Science

Pine siskins are feisty little birds, frequently aggressive against other birds and each other.(Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: February foragers were out and active

It’s a ‘seedy’ world.

Pine siskins are feisty little birds, frequently aggressive against other birds and each other.(Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
An olive-sided flycatcher perches atop a tree in Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Sara Germain, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Alaska Science Forum: Bird havens on a trans-continental journey

Right about now, songbirds in Brazil are shifting on their perches…

An olive-sided flycatcher perches atop a tree in Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Sara Germain, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
This photo shows a cross-section of a tree trunk, showing the asymmetrical growth induced when the tree leaned. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)

On the Trails: Wringing information out of wood

Wood as a biological entity, not as a commodity to be sold or a nuisance to be removed.

This photo shows a cross-section of a tree trunk, showing the asymmetrical growth induced when the tree leaned. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)
Todd Sformo looks for overwintering insects in the forest near Chena Hot Springs. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Hardy gnats survive winter half frozen

As sometimes happens in science, a chance decision led to a discovery.

Todd Sformo looks for overwintering insects in the forest near Chena Hot Springs. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
Glacial retreat will create thousands of miles of new salmon habitat by 2100 — which means, scientists say, that managers need to be thinking proactively about how to manage that land. Pictured is a king salmon on a Southeast Alaska shore. (Mary Catharine Martin / SalmonState)

The Salmon State: Glacier retreat means new habitat — and challenges — for wild salmon

Alaska is about to get thousands of miles of new salmon habitat….

Glacial retreat will create thousands of miles of new salmon habitat by 2100 — which means, scientists say, that managers need to be thinking proactively about how to manage that land. Pictured is a king salmon on a Southeast Alaska shore. (Mary Catharine Martin / SalmonState)
John Gaedeke’s lodge overlooks Iniakuk Lake in the Brooks Range, where his permafrost-stabilized beers and sodas do not freeze. (Courtesy Photo / John Gaedeke)

Alaska Science Forum: Ninety below zero and the unfrozen beer

“How the heck is that possible?”

John Gaedeke’s lodge overlooks Iniakuk Lake in the Brooks Range, where his permafrost-stabilized beers and sodas do not freeze. (Courtesy Photo / John Gaedeke)
Charmaine Robinson is an assistant professor of science at the University of Alaska Southeast and lives in Ketchikan. (Courtesy Photo)

Sustainable Alaska: Cultivating a sustainable mind

We need to cultivate a sense of calm by reducing stress and fear in our lives.

Charmaine Robinson is an assistant professor of science at the University of Alaska Southeast and lives in Ketchikan. (Courtesy Photo)
An American coot spent time in Auke Bay this winter, farther north than usual. (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)

On the Trails: Three winter surprises

Regular bird-watchers spotted an unusual bird in Auke Bay this winter…

An American coot spent time in Auke Bay this winter, farther north than usual. (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)
A bull caribou from the Fortymile herd as seen from a camera around the neck of a female caribou. Still image from a nine-second video the collar captured during a study of the herd using cameras that dropped to the ground in autumn. I(Courtesy Image /Libby Ehlers)
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Alaska Science Forum: Secret lives of caribou caught on camera

Cams gave biologists who teamed up from several agencies a new look at the Fortymile herd.

A bull caribou from the Fortymile herd as seen from a camera around the neck of a female caribou. Still image from a nine-second video the collar captured during a study of the herd using cameras that dropped to the ground in autumn. I(Courtesy Image /Libby Ehlers)
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This photo available under a Creative Commons license shows a hooded pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) YUS Conservation area on the Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. (Courtesy Photo / Wikimedia)

On the Trails: Toxic birds and bugs

These chemical compounds are often derived from plants

This photo available under a Creative Commons license shows a hooded pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) YUS Conservation area on the Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. (Courtesy Photo / Wikimedia)
Vladimir Alexeev in Norway while teaching summer school in 2017. Alexeev is a climate scientist who recently worked with local composer Michael Bucy to create a song about climate change. (Courtesy photo/Vishnu Nandan)
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Sounding a warning

Local composer writes song about climate change

Vladimir Alexeev in Norway while teaching summer school in 2017. Alexeev is a climate scientist who recently worked with local composer Michael Bucy to create a song about climate change. (Courtesy photo/Vishnu Nandan)
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Killdeer chicks have just one black breast band at first, but soon get the characteristic two bands.(Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
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On the Tails: Shorebirds in winter

Sightings are no “shore” thing.

Killdeer chicks have just one black breast band at first, but soon get the characteristic two bands.(Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
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Alaska Science Forum: Fun with ice physics in the cryosphere

Here’s why some found recent winter weather fascinating.

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A gull looks for dislodged food in the surf. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Surf, bird food and paralytic shellfish poisoning

Surf’s up!

A gull looks for dislodged food in the surf. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
This photo shows a glacier bear walking along rocky terrain. There are four known populations of black bears in Southeast Alaska that include the lighter-colored bears, said Tania Lewis, a wildlife biologist for the National Park Service at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. (Courtesy Photo / Tom Hausler)

Recessive genes and receding glaciers: Lecture focuses on Southeast’s blue bears

Biologist shares insights about glacier bears.

This photo shows a glacier bear walking along rocky terrain. There are four known populations of black bears in Southeast Alaska that include the lighter-colored bears, said Tania Lewis, a wildlife biologist for the National Park Service at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. (Courtesy Photo / Tom Hausler)
Ned Rozell holds a shard of ice crust, one-inch thick, that lurks in the middle of the Fairbanks snowpack. (Courtesy Photo / Kristen Rozell)

Midwinter rain-on-snow a game changer

A few hours of a December day may affect living things for years to come in the middle of Alaska.

Ned Rozell holds a shard of ice crust, one-inch thick, that lurks in the middle of the Fairbanks snowpack. (Courtesy Photo / Kristen Rozell)
The Valley of 10,000 Smokes buried in ash a century after the Novarupta eruption. (Courtesy Photo / Chris Miller)

Pride of Bristol Bay: Novarupta — The Greatest Volcano Eruption of the 20th Century

On June 6, 1912, all hell broke loose.

The Valley of 10,000 Smokes buried in ash a century after the Novarupta eruption. (Courtesy Photo / Chris Miller)
This photo shows a ptarmigan in snow. (Courtesy Photo / Denise Carroll)

On the Trails: Strolling on the snow

Snow, and more snow!

This photo shows a ptarmigan in snow. (Courtesy Photo / Denise Carroll)
This photo shows a porcupine near Valdez. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: The porcupine’s winter in slow-motion

How do porcupines survive winter? A lengthy study provides insights.

This photo shows a porcupine near Valdez. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
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Sustainable Alaska: Humans vs. Volcanoes

We are warming the world tens of times faster than did the ancient volcanoes.

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