Background Articles

The decision worried some local scientists and experts who say the data was vital for people to be able to monitor air quality and their government’s progress in improving public health.

Vehicles accumulate dirt, which has minerals, and minerals are hard to come by in the environment during winter. Salt could certainly be one of the minerals they seek as sodium is a driver of appetite, but it is possible it could be another type of mineral they’re after—hard to say for sure without getting a profile of the dirt.

Scant snow is giving way to shaggy brown grass normally not seen until spring breakup, raising concerns now that conditions are increasingly ripe for a fast-moving fire at a time of year usually deep in the grip of winter.

A new study from Kodiak’s NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center links ocean acidification to a significant decline in red king crab populations in the Bering Sea, challenging the view that warming is the primary stressor.

Anchorage is on track to finish February with the least snowfall on record as mild temperatures prevail without measurable snow. Chief Meteorologist Melissa Frey explains the unusual winter pattern with far less snowfall than expected.

An OU scientist explains how powerful Arctic cyclones are breaking up thin sea ice in rapid bursts, a phenomenon that challenges existing climate models.

A new study finds that mountain glaciers are melting at more than twice the rate observed in the early 2000s, with over 6.5 trillion tonnes of ice lost since 2000 and record losses in 2023.

Research from the University of Alaska Fairbanks indicates that early snowmelt, driven by climate change, could lead to more extreme wildfire seasons in Alaska, with the southern regions experiencing earlier fire starts than usual.

A mass marine heat wave, known as 'the Blob', decimated the food supply for common murres, leading to an estimated 4 million bird deaths, according to biologist Heather Renner.

Despite the decline of sled dog racing elsewhere, the Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska is experiencing a resurgence, with increased sponsorships, substantial prize money, and strong community support sustaining the sport amid challenging climate conditions.

New UAF research reveals that microplastics are transferred from pregnant spotted seals to their fetuses, raising concerns about plastic pollution in remote Arctic marine mammals.

A new study reveals that climate change has shifted large parts of the Arctic from a carbon sink to a net carbon emitter, with up to 40% of tundra, boreal forests, and wetlands releasing more CO2 than they absorb.

On the last Sunday in April, I received a brief but exciting message. “Frogs are singing,” Barbara Carlson notified me.