Alaska Science Forum: Midwinter Rain-on-Snow a Game Changer
A crust of ice is aggravating for moose, lethal for their calves, inconvenient for smaller mammals, yet a boon to wolves. Interior Alaska may have to get used to it.
Science
Alaska Science Forum: Plastic Rain in Southeast Alaska
A Juneau researcher presented findings to the American Geophysical Union fall meeting of microplastic particles collected in rain samples, likely blown in from the ocean.
Alaska Science Forum: Shipping Brings More Noise, Trash to Bering Strait
Scientists are finding waters of the Bering Strait are becoming much noisier due to more industrial ship traffic. Alaska residents of the region have noticed more garbage floating ashore recently.
PFD Research Enters Fifth Phase
Since earnings from the Permanent Fund have been spent on state government in recent years, research into effects of the fund’s annual dividends has entered a new phase.
Study: 8 Million Metric Tons of Plastic Waste Enter Oceans Each Year
By the end of the decade, plastic waste going into the world’s oceans could weigh half as much as the total amount of seafood coming out of them. That’s one finding of a new federal study mandated by the 2020 Save Our Seas 2.0 Act.
Successful Orbital Launch for Astra Space
The Alaska Aerospace Corporation’s first commercial customer at the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island finally had success launching a rocket to orbit. California-based Astra Space sent up its 43-foot, two-stage Launch Vehicle 0007 on Friday night, carrying a dummy payload as a test for the US Space Force.