GI Press Releases
Forest fire smoke was so thick in Interior Alaska on some days during the summer of 2004 that firedetection aircraft could not fly. On a few of those occasions, the Alaska Fire Service sent smokejumpers to fight fires that were detected only by satellites more than 400 miles above Alaska, using information processed by the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 
Experts on climate change in Alaska and the Arctic will gather in Anchorage on Friday, Sept. 24 gave presentations on thinning Alaska glaciers, melting permafrost, and the possibility of shipping routes through the Canadian Arctic in the near future.
Five scientists from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) will lead sessions at the International Geophysical and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), September 20 through 24 at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage.
Drawing hundreds of scientists and engineers from across the globe, IGARSS is the premier international conference on remote sensing—a term used to describe the use of satellites and other airborne tools to measure everything from acreage burned during wildfires to the location of ash clouds spit up by volcanoes. At IGARSS, users of the technology will meet to discuss the latest instruments, techniques and programs used around the world.
Five scientists from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) will lead sessions at the International Geophysical and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), September 20 through 24 at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage.
A suitcase-size camera designed 20 years ago is still ahead of the game when it comes to capturing the beautiful colors and fluid motion of the aurora. Technology moves at a phenomenal rate, yet the camera designed with the aid of employees at the Geophysical Institute continues to outshine any competitors with its extreme low-light sensitivity. This special camera is the crux of the Aurora Color Television Project (ACTP), which has provided true-to-life images of the aurora to audiences around the world for two decades.
Public tours will resume at Poker Flat Research Range in August. The public is invited to tour portions of the lower-range with guides from the Geophysical Institute Information and Education Outreach Office. Tours are scheduled for Aug. 5, and Aug. 19. The tours will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Public tours of Poker Flat Research Range are cancelled throughout the month of July. Fire crews continue to work on hot spots located on the upper-range and the surrounding area. For safety reasons, tours are suspended until further notice.
Staff from Poker Flat Research Range helped secure crucial imagery of wildfires raging through Alaska, including those in their own backyard.
Altair, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with extensive imaging capabilities, provided real-time information on fire locations, fire movement, and previously unidentified hot spots on a mission flown July 9. Poker Flat Research Range staff initiated this effort and provided airspace planning and mission support for the flight.
A surveillance RADAR facility and two Connex storage containers at Poker Flat Research Range were lost to the Boundary Fire on June 30, 2004. The surveillance RADAR facility was used to detect small aircraft in the range's flight zone before launching sounding rockets. A replacement value for it, and the two storage containers, has not yet been determined.
People will go to great lengths in the name of science. One decided to hop on a bicycle and crisscross the continent for weeks. After accepting a position with the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Robbie Herrick, 39, set out on a 4,500-mile journey with nothing more than two bags and a bicycle.
