Dec 20 2011

Local Alaskan Scientist Featured in New York Times: “As Permafrost Thaws, Scientists Study the Risks”

Methane Hot Spots, South Central Alaska, January 2010 (Photo by Marie-Laure Geai)

Local scientist Katey M. Walter Anthony (Aquatic Ecosystem Ecologist at UAF) has been studying the amount of methane gas being released into the atmosphere from thawing permafrost. As long frozen plants and other organic materials begin to thaw, they also begin to decay, producing methane gas. Katey has been collecting gas samples from frozen “bubbling” lakes near Fairbanks, Alaska to see just what we’re up against.

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Dec 14 2011

November 2011 Fire Science Publications

Can’t seem to stay up to date? Let us do some of the work.

We’ve put together a bibliography of November’s (plus or minus a few weeks) new fire science publications related to Alaska and the boreal forest. Download a simple bibliography or an annotated version, both in a pdf format including URLs for each reference. Just want the highlights? We showcased a few of our “Top Picks” below.

November 2011 Fire Publications – Bibliography (pdf)

November 2011 Fire Publications – Annotated Bibliography (pdf)

Our “Top Picks”

Werth, Paul A.; Potter, Brian E.; Clements, Craig B.; Finney, Mark A.; Goodrick, Scott L.; Alexander, Martin E.; Cruz, Miguel G.; Forthofer, Jason A.; McAllister, Sara S. 2011. Synthesis of knowledge of extreme fire behavior: volume I for fire managers. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-854. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 144 p.

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Nov 18 2011

New Video on Climate and Fire in Alaska

Watch this new video on Climate and Fire in Alaska, featuring Dr. Scott Rupp, UAF Professor, and Jennifer Barnes, NPS Fire Ecologist!

This video is 1 of a 5 part video series entitled Climate Change Watch (produced by Frontier Scientists and Wonder Visions). The Climate Change Watch series includes the following videos: Classrooms for Climate, Changing Biomes (In Production), Hydrology (In Production), Permafrost (In Production), and Fire in Alaska.

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Nov 8 2011

New Research Assistantship Available at UAF

The Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks is pleased to offer a research assistantship to study interactions of permafrost, fire, and plant successional processes in altering boreal landscapes in Alaska.

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Nov 4 2011

News: “Wetlands: Drying Intensifying Wildfires, Carbon Release Ninefold, Study Finds”

This new article from Science Daily summarizes findings from the first project “to investigate the effect of drainage on carbon accumulation in northern peatlands and the vulnerability of that carbon to burning.”

Read the FULL ARTICLE from Science Daily.

Read the published journal article: M.R. Turetsky, W.F. Donahue, B.W. Benscoter. Experimental drying intensifies burning and carbon losses in a northern peatland. Nature Communications, 2011; 2: 514 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1523

Nov 4 2011

2012 Fellowship available for Masters and PhD students interested in climate change research in National Parks

Applications for the 2012 NPS George Melendez Wright Climate Change Fellowship are now open.

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Oct 28 2011

New JFSP Brief – Rising Temps Trigger Ecological Changes in the Boreal Forest of Alaska

Key Findings:

1. Understory or overstory Composite Burn Index (CBI) ratings for 10 fires were not substantially affected by slope aspect, and elevation, but for two of the fires, results related to timing, or burn season, were significant.

2. Within the next 50 years, simulation results indicate that boreal forest vegetation will likely shift from primarily spruce-dominated to deciduous-dominated.

3. Despite the shift to less flammable species, simulation results predict an increase in fire frequency and number of acres burned annually.

4. ALFRESCO model simulations and changes in the projected cumulative area burned suggest a general rise in fire activity through the end of this century, with the most rapid change in fire activity occurring in the next 20-30 years.

READ MORE of this summary….

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Oct 27 2011

2011 Alaska Fire Science Workshop Podcasts Now Available!

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Watch these podcasts from the 2011 Alaska Fire Science Workshop!

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Oct 27 2011

“Projected Vegetation and Fire Regime Response to Future Climate Change in National Parks in Interior Alaska”

Excerpt from: Loya, W., Springsteen, A., Barnes, J., and S. Rupp. Projected Vegetation and Fire Regime Response to Future Climate Change in National Parks in Interior Alaska. Alaska Park Science 10:1 (22-25).

Climate change presents a significant challenge to managing our natural and cultural resources. Ecological models that project effects of climate change on plants, animals, and other system components can be used by managers to understand how these effects will impact park resources.

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Oct 27 2011

6,000 Years of Tundra Fires in Noatak National Preserve

One of the 37 tundra fires that burned in Noatak National Preserve in the summer of 2010. The Kaluktavik River fire (Fire #561) burned more than 23,000 acres (9,300 ha) in July. Photo from Alaska Park Science.

Excerpt from: Higuera, P., Barnes, J., Chipman, M., Urban, M., and F.S. Hu. The Burning Tundra: A Look Back at the Last 6,000 Years of Fire in the Noatak National Preserve, Northwestern Alaska. Alaska Park Science 10 (1): 36-41.

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