Western Alaska is expected to experience more frequent high-wind storms due to a warming climate, according to research by John Walsh, chief scientist at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Walsh analyzed two climate models that project a 25 to 50% increase in high-wind storms in Western Alaska by the end of the century. As storms move north of the Aleutians, wind speeds would likely decrease in southern and Southeast Alaska. However, the increase in wind speeds could accelerate erosion in communities along rivers or the coast. The projected changes in wind speeds are just one more example of drastic environmental changes that humans will have to contend with going forward.