GI Press Releases
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.
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.
