Background Articles

A study of the “rusting” Salmon River and its tributaries in Kobuk Valley National Park suggests that permafrost thaw is causing wider ecological problems.

Retesting of private wells in Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador found more homes above the 30 ng/L PFAS limit, prompting calls for a full hydrogeological study of groundwater contamination linked to firefighting foam from St. John’s International Airport.

Alaska DEC tests of mussels from Kachemak Bay found no domoic acid toxin associated with amnesic shellfish poisoning, though mussels can quickly expel the toxin so its presence in other species remains uncertain.

The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority returns to Vittersjön near Ockelbo to conduct updated measurements of radioactivity in fish 35 years after Chernobyl, urging anglers to submit summer catches for analysis.

A new international study finds that Arctic glacier retreat between 2000 and 2020 has unveiled over 1,500 miles of coastline—primarily in Greenland—potentially increasing coastal hazards and contributing to sea level rise.

UAF undergraduate Leanne Bulger discovered a persistent hole in a Fairbanks forest emitting unusually high CO₂ levels—likely due to thawing permafrost microbes—and led a team using probes, gas analyzers, and radar to study its depth and gas flux.

This article explains how Interior Alaska’s cold, airy snow uniquely bends off railings and loops from power lines, defying gravity due to slow deformation and the sintering process.

A new study from Kodiak’s NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center links ocean acidification to a significant decline in red king crab populations in the Bering Sea, challenging the view that warming is the primary stressor.

Warm Atlantic waters are rapidly reshaping the Siberian Arctic, sparking an era of unprecedented sea ice loss—something that will have ongoing implications for the region’s ecosystem and climate, says new research.

A new study reveals that climate change has shifted large parts of the Arctic from a carbon sink to a net carbon emitter, with up to 40% of tundra, boreal forests, and wetlands releasing more CO2 than they absorb.

The article explains how a severe decline in wild salmon, driven by climate change, is forcing Alaska mushers to abandon traditional subsistence feeding practices in favor of costly commercial dog food. This shift is altering both the practice and culture of dog mushing in the region.

A part of a pedestrian bridge collapsed onto the Seward Highway in Anchorage due to high winds, blocking the highway temporarily, though the bridge's main structure remained intact. No injuries were reported.

A Finnish Border Guard probe ruled out Neste as the source of white clumps that washed up on Hanko’s beaches, suggesting they may have come from a ship that used a Russian port.