rebuilding salmon stocks, as the pact requires a seven-year fishing halt that exacerbates their economic and cultural struggles.

An infrasound avalanche detection system, previously used for monitoring volcanoes and nuclear tests, is being installed in Juneau to improve avalanche mitigation and road safety.

The poultry industry dreads avian influenza, but migratory and sea birds are succumbing to the virus in alarming numbers. Concern is rising not only about avian health but also about human health. How are our warming winters factoring into the problem?

Beavers are transforming Alaska's Arctic tundra, creating both challenges for local communities and ecological opportunities, as their population and dam-building activities alter landscapes and affect permafrost.

Arctic rivers are undergoing significant changes due to a warming climate, with increased precipitation and permafrost thaw leading to stronger flows and altered chemical compositions.

The Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub and the Native Village of Kotzebue deployed an under-ice oceanographic instrument to monitor ice thickness and snow depth at a site offshore of town.

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

A federal grant will provide heat pumps to households and solar energy systems to villages in the Northwest Arctic, aiming to reduce energy costs and reliance on diesel, with an expected annual revenue of nearly $1 million for the region.

Alberta's water allocation data reveals regional disparities in usage and availability, with agriculture dominating in the south and oil and gas in the north, amidst concerns of overuse and drought.