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The fish behind America’s fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska

The fish behind America’s fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska

The nets for Alaska’s massive pollock fishery also catch salmon and other marine life

Trawl fishing catches huge amounts of seafood. It also devastates the seafloor

Trawl fishing catches huge amounts of seafood. It also devastates the seafloor

Trawling is a fishing method using large nets to catch fish and shellfish in bulk

Trawl fishing catches huge amounts of seafood. It can also devastate the seafloor

Trawl fishing catches huge amounts of seafood. It can also devastate the seafloor

Trawling is a fishing method using large nets to catch fish and shellfish in bulk

UAF Researchers Secure $6 Million NSF Grant to Extract Critical Minerals from Coal Waste

UAF Researchers Secure $6 Million NSF Grant to Extract Critical Minerals from Coal Waste

Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) are leading a $6 million project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to extract critical minerals from coal waste. This initiative involves using microorganisms and artificial intelligence to recover rare earth elements from coal ash, a byproduct of decades of coal mining and use in Alaska. The project aims to transform this waste into a valuable resource, reducing reliance on foreign sources for these essential minerals. Srijan Aggarwal, a UAF professor of environmental engineering and principal investigator, highlighted that the approach leverages natural metabolic processes of microorganisms to bind to and extract valuable minerals, avoiding harsh chemicals. Artificial intelligence will be used to predict optimal waste materials and harvesting conditions. The project is a collaborative effort involving UAF, the University of Alaska Anchorage, Montana Technological University, and the University of Wyoming, funded through NSF’s Establish...

A small-town Alaska fisherman has Republicans on the defensive as they try to keep US House majority

A small-town Alaska fisherman has Republicans on the defensive as they try to keep US House majority

Bill Hill is running for Congress as an independent in Alaska and he's positioning himself as a working-class candidate who can relate to people's frustrations with high fuel and other costs

El Niño Conditions Drive Unusual Marine Life Sightings and Sea Snake Strandings in Southern California

El Niño Conditions Drive Unusual Marine Life Sightings and Sea Snake Strandings in Southern California

Southern California is experiencing an influx of warm-water marine species, including venomous yellow-bellied sea snakes, hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and mahi-mahi, attributed to the current strong El Niño event. Five of the six recorded yellow-bellied sea snake sightings in California have occurred during El Niño years, with the first in 1972-73 and three more during the 2015-16 event. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County describes the current El Niño as potentially the strongest in over a century, leading to significantly warmer ocean temperatures off the California coast. These warmer waters and shifting currents are carrying open-water species far north of their typical habitats. As autumn and winter approach, cooler temperatures cause these snakes to become sluggish and stop eating, making them vulnerable to being pushed ashore by lunar tides or strong onshore winds. Experts anticipate more strandings between October and January. An endangered olive ridley sea turtle also nested near ...

Juneau Geothermal Systems Highlight Need for New Alaska Workforce Training

Juneau Geothermal Systems Highlight Need for New Alaska Workforce Training

Juneau's existing geothermal heating systems, including those at Juneau International Airport, are spotlighting the need for specialized workforce training in Alaska. The Cold Climate Housing Research Center recently received $150,000 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Partnerships to Accelerate Training and Hiring for Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHP PATHs) program. This funding, the second phase of the award, will enable the Fairbanks-based nonprofit, in collaboration with the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, to develop a training curriculum and pilot course for workers to install and maintain geothermal heating systems. The initiative addresses challenges like aging heat pumps and sediment buildup in Juneau's geothermal infrastructure, which complicate maintenance and highlight a gap in skilled labor for this technology.

Ocean Experts Convene to Address Climate Change Impacts on Marine Ecosystems

Ocean Experts Convene to Address Climate Change Impacts on Marine Ecosystems

Hundreds of ocean experts from around the world are gathering at 'The Ocean in a High-CO₂ World' conference in Wellington to discuss the profound effects of climate change on marine environments. The conference aims to explore solutions to issues such as ocean acidification, marine heatwaves, and deoxygenation, which are threatening ocean life. Dr. Christopher Cornwall, a marine biologist at Victoria University of Wellington and conference chair, highlights that ocean acidification makes it difficult for organisms with calcium carbonate shells to grow and can promote opportunistic seaweeds. These changes occur alongside local stressors like pollution, sewage spills, coastal development, and increased sediment runoff. Dr. Pete Russell, an oceanographer with Coastal People Southern Skies Centre of Research Excellence at the University of Otago, is developing a global catalog of massive plankton blooms that occur after tropical storms, aiming to understand their role in marine food chains and their potential ...

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Agencies Adopt Diverse Strategies for Wildfire Management Amid Climate Change

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Agencies Adopt Diverse Strategies for Wildfire Management Amid Climate Change

Federal land management agencies and a non-profit organization within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) are increasingly adopting a mix of management strategies—Resist, Accept, and Direct (RAD)—to address ecological transformations driven by climate change and wildfires. A study involving interviews with fire and forest managers from the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition revealed that while most current practices still prioritize 'resist' actions to maintain existing conditions, there is a growing openness to 'accept' and 'direct' changes. These changes include allowing natural regeneration post-fire in some areas and actively guiding ecosystems toward new, desired states, particularly for high-value vegetation communities like whitebark pine and Douglas-fir forests. The study highlights that agencies often share the overarching goal of fostering 'resilient landscapes,' ...

Inside the deadlock at the world's top climate science body

Inside the deadlock at the world's top climate science body

By Kate Abnett and Sudarshan Varadhan BRUSSELS/SINGAPORE, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The decision was expected to take minutes.

UMaine Forestry Expert Co-Authors National Guidance on Disaster Preparedness

UMaine Forestry Expert Co-Authors National Guidance on Disaster Preparedness

John Daigle, a forestry professor at the University of Maine and a faculty fellow at the Center for Sustainability Solutions, has co-authored national guidance focused on helping communities prepare for extreme weather and natural disasters. This guidance is published as part of the U.S. Climate Collection, a collaborative effort by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS). The research emphasizes the critical insights that Indigenous Knowledges and relational worldviews can offer in the context of climate adaptation, resilience, and community stewardship. The initiative aims to integrate diverse perspectives into national strategies for disaster preparedness, recognizing the long-standing wisdom and sustainable practices of Indigenous communities.