International Arctic Research Center

09/04/2026

Alaska's fire seasons are changing — and new research from Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center scientists suggests there's more to come. Using temperature and precipitation data from five climate models, the team projects that as temperatures rise, the area of boreal forest burned each year in Alaska could more than double this century. The Arctic and western Alaska, where fire is less likely today, could see up to eight times more wildfire activity. And as fire pushes out spruce, Alaska's forests are likely to shift toward more deciduous trees like birch and aspen.

Read the Eos story:

More and larger fires, including in areas of historically low fire activity, are likely but not a given.

09/03/2026

Remember the Fairbanks “Icemageddon”? Join the AK Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness on Thu September 10th at 11am AKDT for this month’s webinar on winter rain in Interior Alaska. Hear from ACCAP Policy Fellow Eleanor Greenbaum about how winter rain and freezing rain can disrupt travel, damage infrastructure, strain utilities, and create public safety challenges. She’ll look back at lessons from the December 2021 “Icemageddon” event and explore practical ways communities can prepare for and respond to future winter rain events.

Speaker: Eleanor Greenbaum, ACCAP Policy Fellow As winter rain becomes more frequent in Alaska’s Interior, communities must understand the risks associated with these events and remain prepared. Th…

09/01/2026

Meet Erin Larson, lead aquatic ecologist and director of the Alaska Center for Conservation Science at University of Alaska Anchorage and a 2026 Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center Ambassador!

Larson’s Ambassador project is focused on collecting freshwater temperatures in Alaska to better understand how water temperature impacts fish life cycles and their populations.The goal is to use the research to inform management decisions. We caught up with Larson at Anchorage’s Campbell Creek to learn more.

The AK CASC Ambassadors Program started in 2025 and provides seed funding to support UA faculty participating in actionable climate adaptation science. We are now accepting applications for our 2027 Ambassador cohort from UA faculty. Learn more and apply here: https://akcasc.org/project/ambassadors/

Keep an eye out for introductions to our other amazing 2026 AK CASC ambassadors, coming soon!

08/28/2026

☀️🌊 🌧️❄️🧊
How do warm tropical oceans fuel polar rain, snow and ice?

From 2021 to 2023, Antarctic ice loss surprisingly slowed down—and the reason traces back thousands of miles away to the Indian and Pacific Oceans!

Warm ocean pools triggered atmospheric waves that carried surges of moisture all the way to the poles, dumping heavy snowfall over Antarctica.

This same phenomenon brings extreme precipitation to Alaska.

Scientists are using moisture tagging and isotope chemical signatures to track water molecules from tropical oceans straight to our polar snowpacks.

🔗 Read the full story:

Aerial view of the Totten Ice Shelf during the 61st Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in late 2019 and early 2020. Totten experienced East Antarctica’s most significant ice loss through 2021, followed by a marked slowdown during 2021–2023. Photo by Dr. Yoshihiro Nakayama The polar regions h...

08/14/2026

Join the AK Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness on Friday August 21 at 12:00pm AKDT for this month's NWS Alaska Climate Outlook webinar. ACCAP's Climate Specialist Rick Thoman will provide insight about what weather can be expected this fall and how the strong El Niño underway may impact this winter.

Speaker: Rick Thoman, Climate Specialist, AK Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness During this month’s Climate Outlook Briefing, Rick will review recent and current climate conditions arou…

08/11/2026

Join the AK Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness on Tue August 18th at 11am AKDT for this month's webinar. A massive landslide in Tracy Arm last August generated a tsunami that surged more than 1,000 feet up the opposite side of the fjord. Hear from Alaska State Seismologist Mike West about this remarkable event and what changing coastal landslide risks may mean for Alaska communities and visitors.

Speakers: Mike West (State Seismologist for Alaska, Director of the Alaska Earthquake Center, and UAF Research Professor at the Geophysical Institute), other speakers TBD Early on August 10, 2025, …

08/05/2026

Congratulations to the Farthest North Chapter of the American Meteorological Society on achieving the “Local Chapter of the Year” award. Chosen annually from over 125 chapters, the award is given for serving members, the community and the National AMS.

The award was based on efforts over the last year that included textbook support in Bethel, raising funds for the impacted community after Typhoon Halong, and helping to connect meteorologists across the state. The Chapter, led by IARC AK CASC Graduate Research Fellow Tricia Hutton, will be honored during the AMS Annual Meeting in January.

Did you know? You don’t have to be a meteorologist to join the Farthest North Chapter of the AMS! Reach out at [email protected] to learn more or join their mailing list.

Website: https://sites.google.com/alaska.edu/fnamschapter/

07/30/2026

Visit JuneauFlood.com for more information.

Music: Zadina by Tommasco Croce is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. From Free Music Archive.