Breath of Clams Leads to Big Picture
Brittany Jones’s goal is to find out the respiration rates of five species of clams. But why should anyone care about clam breath?
Author: Ned Rozell
Warm Spring May Result in Gentle Breakup
Following the warmest March Alaskans have ever felt, forecasters are predicting a mellow transition from ice to water for most big rivers in the state.
Innoko is a Long River Short on People
The fifth-largest river in Alaska, after the Yukon, Kuskokwim, Tanana and Porcupine, the Innoko is now at a historic low in human population.
Oldest Rock in Alaska is Near Iditarod
While gliding along a trail that had just felt the imprint of 2,000 dog feet, Bob Gillis skied over to a curious-looking rock that jutted from the snow…
Alaska Taking Shape Near Yakutat
The relentless advance of Hubbard Glacier takes center stage in Yakutat, but the area surrounding the town is one of the world’s great examples of geology in action.
Invasion of Redpolls Sends Seeds Flying
During “irruptions,” birders in New England can suddenly find their feeders clogged with redpolls from Canada and Alaska. People in the Lower 48 documented winter irruptions (“to increase rapidly or irregularly in number,” according to the American Heritage College Dictionary) of redpolls during 2008-2009 and 2012-2013.
Alaska’s Year Without a Summer
Rosanne D’Arrigo of the tree-ring lab at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York recently told the story of Alaska’s year without a summer. She attended the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union last month in Washington, DC.
American Robins Not Heading North Quite Yet
While walking the streets of Washington, DC, last month, a pleasant sound stopped me. A male robin was singing, high in a sidewalk sycamore.
Pink Salmon — Too Much of a Good Thing?
Of the five species of salmon that swim Alaska waters, the pink is by far the most plentiful. Some scientists think the fish is an overabundant predator that outcompetes other salmon and some seabirds.