GI Press Releases
More than six million acres of Alaska were burned in wildfires throughout the summer of 2004. Smoke from those fires created unhealthy breathing conditions for residents outdoors, and on some smoky days, the air quality indoors also was hazardous. 
Have you ever descended into the depths of an Alaska cave? If not, you now have the opportunity to find out what's lurking in the dark. In recent years, cave explorers have traversed the caves of Southeast Alaska and what they've found has helped piece together the history of our state.
Have you ever descended into the depths of an Alaska cave? If not, you now have the opportunity to find out what's lurking in the dark. In recent years, cave explorers have traversed the caves of Southeast Alaska and what they've found has helped piece together the history of our state.
Daniel Monteith, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Alaska Southeast, will discuss how the information found within caves continually revises experts' ideas about the geology and human history of Alaska.
Polar bears have adapted to living in a dynamic sea ice habitat, but a variety of new threats jeopardize the future of these bears. Industrialization of their habitat, over-harvesting, and climate change are impacting polar bear numbers and threatening their success as the Arctic's top carnivore.
New information about the Martian terrain suggests the Red Planet's surface once had water. High levels of hematite, a mineral associated with liquid water on Earth, were discovered on Mars last year. This important find suggests the possibility of ancient lakebeds or seas on the planet's surface and increases the odds that Mars once harbored life.
Have you ever heard the aurora? If so, you're not alone. Many claim to have heard noises while watching the aurora, but the phenomenon is still a mystery to scientists.
In the first installment of the 2005 Science for Alaska Lecture Series, Dirk Lummerzheim, a professor of aeronomy at the Geophysical Institute, will discuss why these sounds continue to puzzle aurora experts. His lecture, "Sounds of the Aurora and Other Persistent Mysteries," will cover the types of sounds reported by people of the North. In addition to the sounds, Lummerzheim also will explain what creates each of the colors that appear in the aurora, including the beautiful, yet rare, red aurora.
Have you ever heard the aurora; wondered about the Red Planet; or descended into the depths of an Alaska cave? You now have the opportunity to explore these topics with experts at the 2005 Science for Alaska Lecture Series.
On Monday, Nov. 29 the University of Alaska Fairbanks held a workshop on the International Polar Year (IPY) at the Geophysical Institute. At the workshop faculty pooled ideas for possible roles UAF would take in IPY, designated from 2007—2008. During this year, scientists from around the world will conduct research to better understand all aspects of the Earth's polar regions.
Tonight Alaskans will see the full moon glowing an eerie red due to a total lunar eclipse. Earth's shadow will completely consume the moon 30 minutes after it rises. It will appear red until about 7:45 p.m. and will slowly begin to fade as it moves out of Earth's shadow. By 9:00 p.m. the moon will have passed completely through Earth's shadow and will return to its normal color.
