Projects

Understanding the Arctic to make a difference

Our collaborative efforts and research groups work from multiple angles to help people understand and adapt to a changing Arctic climate. Other efforts use applied research to address pressing social and economic challenges related to Arctic change.

Use the Category filter to discover work on specific topics.

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Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub
Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub

AAOKH supports information exchange and environmental observations of cryosphere change by Inupiat experts in coastal communities.

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Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy
Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy

ACCAP’s work encompasses the entire state of Alaska. ACCAP partners with stakeholders to inform realistic community plans and climate adaptation strategies using the most scientifically accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information.

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Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center

The AK CASC works to increase our understanding of how Alaska’s ecosystems and resources are responding to a changing climate. This is done by building partnerships between academic scientists, state and federal agency scientists, resource managers, tribal leaders, and decision makers.

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Alaska Fire Science Consortium
Alaska Fire Science Consortium

The AFSC strengthens the link between fire science research and on-the-ground application in Alaska by promoting communication between managers and scientists, providing an organized fire science delivery platform, and facilitating collaborative scientist-manager research development.

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Alaska Voices
Alaska Voices

The Alaska Voices podcast project builds bridges of knowledge by sharing conversations among Alaska’s community members, friends, policy makers, and co-workers.

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Arctic & Earth SIGNs
Arctic & Earth SIGNs

Our program connects youth and adults to climate change and Earth science learning through inquiry-based GLOBE investigations and community stewardship projects. Come collaborate with NASA and Arctic scientists to make a difference right where you live!

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Icebergs float in the Southern Ocean near the Western Arctic Peninsula. Image by Andrew McDonnell.
Center for Arctic Policy Studies

CAPS facilitates sharing of UA expertise in Arctic issues—ranging from natural resources to engineering to political science—with policy- and decision- makers.

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Community Partnerships for Self-Reliance
Community Partnerships for Self-Reliance

Community Partnerships for Self-Reliance (CPS) is a group that coordinates engagement and respectful knowledge-sharing between University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) expertise and rural Alaska communities and tribes.

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Community Snow Observations
Community Snow Observations

This project aims to improve our understanding of snow depth variability in mountainous regions. We need community-based observers, including backcountry professionals and recreationists, to help gather snow observations.

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Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies
Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies

The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies is led by the University of Washington but housed jointly with Oregon State University and the International Arctic Research Center. The institute helps NOAA meet its research, education and public engagement goals.

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Downscaled Climate Data from SNAP
Downscaled Climate Data from SNAP

The Scenarios Network for Alaska + Arctic Planning (SNAP) produces downscaled, historical and projected climate data for sub-Arctic and Arctic regions of Alaska and Canada. Climate datasets include daily, monthly, and derived products (e.g., monthly decadal averages, specific seasonal averages).

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Experimental Arctic Prediction Initiative
Experimental Arctic Prediction Initiative

We provide state of the art sub-seasonal to multi-year forecasts for Alaska and the Arctic. Our focus areas include sea ice forecasts, transportation support, and fire weather outlooks.

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Fresh Eyes on Ice
Fresh Eyes on Ice

Fresh Eyes on Ice is a freshwater ice observation network focused on Alaska.

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Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)

Part of an international science and education program that lets students and the public participate in data collection, the scientific process, and research studies.

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Gulf of Alaska Ocean Acidification Modeling Tool
Gulf of Alaska Ocean Acidification Modeling Tool

With the Gulf of Alaska Interactive Model Tool you can create maps, timeseries, and statistics of over 100 oceanographic variables, including ocean acidification and climate change related parameters like temperature, salinity, pH, aragonite saturation state and carbon dioxide in the water from the above described simulation. Monthly and daily output are available.

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IARC Data Archive at Arctic Data Center
IARC Data Archive at Arctic Data Center

Data sets from the IARC Data Archive have been migrated to the Arctic Data Center, the primary data and software repository for the Arctic section of the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs.

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IARC summer school participants enjoy themselves despite challenging conditions. (Photo by Erika Zell)
IARC Summer School

IARC’s Summer School program brings young scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, and adult learners together with experts in a wide range of topics of Arctic science for extended periods of study and interaction.

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ICEX Sea Ice Support

The United States Navy’s ICEX, or Ice Exercise, is a biennial exercise conducted above the Arctic Circle. UAF personnel assist Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corporation’s support of ICEX by contributing a team of specialized subject matter experts in fields related to drifting sea ice camps.

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Ikaaġvik Sikukun—Ice Bridges

Ikaaġvik Sikukun—Iñupiaq for ice bridges—is a multi-year research project in Kotzebue, Alaska that connects the community with scientists to understand how sea ice, ocean physics and marine mammals are changing in Kotzebue Sound.

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Participants in Girls* on Water practice sea star identification during an Inspiring Girls Expedition in 2019. Photo by Lauren Sutton.
Inspiring Girls* Expeditions

Twelve-day free field science and art education programs for high school youth

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MOSAiC: International Arctic Drift Expedition 2019-2020
MOSAiC: International Arctic Drift Expedition 2019-2020

In September 2019 the German research icebreaker Polarstern departed from Tromsø, Norway and spent most of the following year drifting through the Arctic Ocean, trapped in the ice. IARC’s Rob Rember joined the expedition in 2019 and blogged from aboard ship.

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Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System
Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System

Since the early 2000s, NABOS has worked to compile a cohesive picture of climatic changes in the Eurasian and Makarov basins of the Arctic Ocean.

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Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments
Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments

The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE Arctic) seek to quantify the physical, chemical, and biological behavior of terrestrial ecosystems in Alaska.

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NNA-Community Office
NNA-Community Office

The Navigating the New Arctic Community Office (NNA-CO) builds awareness, partnerships, opportunities, and resources for collaboration and equitable knowledge generation within, between, and beyond the research projects funded by the National Science Foundation’s NNA Initiative.

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Nutrient Analytical Facility

We provide the most accurate and precise data possible for nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicic acid, and ammonium, for clients within the University of Alaska system. Visit our website for more information on analysis protocols, plus procedures for submitting a sample to the lab.

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Poker Flat Research Range
Poker Flat Research Range

Poker Flat Research Range Super-Site data charts provide real-time air and soil temperatures, dew point, humidity, wind speed, snow depth, precipitation, barometric pressure, and more. This site is located 30 miles north of Fairbanks.

Please contact Hideki Kobayashi and Go Iwahana with technical issues.

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Research Networking Activities for Sustained Coordinated Observations of Arctic Change (CoObs RNA)

We will support coastal and marine food security for Arctic residents and meet research needs. We will also improve coordination among observing activities in support of shared societal benefits.

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Scenarios Network for Alaska + Arctic Planning
Scenarios Network for Alaska + Arctic Planning

Since 2007, SNAP has used climate data to create and share ideas of what a future Northern climate could look like. Our expertise includes data analysis and interpretation, scenario planning, and science communication.

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Study of Environmental Arctic Change
Study of Environmental Arctic Change

SEARCH is a collaborative program of Arctic researchers, funding agencies, and others that facilitates synthesis of Arctic science and communicates our current understanding to help society respond to a rapidly changing Arctic.

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Teacher at Sea
Teacher at Sea

During research cruises, IARC sponsors a Teacher at Sea who corresponds with students about life aboard an icebreaker.

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Mechanical engineering major Adam McCombs rides his bike through the potato field towards campus on a recent foggy morning.
UAF North Campus Data

UAF North Campus Site data charts provide real-time air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction and more. Located east of Smith Lake.

Please contact Masahito Ueyama or Naoki Kukuu with technical issues.

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Winterberry
Winterberry

Alaska’s annual berry harvest is a big deal. Join this citizen-science project and learn how you can monitor your own berry patch.

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