GI Press Releases
Fairbanks, Alaska—As one of the worst oil-related disasters of our time, the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill has sparked an investigation into understanding what went wrong and what can be done to prevent future spills of its magnitude. 
Fairbanks, Alaska—For many years now, scientists have been tracking the thaw of permafrost throughout the Arctic. Since permafrost with the highest ice content is usually found closer to the ground surface where our structures are, Alaskans and other Arctic communities face major changes in the future if the degradation continues. Ecosystems, buildings, roads, and pipelines will likely lose their stability as the ground beneath them shifts.
Scientists launched a NASA sounding rocket at 1:49 a.m. on the morning of Friday, January 28, 2011, achieving their goal of gathering an image of the Whirlpool Galaxy from a rocket that arced about 150 miles above northern Alaska.
“We were on target,” said Professor Jim Green of the University of Colorado, who led the launch team. “It behaved exactly the way we thought it should.”
Scientists at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks are preparing to launch two NASA sounding rockets for two experiments. The launch window for both experiments opens on Jan. 26 and extends until Feb. 15.
Fairbanks, Alaska—Fish are the primary foods for many animals in Alaska, including humans. Scientific research has revealed possible contaminates affecting fish in their natural habitats and risks associated with diets rich in fish.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska—Scientists are now at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks preparing to launch two NASA sounding rockets for two separate experiments. The launch window for both experiments opens on January 26, 2010 and extends until February 15, 2010.
Fairbanks, Alaska—Aurora displays in the night sky are one of the pleasures Alaskans look forward to during our long winters. The intensity of the aurora is dependent on particles being emitted from the sun. Solar activity is tracked in cycles and when the sun goes into a minimum, the aurora is visible less frequently. Typically, a solar minimum lasts about one year. However, the current minimum has been going on for more than three years.
An Alaska researcher and her colleague from the University of British Columbia have calculated that the rate of sea-level rise due to the meltwater from glaciers in Alaska and elsewhere will increase by as much as 60 percent by the year 2100, and that half of the world’s smallest glaciers won’t survive until then.
A sub-orbital sounding rocket was successfully launched this morning, at 12:39 AM, from Poker Flat Research Range. The rocket, a Black Brant XII, captured measurements to deduce characteristics about the processes that create the aurora. The project is called the Rocket Auroral Correlator Experiment (RACE).
The United States Navy has awarded the University of Alaska Fairbanks up to $47 million to test and evaluate payloads aboard small, unmanned aircraft.
The UA Unmanned Aircraft Program, part of the UAF Geophysical Institute, will lead the research. The program will test unmanned aircraft and how they perform in harsh conditions. In addition, they will evaluate payloads, which are packages of data-collection instruments carried on the aircraft.
