GI Press Releases
For the first time, researchers completed an extensive exploration of how quickly ice is melting underneath a rapidly changing Antarctic glacier, possibly the biggest source of uncertainty in global sea level projections.
Sea ice decline and warming trends are changing the vegetation in nearby arctic coastal areas, according to two University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists.
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks invites the public to a free demonstration of artificially made rainbows and halos on Monday, August 5, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the Elvey Auditorium.
A treasure trove of new images is now available through the Alaska Satellite Facility Distributed Active Archive Center.
With climate change causing the arctic ice pack to melt, more and more northern waters are opening up to shipping each summer. Sea ice in the region is a major hazard, warns Hajo Eicken, a geophysicist and sea ice expert at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. According to Eicken, better forecasts are urgently needed and will require a new network to manage and distribute sea ice data. Eicken’s ideas were published in a Comment piece in Nature.
Alaska’s melting glaciers remain one of the largest contributors to the world’s rising sea levels, say two University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists.
Anthony Arendt and Regine Hock, UAF Geophysical Institute geophysicists, joined 14 scientists from 10 countries, who combined data from field measurements and satellites to get the most complete global picture to date of glacier mass losses and their contribution to rising sea levels.
The September leaves of boreal trees in Gail Priday’s backyard swirled in a mass of orange against the gray sky.
The image is now captured in Priday’s oil painting, called “Backyard,” which will be one of the many artworks featured in “Views of the Boreal Forest,” a First Friday art show.
With 365,000,000 acres, Alaska’s variable terrain creates distinct climate regions, curious weather conditions and unique local concerns. Whether it is extreme weather events due to diminished sea ice impacting northwest communities or compromised air quality from cruise ships sailing through Southeast, Alaska’s atmospheric conditions are ripe for investigation. In a two-day workshop, more than 50 scientists from Alaska and the Lower 48 will converge at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute Elvey Auditorium to discuss such issues at the Alaska Weather Symposium, March 12-13, 2013.
Despite the stark contrasts in terrain that surround middle schools throughout the state, the schools have one thing in common – access to an active, exciting cryosphere. The world of ice and snow is the arena in which 20 middle school teachers from across the state will explore in a three-day professional development workshop involving expertise from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Feb. 28 to March 2, 2013. Geophysical Institute professor Matthew Sturm is the scientific advisor for CryoConn, a workshop designed to provide secondary school teachers with outdoor activities, lesson ideas and materials that can be incorporated into their classrooms. The goal is to teach teachers, so they can better their science instruction and encourage young people to pursue science, technology, engineering and math for future study and careers.
Conditions at Poker Flat Research Range weren’t indicative of a possible launch on the evening of Feb. 6, 2013. The skies were cloudy and the aurora wasn’t out, but then, a camera stationed downrange at Kaktovik, Alaska showed some promising aurora. From there, everything lined up to create the perfect conditions for the VISIONS sounding rocket to launch. At 11:21 p.m. Alaska Standard Time, the four-stage rocket began its 16-minute flight into the upper reaches of the atmosphere where it flew through an auroral substorm before impacting in the Arctic Ocean.
