Published Sep 12, 2023 by Beth Verge

A study published this summer and headed by University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers points to beavers having an increasing role in greenhouse gas production in the Arctic.

The report, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, links Arctic beavers to rising rates of methane gas increases in the region.

“Beavers are colonizing in the tundra,” UAF Research Professor Ken Tape said. “They’re moving from the forest into the tundra regions in western and northern Alaska, which is pretty exciting, just scientifically, and people out in those communities find it pretty radical.

”Researchers with UAF’s Geophysical Institute, including Tape, maintain the study is the very first to link new beaver ponds to an increase in methane gas emissions.

Published Sep 12, 2023

Another example of a project that uses digital technologies to make Arctic field geology accessible is the Arctic Geology Virtual Field Trip.

The Arctic Geology Virtual Field Trip is an online course that introduces students to the geology of Alaska and Greenland through interactive 3D models of outcrops.

The course was developed by a team of researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Dartmouth College who used laser scanning and drone imagery to create DOMs of selected sites.

The course covers topics such as plate tectonics, mountain building, volcanism, glaciation, sedimentation, metamorphism, mineral resources, and climate change.

The course also teaches students how to use digital tools to explore and analyze DOMs.

The course is designed for undergraduate students who have some background in geology but do not have access to field trips or Arctic regions.

The Arctic Geology Virtual Field Trip provides an opportunity for students to learn about the geology of two important Arctic regions without leaving their homes.

Published Sep 12, 2023 by Josh Reed

In college sports news, the UAA volleyball team headed up to Fairbanks to take part in the Nanook Classic and came up short in all three matches it played over the two-day span. The Seawolves went the distance with Lander on Friday but fell in five sets. On Saturday, they won their first set against Stanislaus State but then proceeded to drop the next three, and later that day they were swept in three sets by Biola.

While the volleyball team wasn’t having much success competing further up north in the Last Frontier, the UAA men’s cross-country team did as the Seawolves swept the podium by having the top three finishers at the Nanook Forest Clash on Saturday. John Peckham earned his first career win and George Payne and Zachary Koehler completed the podium sweep. Peckham came in first by covering the 8K course in a time of 25:53, followed by Payne with a mark of 26:28, and Koehler who finished in 26:29.