Sea Ice

NASA says "after a record melt season, an Arctic cyclone, and a fascinating fracturing event, Arctic sea ice has reached its maximum extent for the year. Contact Neil Torquiano

The Alaska SeaLife Center was closed Friday for the filming of “Everybody Loves Whales.” The Warner Brothers movie is loosely based on the efforts to save three gray whales that were trapped in 1988 in Beaufort Sea ice off Point Barrow. It stars Drew Barrymore as a Greenpeace activist. Normal winter hours for the SeaLife Center will resume Saturday.

It's the presence of Alaska that allows the United States to be considered an arctic nation. On Friday, the Obama administration released a new Arctic strategy that states the country's priorities in the arctic region.   "I think this is the time Alaska is being recognized as an important part to the United States as the United States cannot be an Arctic nation without Alaska," Senator Mark Begich said. "This plan is an important tool that we will now use to push for Arctic development.

Alaska State Troopers are looking for a snowmachiner who broke through the ice near Teller. Troopers say 53-year-old Marvin Okleasik of Teller said he was riding to Brevig Mission Wednesday night with a passenger, 44-year-old Barbara Scholten of Teller, when the accident occurred. Troopers say he walked back into the village and said the snowmachine broke through the ice, and Scholten fell through. Troopers say search-and-rescue efforts were hampered by poor sea ice conditions.

The remains of a woman who went missing after her snowmachine fell through ice last week near Teller were found Monday. Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters says Barbara Scholten, 44, was found shortly after 12:30 p.m. Scholten was reported missing Wednesday after Teller resident Marvin Okleasik, 53, returned to Teller on foot and reported that the snowmachine he and Scholten were riding to Brevig Mission had fallen through ice. ...

by Dan Joling The Associated Press Sunday, June 27, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Polar bear policy in America can be summed up succinctly: The iconic bears are threatened with extinction, and so far nothing much is being done. Two years after they were listed under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has taken no major action in response to their principal threat, the loss of sea ice habitat due to climate change. And federal officials have declared that the Endangered Species Act will not be used in the attempt to regulate greenhouse gases.

by Dan Joling The Associated Press Tuesday, June 15, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Alaska wildlife officials will object Tuesday night to key aspects of federal plans to provide additional protection for polar bears. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will collect testimony in Anchorage on its proposal to designate critical habitat for polar bears, listed two years ago as a threatened species. The agency has proposed designating 187,166 square miles of U.S. territory as polar bear critical habitat.

by The Associated Press Tuesday, June 8, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- NASA is launching a mission from Alaska next month, but it won't be into space. The agency will take to the sea June 15 from Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians on its first dedicated oceanographic field campaign. The voyage is billed as an up-close look at how changing conditions in the Arctic are affecting ocean chemistry and ecosystems that play a critical role in global climate change. More than 40 scientists will spend five weeks on board the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, the country's most technologically advanced polar icebreaker.

by The Associated Press Tuesday, May 4, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a draft analysis of the cost of designating critical habitat for polar bears. The annual cost through 2039 is estimated at $53,900. The agency says polar bears already receive significant protection and costs are connected to considering adverse modification of critical habitat, primarily from petroleum development. The department in October proposed 200,541 square miles in Alaska as polar bear critical habitat.

The film “Everybody Loves Whales” has a new name. It's now called “Big Miracle.” Universal Pictures recently announced the change on its website. The website shows a release date of Jan. 13, 2012, though other film industry websites have been reporting a Feb. 3, 2012 release. “Everybody Loves Whales” was a working title and was subject to change during post-production. The PG-rated movie was shot in Alaska in 2010 and is based on a true story of how people from around the world came together to save a pair of whales trapped in arctic sea ice near Barrow.