Scientists

by Ashton Goodell Monday, May 4, 2009 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Alaska Volcano Observatory expects another explosive eruption at Mount Redoubt. Since the last eruption in early April, a lava dome has grown near the summit of the volcano. Scientists say the dome will likely fall into the lava tube, causing another big eruption. Scientists predict the next blast to happen soon and without warning. "As the dome continues to grow the probability of there being a collapse of that dome or an explosion that removes that dome is increased," the AVO's Dave Schneider said.

by Channel 2 News staff Tuesday, April 21, 2009 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Scientists got a clear view Tuesday of the plume of steam and gas rising from Mount Redoubt. Geologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory say thermal imaging shows the lava dome is still building. AVO field crews worked around the volcano Tuesday doing equipment maintenance, collecting samples and mapping eruptive products. Scientists are monitoring the volcano 24 hours a day and say another explosion with ash and mud flows is still possible and could happen without warning.

by The Associated Press Tuesday, March 10, 2009 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Scientists have lowered the alert level for Mount Redoubt, but warn that the volcano a hundred miles southwest of Anchorage remains restless. The Alaska Volcano Observatory lowered the alert on Tuesday, saying new magma beneath the volcano doesn't show "any signs of upward movement. " However, officials warned Redoubt remains restless, with abnormally high gas emission rates. The melting of the summit glacier also continues.

by The Associated Press Friday, May 7, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will study the decline of western Alaska king salmon runs. The project will focus on the health and ecology of freshwater king salmon runs and how those factors affect annual returns. Western Alaska river fishermen blame poor king salmon runs on incidental catch by Bering Sea pollock companies. Federal fisheries managers think other factors might also be at work.

Scientists offered the public a look at research and technology surrounding Cook Inlet beluga whales at a conference in Anchorage this week. The forum was meant to answer questions about the endangered animals, but did not delve into the National Marine Fisheries Service's proposal to designate parts of Cook Inlet as critical habitat for the whales. Scientists shared the latest research on health, population size, whale movement patterns and technical methods to track the animals -- like passive acoustic monitoring.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking into what's killing hundreds of otters off the coasts of Alaska. This year scientists have dissected 80 sea otters.    In some areas of southwest Alaska, sea otter populations have dropped by 90 percent. The decline has prompted the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species as threatened and designate thousands of miles as critical habitat.   Scientists say the most common cause of death they see is inflammation of the heart valve, but there are a whole host of other bacteria and viruses they find.

by Jackie Bartz Monday, June 28, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Federal, state and local agencies partnered with Juneau residents last weekend to identify nearly 1,000 species of plants, animals and insects from Douglas Island's Fish Creek watershed in only 24 hours. The BioBlitz event was similar to an Easter egg hunt: teams of scientists worked with community members to collect as many species as they could in a limited amount of time. "We go out and count critters and ID them, and then also just to show people you know, kind of the diversity in their own backyard," said Kathy Blejwas with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

On Monday - the eve of a major scientific forum on the proposed Pebble Mine, it was revealed that "The Keystone Conference" -- a consultant hired by Pebble -- has lost the services of 2 scientists who were scheduled to be part of that panel.  According to the Associated Press, one of those scientists -- Dr. David Montgomery of the University of Washington -- quit because he was concerned that Pebble had not yet released a detailed blueprint of...

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National marine Fisheries Service measured a whale Thursday that was found dead on the bow of a Juneau-bound cruise ship Wednesday and took preliminary tissue samples. Scientists initially suspected the whale was a juvenile humpback from a look at photographs, but NOAA's Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator Aleria Jensen confirmed that the whale was an adult rather than juvenile. The scientists plan on beginning a necropsy Friday to learn more about how the whale died.

It's happening again -- walruses are heading on-shore by the thousands at a time when historically they stayed at sea. The scene is playing out this week along Alaska's northwest coast and scientists say it's a very visible reminder of much greater changes. The most recent report shows a herd of about 5,000 walruses on a beach north of Point Lay and a second haul-out of about 3,000 nearby. And like so many other recent disturbances up north scientists say this one too can be attributed to climate change.

It was a successful blast off at the Poker Flat Research range earlier this week. The mission called "VISIONS” (Visualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm) set out to gather information on how the aurora heats and slingshots oxygen out of the upper atmosphere. On February 6th, the skies were cloudy and the aurora wasn't out, but things quickly changed downrange at Kaktovik. Scientists say the rocket performed well and the on-board instruments executed their jobs as planned.

The Alaska Marine Science Symposium opened in Downtown Anchorage Monday, with a keynote speech on the topic of marine debris.   The five-day symposium at the Hotel Captain Cook brings together more than 1,000 marine scientists and resource managers from across the country. Monday's keynote speaker, Jessica Miller from Oregon State University, talked about invasive species that come with debris from the Japanese tsunami. She focused on a large floating dock that washed up on a beach in central Oregon, which scientists say brought with it at least a dozen species not native to the state.

On Monday - the eve of a major scientific forum on the proposed Pebble Mine, it was revealed that "The Keystone Conference" -- a consultant hired by Pebble -- has lost the services of 2 scientists who were scheduled to be part of that panel.  According to the Associated Press, one of those scientists -- Dr. David Montgomery of the University of Washington -- quit because he was concerned that Pebble had not yet released a detailed blueprint of...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today (Wednesday) wrapped-up the public portion of its scientific "Peer Review" of the proposed Pebble Mine. Twelve scientists will spend the next few months -- in closed-door sessions -- gathering information that will eventually allow the agency to determine whether Pebble can be operated in compliance with the "Clean Water Act of 1972. " The Bristol Bay Fishermen -- and Alaska Natives --  who brought the E.P.A. Into the decision process allege that Alaska State authorities have never blocked a major mine project in the history of the state.

This week, as a $2.5 billion rover touched down on the surface of Mars, U.A.A students were watching intently. And they weren't watching out of mere "curiosity" either (pun intended). They were watching because their research may play a pivotal role in answering the question that the Curiosity Rover is trying to answer: was there once microbial life on Mars. Working under a portion of a one million dollar grant from NASA, the group -- just two months ago (in Mid-June) -- found a species of cold weather, radiation-resistant microbes that's never been seen before.

It's happening again -- walruses are heading on-shore by the thousands at a time when historically they stayed at sea. The scene is playing out this week along Alaska's northwest coast and scientists say it's a very visible reminder of much greater changes. The most recent report shows a herd of about 5,000 walruses on a beach north of Point Lay and a second haul-out of about 3,000 nearby. And like so many other recent disturbances up north scientists say this one too can be attributed to climate change.

The University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute says a large solar flare will translate to an “extreme” level of aurora activity tonight --  but many Alaskans probably won't be able to see the show. KTUU Chief Meteorologist Jackie Purcell says a cloudy forecast in much of the state combined with long daylight hours will likely obscure the aurora. According to the University of Alaska Fairbanks-based Geophysical Institute's daily aurora forecast for August 3, “highly active” aurora displays will be seen across a broad swath of North America, from Barrow down to Juneau and even low on the horizon in Seattle, Halifax and Boston.

Scientists from the federal Department of Energy will spend at least the next few weeks looking for any signs of harmful radiation out on the remote island of Amchitka, along the Aleutian chain. It was the site of a series of underground nuclear weapon tests back in the 1960s and '70s, which are thought to have sickened several people who worked on the project. Amchitka, now population zero, is where the Department of Defense detonated three underground nuclear weapons explosions -- one of them the largest underground test ever conducted in the U.S. Environmental groups at the time feared the project would have devastating effects on the environment and urged the federal government to start monitoring the site on a regular basis for any signs of harmful radiation.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking into what's killing hundreds of otters off the coasts of Alaska. This year scientists have dissected 80 sea otters.    In some areas of southwest Alaska, sea otter populations have dropped by 90 percent. The decline has prompted the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species as threatened and designate thousands of miles as critical habitat.   Scientists say the most common cause of death they see is inflammation of the heart valve, but there are a whole host of other bacteria and viruses they find.

A Minotaur IV rocket was launched successfully Friday from a facility on Kodiak Island. The rocket lifted off as scheduled at 4:24 p.m., carrying 16 experiments on seven satellites. The mission has enabled not only government scientists to participate but university students as well. Students from the University of Texas at Austin, the U.S. Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and the University of Michigan all took part in the process. The director of the Department of Defense's Space Test Program says the mission is intended to inspire the next generation of astronauts, engineers and scientists.