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Screenshot of the Alaska Earthquake Center’s interactive tsunami hazard map centered on Cordova, Alaska. A satellite image shows the community, harbor and surrounding forested terrain, with a yellow boundary tracing the tsunami hazard area along the shoreline.

New interactive Alaska tsunami hazard map helps communities prepare

October 2, 2026

A new and interactive tsunami hazards tool created by the Alaska Earthquake Center brings evacuation information, hazard maps and other community...

Doctoral student Morakinyo Labiran stands at ACUASI’s ice tower beside his planned test item, a small rotor assembly mounted on metal rails and surrounded by wiring. He wears a heavy blue winter coat and gloves inside the translucent plastic-lined, scaffold-supported enclosure.

Drone research gets a lift from UAF ice tower

September 30, 2026

Traveling through any of Alaska’s major airports in winter usually means taking a shower. An aircraft de-icing shower. Ice buildup on wings...

ACUASI’s yellow, white and blue Windracers ULTRA drone carrying chilled human blood samples takes off from Nenana Municipal Airport on Aug. 19, 2026. The twin-engine aircraft climbs with its landing gear still extended against a bright blue sky with thin clouds.

UAF drone program tests long-distance blood sample delivery

September 17, 2026

Alaska’s drone research program successfully completed a 1,000-kilometer test flight carrying human blood samples for the International Testing...

Illustration showing orange solar wind flowing toward Earth and interacting with the blue and purple magnetic field around the planet. Labels compare the measured solar wind strength near L1 with the true solar wind strength closer to Earth, while two graphs below explain measurement uncertainty.

Extreme solar storms can hit Earth harder than thought

August 28, 2026

Scientists have greatly underestimated the impact an extreme solar storm can have on Earth, according to new research. A new way to account for...

A glowing Alaska Defense Forum sign sits on a table at the 2025 event at the 8 Star Event Center in Fairbanks. The circular sign features an outline of Alaska over a globe, with conference attendees visible in the background.

Alaska Defense Forum 2026 focuses on community-military ties

August 21, 2026

Leaders in national defense, research and policy are gathering with local partners this week in Fairbanks for the annual Alaska Defense Forum...

Rainy silver metal pedestrian bridge crosses Montana Creek in Juneau, surrounded by dense evergreen forest. The wet metal bridge deck leads into the trees, with the creek visible below on the right.

Alaska climate report: A wet and cool July

August 13, 2026

Talkeetna got soaked. The community nearly 200 air miles south of Fairbanks had its wettest July in just over a century, according to the monthly...

A helicopter carrying a water bucket flies beside a massive plume of gray and brown smoke rising above a forest from the lightning-caused Starry Fire, which started June 20 near Anderson.

Alaska climate report: A quiet June … except for all that lightning

July 21, 2026

June was mostly a meteorologically mild month across Alaska, with temperatures near or slightly below normal. Precipitation was below average in...

Map of the United States showing the newest NSF Regional Innovation Engine awards to 12 teams across 20 states. Labeled markers identify each engine’s region, including the NSF Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine in Alaska; solid dots represent Cohort 1 and gear-shaped symbols represent Cohort 2.

National Science Foundation funds UAF-led critical minerals coalition

July 14, 2026

The U.S. National Science Foundation announced today that it will fund a major critical minerals project led by the University of Alaska...

Satellite map of the Nenana area in central Alaska showing locations for the three components of the Aug. 20, 2025, earthquake. Red markers north of Nenana identify the foreshock and very-low-frequency earthquake and the main shock location. A green marker shows the nearby NEA2 seismic station.

Unusual seismic signal detected in 2025 central Alaska earthquake

July 7, 2026

An unusual seismic signal recorded less than a minute before a widely felt magnitude 4.2 earthquake in central Alaska may have given scientists a...

A New York Air National Guard LC-130 Skibird cargo aircraft sits on a snow runway atop the Greenland Ice Cap under a clear blue sky. The ski-equipped aircraft, operated by the 109th Airlift Wing, is parked on the windswept ice with a small field camp, flags and support structures visible.

Frozen Arctic lakes becoming less capable of supporting cargo aircraft

June 4, 2026

The ability to land a military cargo plane on a frozen Arctic lake is becoming less likely as a warming environment reduces the number of...

Visitors on the Geophysical Institute summer tour will learn about the large blue satellite antenna atop the Elvey Building and the sounding rocket installation displayed on the lawn outside. The photo shows the rocket model rising in the foreground in front of the building under a partly cloudy sky

Geophysical Institute, Poker Flat Research Range announce summer tours

May 26, 2026

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute is offering free public tours this summer to showcase some of its science facilities...

A sled dog stands alert on a snowy porch in early April in Two Rivers, just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, watching a pair of moose among birch and spruce trees in the forest beyond. Sunlight filters through the trees onto the snow-covered ground as the moose partially hide in the woods.

Alaska climate report: April brought sharp weather swings

May 18, 2026

April was a month of meteorological change in Alaska, as expected each year. What stood out this time, however, was the wide range of conditions...

A NASA sounding rocket carrying the FOXSI-5 mission lifts off from Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks at 11:23 a.m. Thursday, May 14, 2026. A bright plume of flame and smoke rises from the launch pad as the rocket climbs above a dense forest of spruce and leafless birch trees.

Mission to study solar flares launches from Poker Flat

May 15, 2026

A NASA sounding rocket launched from Poker Flat Research Range at 11:23 a.m. Thursday in a continuing mission that uses X-rays to study the sun...

A wide aerial view shows the landslide scar, descending from a steep mountainside into the fjord near a glacier terminus. Gray rock and debris cut through the center of the mountain, reaching the water below, where floating ice and sediment spread across the fjord.

Study of 2025 Alaska landslide and tsunami contains warnings

May 6, 2026

Scientists studying the massive August 2025 landslide and tsunami in Southeast Alaska warn that the likelihood of similar large-scale events has...

Three bundled researchers work at a snow-covered permafrost coring site in a boreal forest near Fairbanks under a bright, low winter sun. They are operating coring equipment beside a dug trench, with shovels, packs and field gear spread across the snow in the Goldstream Creek area on April 13, 2026.

Coring for permafrost insights in the Goldstream Valley

May 4, 2026

GOLDSTREAM CREEK, Fairbanks — Drilling for a permafrost core on this late-March day first required creation of a workspace. At this site low in...

The payload section of the FOXSI-5 mission rests on a wheeled support frame inside the payload assembly building at Poker Flat Research Range. The cylindrical instrument, wrapped partly in gold thermal insulation, is surrounded by equipment crates and technicians preparing it for flight.

Poker Flat to launch rocket to image solar flares

April 30, 2026

The fifth flight of a NASA-led mission using X-rays to learn more about the sun is scheduled for a daytime launch from Poker Flat Research Range...

A round outdoor thermometer mounted on a snow-covered tree reads about minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit in a quiet, snow-blanketed forest of tall trees. Long blue shadows stretch across the deep snow under a clear sky. The image shows extreme cold conditions at a home in Two Rivers, Alaska.

Alaska climate report: March 2026 saw dangerous weather

April 21, 2026

March brought a series of dangerous and disruptive weather events across Alaska. Severe cold combined with powerful storms to affect communities...

Cover of the book “Journey Through the Heliosphere." The design features a dark background with a bright, symmetrical, mandala-like illustration in warm colors (orange, red, and yellow) representing the sun and solar system processes.

UAF, NASA create fact-filled coloring book about the sun

April 20, 2026

A new sun-based and science-focused coloring book produced by the University of Alaska Fairbanks in collaboration with NASA is now available. The...