Graph of the Day: Shift of Alaska Marine Species Northward, 1982-2006

Increased temperatures pose a threat to the region’s fisheries and other marine species, which are important both to the economy and as a food supply, especially to Native populations. Warmer air and water temperatures have already resulted in a shift northward of species important to the region, with implications for the ecosystem and local communities. […]

Polar bear shot dead by BP guard in Alaska

By Richard Hall27 August 2011 British Petroleum has again drawn the ire of environmentalists after a security guard at one of its Alaskan oil fields shot dead a polar bear, an animal listed as threatened with extinction. A BP spokesman said the security guard shot the bear on 3 August after it approached employee housing. […]

Record-breaking Arctic fire in 2007 accelerated climate change

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News28 July 2011 An exceptional wildfire in northern Alaska in 2007 put as much carbon into the air as the entire Arctic tundra absorbs in a year, scientists say. The Anaktuvuk River fire burned across more than 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles), doubling the extent of Alaskan tundra […]

Arctic’s icy coastlines retreat as planet warms

By Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer17 April 2011 In the high latitudes, climate change projections must take a new factor into account: Ice. In the Arctic, the loss of sea ice is likely to have dramatic repercussions, including greater erosion, which can present problems for the people and economic activity in this region, according to […]

Musk ox herd perishes in storm surge in Alaska preserve

By Mike CampbellMarch 28, 2011 At least 32 musk oxen in the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve perished during a nasty storm surge last month, and officials are worried many more may be buried deeper in the ice and out of sight. The carcasses were discovered March 15 frozen in ice on the northern coast […]

Climate change keenly felt in Alaska’s national parks – ‘We used to build with a sense of permanence’

By Yereth Rosen; editing by Steve Gorman and Greg McCuneSat Feb 12, 2011 12:43pm EST ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – Thawing permafrost is triggering mudslides onto a key road traveled by busloads of sightseers. Tall bushes newly sprouted on the tundra are blocking panoramic views. And glaciers are receding from convenient viewing areas, while their rapid […]

Alaska seeing impact of climate change in its infrastructure, villages – ‘Many years ago this would have been unheard of’

By Molly Rettig, Fairbanks Daily News MinerJan 30, 2011 FAIRBANKS — Climate change has already begun to make life difficult for state transportation managers. And they expect it to become a bigger and more expensive challenge if warming trends continue as predicted. “With over 6,600 miles of coastline and 80 percent of the state underlaid […]

Graph of the Day: Returns and Forecasts of Canada Sockeye Salmon, 1970-2009

Historically, the Rivers and Smith Inlet sockeye salmon stock formed one of the most valuable salmon fisheries in British Columbia, however it declined precipitously in the early 1990s. This decline is the result of poor marine survival during the migration through this ecozone and into the Gulf of Alaska; however the specific cause and location […]

Arctic’s vanishing sea ice presents polar bear with a new danger – grizzlies

Fears for future of gene pool as interbreeding between vulnerable species driven together by global warming gathers pace By Steve Connor, Science EditorThursday, 16 December 2010 The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic is encouraging the formation of hybrids between related species which could accelerate the decline of some of the region’s most […]

Subarctic wildfires a ‘runaway climate change’ risk

By Marlowe Hood – Sun Dec 5, 1:57 pm ET PARIS (AFP) – Global warming is driving forest fires in northern latitudes to burn more frequently and fiercely, contributing to the threat of runaway climate change, according to a study released Sunday. Increased intensity of fires in Alaska’s vast interior over the last decade has […]

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