Tag

Alaska

All articles tagged with #alaska

science8 days ago•5 min saved

Sunset Unmasks Denali’s Vast Dinosaur Tracksite

Scientists in Denali National Park discovered the largest dinosaur tracksite in Alaska, nicknamed “The Coliseum,” containing thousands of footprints from Late Cretaceous dinosaurs. The tracks revealed themselves only under specific sunset lighting, showing a multi-layer record of a river-based ecosystem with giant plant-eaters, predators like tyrannosaurs and raptors, and preserved plant and invertebrate fossils. The site, formed by ancient floodplains and later uplift by the Alaska Range, provides insight into prehistoric northern ecosystems and is now protected as researchers continue study.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#alaska #denali-national-park #dinosaurs

science16 days ago•8 min saved

Alaska’s Tracy Arm Landslide Sparks a 481-Meter Tsunami, Raising Climate-Hazard Warnings

Scientists reconstruct the August 10, 2025 Tracy Arm event: a 63.5‑million‑cubic‑meter rockslide into Alaska’s narrow fjord generated a 100‑meter breaking wave that climbed to 481 meters on the opposite shore, the second-highest tsunami on record. The extreme runup was amplified by the fjord’s confinement and linked to climate‑driven glacier retreat thinning the ice that once stabilized the slope; microseismic signals days earlier may offer precursors. No injuries occurred thanks to early‑morning timing, but rising cruise-ship traffic underscores the need for early warning systems for similar hazards.

via Ars Technica|

#alaska #climate-change #landslide

environment19 days ago•2 min saved

Alaska court greenlights bear killings to aid caribou recovery

A Superior Court judge ruled that Alaska can resume killing bears, including from helicopters, as part of a plan to bolster the Mulchatna caribou herd. The decision comes after conservation groups failed to show the state lacked a reasonable basis for the plan amid ongoing litigation over data on bear sustainability. Officials say bear removals, which totaled about 180 bears in 2023–2024 plus 11 more last year, have coincided with the herd’s slow recovery and are timed to protect calves during the calving season. The case is part of a long-running dispute over the program’s adoption and effectiveness.

via NBC News|

#alaska #bear-killing #caribou

science19 days ago•2 min saved

Alaska's 2025 Tsunami: Second-Tallest Wave on Record

Researchers say the Aug. 10, 2025 Tracy Arm Fjord tsunami in Alaska reached about 1,578 feet, the second-tallest tsunami in history, triggered by a massive landslide from glacier retreat and warming; no injuries were reported, and the record remains the 1958 Lituya Bay event at over 1,700 feet.

via USA Today|

#alaska #climate-change #landslide

science-tech19 days ago•13 min saved

Stunning Alaska Landslide Caused a 1,580-Foot Tsunami Rise, Pushing for Early-W warning Systems

A near-record landslide at Tracy Arm, Alaska in August 2025 unleashed a tsunami that sent water 1,580 feet up the fjord wall—the second-highest on record—stripping rock from the walls as it moved down the arm. A new study from the Alaska Earthquake Center ties glacier retreat, warm ocean waters, heavy rain, and thousands of seismic tremors to this event and argues for the development of a tiered alert system that could provide time-based warnings for ships and nearby communities, though such large-scale landslide monitoring does not yet exist in the U.S. and would require cross-agency cooperation.

via The Conversation|

#alaska #landslide #science-tech

science20 days ago•4 min saved

Alaska's Tracy Arm megatsunami: second-tallest on record signals growing glacier-driven risk

A landslide in Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska, dislodged 64 million cubic meters of rock and generated a megatsunami almost 500 meters high—the second-tallest ever recorded, after a 1958 Alaska event. Scientists link glacier melt from climate change to more frequent collapses, warn that such hazards may be increasing, and call for wider monitoring as cruise operators reassess safety around Alaska’s fjords.

via BBC|

#alaska #climate-change #glaciers

science26 days ago•4 min saved

Alaska's Winter Fades Under a Parade of Cloud Streets

NASA's Earth Observatory image from March 19, 2026 captures a dramatic mix of cloud formations off the Gulf of Alaska—cloud streets formed by cold Arctic air over warmer water, evolving into open-cell clouds, plus von Kármán vortex streets and a polar low with tropical-storm–force winds—illustrating the turbulent transition from winter to spring as Arctic air interacts with the Gulf's ocean heat.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#alaska #cloud-streets #clouds

national1 month ago•1 min saved

Brown bear encounter injures two soldiers during Alaska training

Two US Army soldiers were injured during a land-navigation training exercise in Arctic Valley near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, after encountering a brown bear. They used pepper spray and are receiving medical care; conditions have not been released. The incident is under investigation, the base area is closed to recreational activity, and Alaska Fish and Game says the bear appeared to defend itself after emerging from a den.

via The Guardian|

#alaska #brown-bear #land-navigation

military1 month ago•19 min saved

Two Army Soldiers Injured by Brown Bear During Arctic Training at JBER

Two soldiers from the Army's 11th Airborne Division were injured when a brown bear attacked them during a land-navigation training exercise at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's Arctic Valley in Alaska. They were receiving medical care as officials investigate the incident; the bear's location was not known as of Friday, and the attack area was closed to recreation. Wildlife officials urged caution in bear country and noted bear spray can be life-saving in such encounters.

via Military.com|

#11th-airborne-division #alaska #bear-attack

military1 month ago•2 min saved

Two Soldiers Injured by Brown Bear During Alaska Training Exercise

Two soldiers from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska were injured when a brown bear attacked during a land-navigation training exercise. Both soldiers carried bear spray and are receiving medical care; investigators say the attack was likely defensive after the bear emerged from a den, but the bear has not been located and details of injuries are not yet released as the investigation continues.

via CBS News|

#alaska #bear-attack #bear-spray

politics1 month ago•11 min saved

Supreme Court ruling could reshape Alaska’s pivotal Senate race

A potential Supreme Court decision to bar counting late-arriving mail ballots could disenfranchise rural and Alaska Native voters and upend Alaska’s tight Senate race between Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan, threatening how elections are administered in a state where many ballots rely on mail and remote communities face delays.

via Politico|

#alaska #dan-sullivan #mail-voting

science1 month ago•96 min saved

Alaskan mammal-eating orcas surprise Seattle, leaving experts puzzled

Three mammal-eating orcas from Alaska surfaced in the Seattle area in March, traveling roughly 1,500–2,000 miles from their typical range. Experts say undocumented pods show up so far south only rarely, and this trio is being tracked (likely a mother with two offspring) to understand where they came from and how long they’ll stay. The appearance highlights shifts in prey availability and ocean conditions in the Pacific Northwest and raises questions about how far outside their usual ranges these whales might travel.

via Live Science|

#alaska #killer-whales #orcas

weather1 month ago•5 min saved

Alaska ends record-cold winter as El Niño looms with warmer, snow-light forecasts

Alaska endured its coldest December–March in roughly 50 years, with Fairbanks posting its coldest period and Juneau experiencing a snowier December and March, while Anchorage logged its coldest March since 1960–61. Now forecasters anticipate a strong El Niño by mid-year, likely making summers 1–3 degrees warmer and winters 2–4 degrees warmer across most of the state, and substantially reducing snowfall, though some regions may see different effects.

via Alaska Public Media|

#alaska #el-nino #noaa

us-news2 months ago•14 min saved

Coast Guard probes fatal barge incident off Alaska

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating after two people died aboard a barge in Alaska.

via AP News|

#alaska #barge #coast-guard

sports2 months ago•4 min saved

Jessie Holmes Clinches Back-to-Back Iditarod Title, Treasures Lead Dogs with Steaks

Former reality TV star Jessie Holmes won the Iditarod for the second straight year, finishing in Nome after roughly 1,000 miles across Alaska. He rewarded his lead dogs with large ribeye steaks, and the purse rose to about $80,000 thanks to new funding from Kjell Rokke and support for an amateur category. The race faced ongoing animal-welfare scrutiny, and one dog died this year, underscoring the controversy surrounding the event.

via CBS News|

#alaska #dog-welfare #iditarod