Posts by Heather McFarland
Newsletter highlights community-based observations
IARC’s Alaska Arctic Observatory & Knowledge Hub is excited to share their 2019 newsletter. AAOKH helps northern Alaska coastal communities share their expertise and observations of environmental change. Read AAOKH news to hear first hand experiences from local observers about how warming air and ocean temperatures, shrinking sea ice and other changes are impacting wildlife and the…
We’re hiring a science communicator!
We’re excited to announce that IARC is hiring a Science Communicator! Join our dynamic team of professional science communicators working to interpret and share UAF research. The successful candidate will join research teams to communicate results and implications that inform policymakers and help people adapt to a changing climate. This position primarily works within the AK…
UAF researchers embark on an expedition frozen at sea
Five UAF researchers are among hundreds of scientists worldwide who will spend part of the coming year on board a research ship frozen in the Arctic sea ice. The 387-foot icebreaker Polarstern will embark from Tromsø, Norway today to kick off MOSAiC, the world’s largest and most comprehensive expedition to the central Arctic Ocean. During…
Fostering the next generation of Arctic researchers and managers
We’ve heard it many times: “You are what you eat.” The concept enabled college sophomore Annie Masterman to do cutting edge research connecting humpback whales to their diet. Every organism has a distinct signature of stable isotopes like carbon and nitrogen. As a whale digests its food, the prey’s stable isotope “signature” is incorporated into…
Alaska’s Changing Environment publication
Alaska’s Changing Environment is a newly released publication that compiles observations of physical and biological change in and around Alaska. The publication, which is intended for a general audience, focuses on the time period 2014 – August 2019, but often provides information from earlier decades for historical context. Using mostly visualizations and photos, Alaska’s Changing…
IARC researchers contribute to Anchorage Climate Action Plan
On May 21 the Anchorage Assembly adopted the Anchorage Climate Action Plan, a long sought-after strategic framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for the impacts of climate change. The plan was developed in collaboration between the University of Alaska and the Municipality of Anchorage. Several International Arctic Research Center scientists were involved including…
Position opening: Science communicator
The UAF International Arctic Research Center (IARC) seeks a Science Communicator to interpret and share UAF research with audiences in Alaska and beyond. Join research projects to communicate important results and implications that can inform policymakers and help people adapt to a changing climate. In this position, you will: Support the science communication work of…
From wet to dry, a question to improve global climate models
Arctic researchers traveled to western Alaska last month to gather snow depth data, which they believe may be a missing link needed to improve how global climate models predict changing Arctic conditions. Rapid warming is transforming the Arctic, triggering a cascade of changes across entire ecosystems. Scientists are grappling with how to incorporate degrading permafrost,…
Newsletter introduces Ikaaġvik Sikukun—ice bridges—project in Kotzebue Sound
The Ikaaġvik Sikukun project is excited to share their spring 2019 newsletter. Ikaaġvik Sikukun —Iñupiaq for ice bridges— is a research effort in Kotzebue, Alaska that connects the community with scientists to understand sea ice change in Kotzebue Sound. The newsletter was distributed to mailbox holders in Kotzebue! Read the Spring 2019 newsletter to learn…
Fresh Eyes on Ice monitors lake and river ice across Alaska
A new lake and river ice-monitoring project led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks gets kids involved in science while promoting ice safety and a better understanding of changing winter conditions. Fresh Eyes on Ice is an observing network that explores the curious and fascinating aspects of frozen water and its role in the environment…