climate change
Improving sea ice forecasts for safer subsistence harvests
Alaska Native people have lived along the coasts of the Chukchi and Bering seas in northwest Alaska for thousands of years. The rich bounty of the ocean, including marine mammals, fish and birds, has sustained these communities, not only feeding them, but also shaping their traditions, culture, identity and health. The Pacific walrus is an…
Read MoreNew tools track freshwater fish in changing climate
A salmon life cycle model developed by Alaska Sea Grant-supported researchers will predict how salmon populations in Alaska may fare as freshwater ecosystems change. The model will be online, allowing anyone to run it with various climate scenarios.
Read MoreRecord low level of Bering Sea ice causes profound, widespread impacts
“This is an extreme event with immediate and long-lasting repercussions. It’s indicative of very rapid change in the entire northern Bering Sea ecosystem. It has ramifications for everyone in the region,” said lead author Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
Read MoreVigilance advised after saxitoxin found in clams
Scientists have detected toxic algae in clams from the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea regions of northern and western Alaska, according to a new bulletin. It’s an indication that ocean warming is moving northward, allowing the growth of Alexandrium catenella, a type of algae that can produce saxitoxin. If ingested, saxitoxin targets the nervous system…
Read MoreKDLG Radio: City council weighs options as rapid erosion threatens Dillingham sewer
Erosion is eating away the coastline by Dillingham’s sewage lagoon. The city council held a meeting with contract engineers to discuss options for the lagoon before it’s too late. Alaska Sea Grant’s Gabe Dunham has studied the coastline by the lagoon since 2016. In a project with Alaska Sea Grant, Dunham and three other scientists installed three transects, including a camera, to measure how much land is being lost.
Read MoreKodiak workshop helps fishing community build resilience
More than 70 people gathered in Kodiak recently for a workshop to address how the island community can build resilience and adaptability in the face of climate change. The October 24–25, 2019 workshop focused on four topics identified by a local steering committee: fisheries futures, food security and subsistence, infrastructure and energy, and culture and…
Read MoreResearch will help seaweed farming and traditional aquaculture
Alaska Sea Grant has received new federal funds to help develop aquaculture projects in Alaska and to work with partners on regional and national priorities. It’s part of a $16 million award from National Sea Grant that will fund 42 collaborative aquaculture projects across the country. Alaska Sea Grant and the Aleutians East Borough will partner on a project to launch a…
Read MoreNew York Times publishes op-ed, co-authored by Gay Sheffield, on how sea ice loss imperils life in Alaska
The New York Times published a column by Vera Trainer, Rick Thoman and Gay Sheffield today about the dramatic extent of sea ice loss in Alaska and how it is affecting everything from plankton to whales and the residents who rely on marine resources for their wellbeing. Read the New York Times op-ed here. It…
Read MoreNYT Opinion: Where the sea ice recedes, so does an Alaska way of life
With climate change, animals that sustain Native hunters are disappearing, and harmful algae are contaminating waters. This opinion article was written by Gay Sheffield, Alaska Sea Grant marine advisory agent, Vera Trainer, president of the International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae, and Rick Thoman, climate expert at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy.
Read MoreJuneau Empire: Tlingit and Haida commissioned a climate change report for Southeast Alaska. Here’s what they found.
The Climate Change Adaptation Plan, published in May with help from Alaska Sea Grant and the University of Arizona Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, is a document showing what’s happening to Southeast Alaska and how the tribes in the region can handle it.
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