Utqiagvik – Alaska Sea Grant

An original approach to Arctic erosion

By Kyle Kolda | February 3, 2026

A middle-aged man in a blue t-shirt and khaki shorts stands in the foreground inside a lab. Behind him is a very long silver metal water trough atop a green girder.

There are many traditional uses of seal oil: as a dipping sauce, stew flavoring, and an ingredient in medicine, to name a few. But could it also be a fix…

Combining local knowledge and new technology to study spotted seals

By Kyle Kolda | October 20, 2025

Distant nadir view of 11 spotted seals resting on a sand spit surrounded by crashing waves.

Spotted seals are a vital part of Alaska’s Arctic marine ecosystems and a crucial resource for many coastal Iñupiaq communities. Yet despite their cultural and ecological significance, these elusive marine…

Study aims to help Alaska’s North Slope officials adapt to climate change hazards

By Paula Dobbyn | August 6, 2018

(UTQIAĠVIK, Alaska)—Stacy Bowen’s family has owned The Fur Shop for some 40 years. The cream-colored store in Utqiaġvik sits on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. Crammed floor to ceiling…

Strait Science: Researcher makes connection between wind and whales

By Paula Dobbyn | October 5, 2017

Dr. Carin Ashljan, scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, spoke in Nome about her 11-year project looking at the bowhead feeding zones near Utqiagvik as part of the Strait Science lecture series hosted by UAF and Alaska Sea Grant.