Published Aug 2, 2023

Tracking changes in permafrost can take years and sometimes decades, lags that cannot keep up with the transformations in the rapidly warming Arctic.

Now scientists will be developing new technology to track those changes in real time, thanks to a project funded by Google.

The company has awarded a $5 million grant to the Massachusetts-based Woodwell Climate Research Center to create a system combining satellite data with artificial intelligence to spot the changes as they occur. The project is led by Anna Liljedahl, an Alaska-based Woodwell climate scientist.

There are compelling reasons to better track changes in permafrost. Its thaw is causing myriad effects around the North. That includes expensive damage to important infrastructure. In Alaska, costs of replacing thaw-damaged sections of roads, runways and railroad would mount up to $24.5 billion by midcentury under the current climate trajectory, according to a recent study by researchers at George Washington University.

An example of how artificial intelligence can help, Liljedahl said, is the difficult task of tracking the polygon ice wedges that cover much of the Arctic tundra. Scientists have mapped over 1 billion of them, but trying to monitor their changes would be overwhelming without help from artificial intelligence, she said.

Published Aug 2, 2023 by Annie Berman

An unusually wet, cool summer has made Southcentral Alaska a particularly hospitable place for an invasive slug species that appears to have made a home in Anchorage’s Hillside.

Scientists are asking Anchorage residents to keep an eye out for sightings of the European black slug, a gastropod that is significantly larger than Alaska’s native slug species, so they can track the possible impacts on agriculture and the environment, said Joey Slowik, integrated pest management technician with the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center.

The slugs have the potential to be a major nuisance for gardeners and growers because of how much they eat, Slowik said. He described them as “a fairly robust slug” that are about 4 inches long and come in several colors, including brown, gray, green and orange. They have a smooth mantle — the area behind a slug’s head — and their backs are covered in featherlike ripples.

Published Aug 2, 2023

Tanana Chiefs Conference and the University of Alaska Fairbanks tribal governance program are hosting the 39th Annual Alaska Tribal Court Conference on Tuesday, Aug. 1 at the Westmark Hotel Gold Room in Fairbanks.

Tribal employees are gathering in Fairbanks, Alaska this week to discuss how to balance today for safer communities tomorrow and they’re focusing on tribal court in rural areas.

Seeing a judge in an urban setting is different when a court case takes place in rural Alaska.

Brittany Madros the tribal government & justice division director at Tanana Chiefs Conference explains the importance of the gathering as tribal courts operate differently.

Published Aug 1, 2023 by The 100 Companies

The UAA/APU Consortium Library celebrates a milestone anniversary this year, marking 50 years of fulfilling its mission of providing students access to knowledge, both now and in the future.

Constructed in 1973 and remodeled in 2003, the library has long been a resource for students, researchers and the community. Beyond just books, the library is home to quiet study spaces, knowledgeable librarians ready to help virtually or in person, a database of research not otherwise available online and historic archives, including the Ted Stevens Collection.