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This aerial photo from June 2022 shows the extent of land surrounding the HAARP facility, located near Gakona, Alaska. UAF Geophysical Institute photo

Air Force completes transfer of HAARP land to UAF, Ahtna

Geophysical Institute
May 9, 2025
The University of Alaska now owns the land beneath its upper atmospheric research facility near Gakona, nearly 10 years after acquiring the site...
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Wood and brush burn in controlled and monitored fire along the Wildfire Walk trail through the Yankovich Road Fire Site on the UAF Troth Yeddha’ campus April 14, 2025. UAF photo by Eric Engman

Alaska climate report: Wet April reduced drought talk, but wildfire risk remains

Geophysical Institute
May 7, 2025
Alaska entered its legally designated wildfire season April 1, but the good news is that the month was exceptionally wet, according to the Alaska...
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Visitors on a tour view the iconic blue satellite dish on the roof of the Elvey Building, home of the Geophysical Institute. GI/UAF photo by Bryan Whitten

Geophysical Institute and Poker Flat Research Range announce summer tours

Geophysical Institute
April 29, 2025
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute is offering free public tours to showcase some of its science facilities. Two different...
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A mid-latitude system swirls in the Gulf of Alaska on Nov. 12, 2019. These systems tend to form within the Aleutian Low, which is a semi-permanent breeding ground for some of Earth’s strongest storms. Photo courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Vibrations so small you can’t feel them hold Alaska climate secrets

Geophysical Institute
April 22, 2025
Tiny Gulf of Alaska ocean wave vibrations unnoticeable by humans reach as far north as the state’s Arctic coastline. These and other very low...
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UAF doctoral student Kaytan Kelkar in Denali National Park in March for work on continuing permafrost research. Kelkar rode a sled towed by a National Park Service dog team. Photo courtesy of Kaytan Kelkar

In Alaska, getting to a research site can be a bit different

Geophysical Institute
April 21, 2025
You go where the science is. In Alaska, that can mean traveling by dog team. “I had never done that, and it was definitely more difficult than I...
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Lee Ann Munk samples the surface at a closed-basin brine in Argentina in 2023. Photo courtesy of Lee Ann Munk

UAF research provides a roadmap for soaring global lithium demand

Geophysical Institute
April 15, 2025
New work by a University of Alaska Fairbanks professor fills some gaps in knowledge about Earth’s resources of lithium, a critical element...
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 Laguna Caliente, in one of Poás volcano’s three craters, is one of the world’s most acidic natural lakes. Photo courtesy of ACUASI

UAF drones enter the hot zone to make volcano research safer

Geophysical Institute
April 11, 2025
The four-propeller drone sitting briefly on a rocky and dusty surface in Central America in early March had an impressive diameter of nearly 7 ½...
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The image shows the ice extent — defined as the total area in which the ice concentration is at least 15% — at its 2025 maximum, which occurred on March 22. NASA illustration by Trent L. Schindler

Alaska climate report: Record low maximum Arctic sea ice

Geophysical Institute
April 9, 2025
Winter’s sea ice extent in the Arctic set a new record low as it peaked March 22, according to the Alaska Climate Research Center’s monthly...
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Recent retreat of McBride Glacier in Alaska has led to exposure of 5.25 miles of coastline, shown in green in this false color Sentinel-2 satellite image. Image courtesy of Jan Kavan

New assessment shows gain of coastline from receding glaciers

Geophysical Institute
April 8, 2025
New research gives a detailed look at the extent to which receding glaciers in Alaska and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere are creating new...
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