HIGHLIGHTS
» Alaska Climate Webinars
Next Webinar:
Tuesday, October 30, 2012; 10-11am Alaska Local Time
Wacky Weather and Disappearing Arctic Sea Ice: Are They Connected?
Jennifer Francis, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University
Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity all around the northern hemisphere. During recent years Alaska has experienced severe flooding, record-breaking snowfall, extensive summer forest fires, and strong autumn storms. This presentation will discuss new research that points to climate change as a culprit in fueling the increase in extreme weather.
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The 2012 Autumn Alaska Climate Dispatch is available on-line
Contents include an overview of the Alaska-Canada Cliomes Project, results of the Alaska Climate Research Center's solar radiation experiments, summer weather summary, sea ice update, and upcoming ACCAP events.
Download the Dispatch
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Announcing a new Alaska Cryosphere Newsletter from ACCAP, DGGS, UAF, and the DOI-CSC
We need your contributions! As follow up to the June 2011
Cryosphere Hazards workshop hosted by ACCAP, DGGS, and UAF we invite you to contribute to a new bi-annual newsletter focused on cryosphere research in Alaska: snow, floating ice (sea and river), lake ice, glaciers and permafrost. We aim to build a cryosphere research and stakeholder community of practice in Alaska, encourage research collaboration, and disseminate information among interested parties. Do you have any newsworthy items such as major field projects, up-coming workshops, etc? Do you have a particular interest or information need that you would like to read or learn more about? Please send questions, pictures or contributions of interest to
Alessio Gusmeroli by Wednesday October 3, 2013. Please keep contributions under 200 words. If you want to be added to the listserve to receive the bi-annual cryosphere newsletter, please e-mail
Brook Gamble.
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Final report from the Alaska Cliomes Project and the Canada Cliomes Project
This Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (SNAP) led collaborative project offers the public, including land managers, government agencies, communities, businesses, academics and nonprofits, a new perspective on how climate change affects northern ecosystems. Project results suggest some major changes in these cliomes and the ecosystems associated with them.
Download the report here
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New Arctic pages available on the Alaska Ocean Observing Systems website, including:
Development of a new Arctic sea ice atlas (in collaboration with ACCAP)
Spatial Tools for Arctic Mapping and Planning (STAMP, in collaboration with ACCAP)
Ocean acidification monitoring (in collaboration with ACCAP Scientist Jeremy Mathis)
The Arctic Research Assets Map
Access Arctic data portals
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NOAA 2011 Arctic Report Card Released
The 2011 Report Card shows that record-setting changes are occurring throughout the Arctic environmental system. Given the projection of continued global warming, it is very likely that major Arctic changes will continue in years to come, with increasing climatic, physical, biological and socio-economic impacts.
Among the 2011 highlights:
Atmosphere: In 2011, the average annual near-surface air temperatures over much of the Arctic Ocean were approximately 2.5° F (1.5° C) greater than the 1981-2010 baseline period.
Sea ice: Minimum Arctic sea ice area in September 2011 was the second lowest recorded by satellite since 1979.
Ocean: Arctic Ocean temperature and salinity may be stabilizing after a period of warming and freshening. Acidification of sea water ("ocean acidification") as a result of carbon dioxide absorption has also been documented in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.
Land: Arctic tundra vegetation continues to increase and is associated with higher air temperatures over most of the Arctic land mass.
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New climate change oral history project by Project Jukebox
The 'Stakeholders' project brings rural community members and university scientists into discussions about climate and environmental change in Alaska. The communities of Tanana, Ft. Yukon, and Chalkyitsik are the focus of the effort and interviews are arranged by stakeholder and topic on the website. ACCAP's Sarah Trainor and SNAP's Nancy Fresco contributed to this project. 'Stakeholders' is sponsored by the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) and funded by the National Science Foundation. Project Jukebox is the digital branch of the Oral History Program and provides access to audio and video recordings, transcripts, maps, historic photographs and films from across Alaska.
Browse the Stakeholders project website
View Stakeholders project final poster (7M PDF)
