77 FR 61559 - Proposed Flood Elevation Determinations for Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-10

... Elevation Determinations for Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, and Incorporated Areas AGENCY: Federal... for Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, and Incorporated Areas. DATES: This withdrawal is effective... Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. FEMA is withdrawing the proposed rulemaking and intends to publish a...

Improving Sanitation and Health in Rural Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, David L.

2013-01-01

In rural Alaskan communities personal health is threatened by energy costs and limited access to clean water, wastewater management, and adequate nutrition. Fuel-­-based energy systems are significant factors in determining local accessibility to clean water, sanitation and food. Increasing fuel costs induce a scarcity of access and impact residents' health. The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences (SNRAS), NASA's Ames Research Center, and USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have joined forces to develop high-efficiency, low­-energy consuming techniques for water treatment and food production in rural circumpolar communities. Methods intended for exploration of space and establishment of settlements on the Moon or Mars will ultimately benefit Earth's communities in the circumpolar north. The initial phase of collaboration is completed. Researchers from NASA Ames Research Center and SNRAS, funded by the USDA­-ARS, tested a simple, reliable, low-energy sewage treatment system to recycle wastewater for use in food production and other reuse options in communities. The system extracted up to 70% of the water from sewage and rejected up to 92% of ions in the sewage with no carryover of toxic effects. Biological testing showed that plant growth using recovered water in the nutrient solution was equivalent to that using high-purity distilled water. With successful demonstration that the low energy consuming wastewater treatment system can provide safe water for communities and food production, the team is ready to move forward to a full-scale production testbed. The SNRAS/NASA team (including Alaska students) will design a prototype to match water processing rates and food production to meet rural community sanitation needs and nutritional preferences. This system would be operated in Fairbanks at the University of Alaska through SNRAS. Long­-term performance will be validated and operational needs of the system determined. The testbed will be a part of the university education and operator training program. The "Forgotten Alaska" has long awaited this technology to augment the traditional

Field-based ET calibration and validation sites in interior Alaska: Preparatory Science for NASA's planned HyspIRI Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prakash, A.; Cristobal, J.; Fochesatto, G. J.; Starkenburg, D. P.; Kane, D. L.; Gens, R.; Alfieri, J. G.; Irving, K.; Anderson, M. C.; Kustas, W.

2012-12-01

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a critical component of the hydrologic cycle in interior Alaska, being about 74% of summer precipitation or 50% of annual precipitation, and is a process that will become more important as we witness increasing trends of climate warming, permafrost degradation, forest fire occurrences, and significant land cover changes. In preparation for NASA's planned Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) satellite mission; we have established two experimental sites in interior Alaska to measure representative ET values for typical boreal forest in this region as a basis to estimate and upscale ET from remote sensing solar and thermal data. The first site (University of Alaska Fairbanks, UAF, north campus) is located in a needleleaf forest mainly composed of black spruce (Picea mariana) and the second site (Caribou-Poker Creek Research Watershed) is in a deciduous forest mainly composed of paper birch (Betula papyrifera). Both field sites are equipped with sonic anemometers and gas analyzers at 24 m height operating at a 20Hz sampling rate, and, additionally, the UAF north campus site includes a 3 and 12m sonic anemometers. At 24m, the tower is also equipped with a four component net radiometer sensor and air temperature and pressure sensors are installed at different heights. To monitor ground heat, temperature and soil moisture sensors as well as heat flux plates have also been installed in the organic and the subsurface soil layers. Additionally, a Large Aperture Scintillometer (LAS) transmitter and receiver units with a separation of 1.2 km have been installed across the tower ensuring a beam height of 24m. Data is recorded on data loggers and downloaded for quality check and processing on a weekly basis. Further details of tower set-up are available at www.et.alaska.edu. Data from the field instruments are presented and their use for Alaska specific ET model calibration are discussed. The field set-up provides all input data for ET modeling and for boundary layer micrometeorological research and the field-sites have also potential to benefit CalVal activities for other planned missions such us SMAP, Sentinel series, and EnMap.

Building University Capacity to Visualize Solutions to Complex Problems in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broderson, D.; Veazey, P.; Raymond, V. L.; Kowalski, K.; Prakash, A.; Signor, B.

2016-12-01

Rapidly changing environments are creating complex problems across the globe, which are particular magnified in the Arctic. These worldwide challenges can best be addressed through diverse and interdisciplinary research teams. It is incumbent on such teams to promote co-production of knowledge and data-driven decision-making by identifying effective methods to communicate their findings and to engage with the public. Decision Theater North (DTN) is a new semi-immersive visualization system that provides a space for teams to collaborate and develop solutions to complex problems, relying on diverse sets of skills and knowledge. It provides a venue to synthesize the talents of scientists, who gather information (data); modelers, who create models of complex systems; artists, who develop visualizations; communicators, who connect and bridge populations; and policymakers, who can use the visualizations to develop sustainable solutions to pressing problems. The mission of Decision Theater North is to provide a cutting-edge visual environment to facilitate dialogue and decision-making by stakeholders including government, industry, communities and academia. We achieve this mission by adopting a multi-faceted approach reflected in the theater's design, technology, networking capabilities, user support, community relationship building, and strategic partnerships. DTN is a joint project of Alaska's National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), who have brought the facility up to full operational status and are now expanding its development space to support larger team science efforts. Based in Fairbanks, Alaska, DTN is uniquely poised to address changes taking place in the Arctic and subarctic, and is connected with a larger network of decision theaters that include the Arizona State University Decision Theater Network and the McCain Institute in Washington, DC.

40 CFR 81.302 - Alaska.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Fairbanks N. Star Borough Area other than portion of Fairbanks urban area designated Nonattainment Kobuk... Unclassifiable/Attainment Denali Borough Fairbanks North Star Borough Nome Census Area North Slope Borough... Alaska Intrastate: Denali Borough Unclassifiable/Attainment. Fairbanks North Star Borough Unclassifiable...

40 CFR 81.302 - Alaska.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Fairbanks N. Star Borough Area other than portion of Fairbanks urban area designated Nonattainment Kobuk... Denali Borough Fairbanks North Star Borough Nome Census Area North Slope Borough Northwest Arctic Borough... Northern Alaska Intrastate: Denali Borough Unclassifiable/Attainment. Fairbanks North Star Borough...

Reaching Across the Hemispheres with Science, Language, Arts and Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Zicus, S.; Miller, A.; Baird, A.; Page, G.

2009-12-01

Twelve Alaskan elementary and middle school classes (grades 3-8) partnered with twelve Australian middle school classes, with each pair using web-based strategies to develop a collaborative ice-mystery fictional book incorporating authentic polar science. Three professional development workshops were held, bringing together educators and polar scientists in two IPY education outreach projects. The Alaska workshop provided an opportunity to bring together the North American teachers for lessons on arctic and antarctic science and an earth system science program Seasons and Biomes measurement protocols, as well as methods in collaborative e-writing and art in Ice e-Mysteries: Global Student Polar e-books project. Teachers worked with University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and Australian scientists to become familiar with Arctic science research, science artifacts and resources available at UAF and the University of Alaska Museum of the North. In Australia, teachers received a similar project training through the Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) Center for Learning and Discovery on Antarctic science and the University of Tasmania. The long-distance collaboration was accomplished through Skype, emails and a TMAG supported website. A year later, Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere teacher partners met in a joint workshop in Tasmania, to share their experiences, do project assessments and propose activities for future collaborations. The Australian teachers received training on Seasons and Biomes scientific measurements and the Alaskan teachers, on Tasmanian vegetation, fauna and indigenous culture, Antarctic and Southern ocean studies. This innovative project produced twelve e-polar books written and illustrated by students; heightened scientific literacy about the polar regions and the earth system; increased awareness of the environment and indigenous cultures; stronger connections to the scientific community; and lasting friendships. It also resulted in an effective integration of science across the curriculum. The teacher partners are continuing their collaboration across the hemispheres.

Evaluation of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to Monitor Forest Health Conditions in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webley, P. W.; Hatfield, M. C.; Heutte, T. M.; Winton, L. M.

2017-12-01

US Forest Service Alaska Region Forest Health Protection (FHP) and University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) are evaluating the capability of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS, "drone" informally) to monitor forest health conditions in Alaska's Interior Region. On July 17-20 2017, FHP and ACUASI deployed two different UAS at permanent forest inventory plots managed by the UAF programs Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) and Cooperative Alaska Forest Inventory (CAFI). The purpose of the mission was to explore capabilities of UAS for evaluating aspen tree mortality at inaccessible locations and at a scale and precision not generally achievable with currently used ground- or air-based methods. Drawing from experience gained during the initial 2016 campaign, this year emphasized the efficient use of UAS to accomplish practical field research in a variety of realistic situations. The vehicles selected for this years' effort included the DJI Matrice quadcopter with the Zenmuse-X3 camera to quickly capture initial video of the site and tree conditions; followed by the ING Responder (single rotor electric helicopter based on the Gaui X7 airframe) outfitted with a Nikon D810 camera to collect high-resolution stills suitable for construction of orthomosaic models. A total of 12 flights were conducted over the campaign, with two full days dedicated to the Delta Junction Gerstle River Intermediate (GRI) sites and the remaining day at the Bonanza Creek site. In addition to demonstrating the ability of UAS to operate safely and effectively in various canopy conditions, the effort also validated the ability of teams to deliver UAS and scientific payloads into challenging terrain using all-terrain vehicles (ATV) and foot traffic. Analysis of data from the campaign is underway. Because the permanent plots have been recently evaluated it is known that nearly all aspen mortality is caused by an aggressive canker; at some plots up to 70% of aspen stems have canker and most of these trees are dead. Once the imagery is processed the team will statistically calculate the degree of agreement between UAS and ground detection methods. This measure of reliability is necessary to evaluate the usefulness of UAS for the purposes of forest health detection and monitoring.

Publications - GMC 314 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

, and 01-TN1474 of the True North Gold Mine of the Fairbanks mining district, Alaska Authors: Unknown True North Gold Mine of the Fairbanks mining district, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological &

Data report for onshore-offshore wide-angle seismic recordings in the Bering-Chukchi Sea, Western Alaska and eastern Siberia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brocher, Thomas M.; Allen, Richard M.; Stone, David B.; Wolf, Lorraine W.; Galloway, Brian K.

1995-01-01

This report presents fourteen deep-crustal wide-angle seismic reflection and refraction profiles recorded onland in western Alaska and eastern Siberia from marine air gun sources in the Bering-Chukchi Seas. During a 20-day period in August, 1994, the R/V Ewing acquired two long (a total of 3754 km) deep-crustal seismic-reflection profiles on the continental shelf of the Bering and Chukchi Seas, in a collaborative project between Stanford University and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The Ewing's 137.7 liter (8355 cu. in.) air gun array was the source for both the multichannel reflection and the wide-angle seismic data. The Ewing, operated by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, steamed northward from Nunivak Island to Barrow, and returned, firing the air gun array at intervals of either 50 m or 75 m. About 37,700 air gun shots were fired along the northward directed Lines 1 and 2, and more than 40,000 air gun shots were fired along the southward directed Line 3. The USGS and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF), deployed an array of twelve 3-component REFTEK and PDAS recorders in western Alaska and eastern Siberia which continuously recorded the air gun signals fired during the northward bound Lines 1 and 2. Seven of these recorders also continuously recorded the southward bound Line 3. These wide-angle seismic data were acquired to: (1) image reflectors in the upper to lower crust, (2) determine crustal and upper mantle refraction velocities, and (3) provide important constraints on the geometry of the Moho along the seismic lines. In this report, we describe the land recording of wide-angle data conducted by the USGS and the UAF, describe in detail how the wide-angle REFTEK and PDAS data were reduced to common receiver gather seismic sections, and illustrate the wide-angle seismic data obtained by the REFTEKs and PDAS's. Air gun signals were observed to ranges in excess of 400 km, and crustal and upper /mantle refractions indicate substantial variation in the crustal thickness along the transect.

Chena River Lakes Project, Fairbanks, Alaska. Overview of Tanana River Monitoring Research Studies Near Fairbanks, Alaska.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

concentration-depth profiles for suspended sand sizes at Fairbanks gauge . 5.1 Apparent downstream migration of main channel loops upstream of Goose Island, 1938...at the Fairbanks gauging station is plotted in Figure 3.1. Table 3.1 shows year-by-year and period-of-record statistics for mean, minimum and maximum...Associated Relationships Figure 3.3 shows a plot of stage vs. discharge data for the Fairbanks gauging station.* There has been considerable scatter

Generating Multispectral VIIRS Imagery in Near Real-Time for Use by the National Weather Service in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broderson, D.; Dierking, C.; Stevens, E.; Heinrichs, T. A.; Cherry, J. E.

2016-12-01

The Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) uses two direct broadcast antennas to receive data from a number of polar-orbiting weather satellites, including the Suomi National Polar Partnership (S-NPP) satellite. GINA uses data from S-NPP's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) to generate a variety of multispectral imagery products developed with the needs of the National Weather Service operational meteorologist in mind. Multispectral products have two primary advantages over single-channel products. First, they can more clearly highlight some terrain and meteorological features which are less evident in the component single channels. Second, multispectral present the information from several bands through just one image, thereby sparing the meteorologist unnecessary time interrogating the component single bands individually. With 22 channels available from the VIIRS instrument, the number of possible multispectral products is theoretically huge. A small number of products will be emphasized in this presentation, with the products chosen based on their proven utility in the forecasting environment. Multispectral products can be generated upstream of the end user or by the end user at their own workstation. The advantage and disadvantages of both approaches will be outlined. Lastly, the technique of improving the appearance of multispectral imagery by correcting for atmospheric reflectance at the shorter wavelengths will be described.

BLM Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Resource Management Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatfield, M. C.; Breen, A. L.; Thurau, R.

2016-12-01

The Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management is funding research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to study Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Resource Management Operations. In August 2015, the team conducted flight research at UAF's Toolik Field Station (TFS). The purpose was to determine the most efficient use of small UAS to collect low-altitude airborne digital stereo images, process the stereo imagery into close-range photogrammetry products, and integrate derived imagery products into the BLM's National Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy. The AIM Strategy assists managers in answering questions of land resources at all organizational levels and develop management policy at regional and national levels. In Alaska, the BLM began to implement its AIM strategy in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) in 2012. The primary goals of AIM-monitoring at the NPR-A are to implement an ecological baseline to monitor ecological trends, and to develop a monitoring network to understand the efficacy of management decisions. The long-term AIM strategy also complements other ongoing NPR-A monitoring processes, collects multi-use and multi-temporal data, and supports understanding of ecosystem management strategies in order to implement defensible natural resource management policy. The campaign measured vegetation types found in the NPR-A, using UAF's TFS location as a convenient proxy. The vehicle selected was the ACUASI Ptarmigan, a small hexacopter (based on DJI S800 airframe and 3DR autopilot) capable of carrying a 1.5 kg payload for 15 min for close-range environmental monitoring missions. The payload was a stereo camera system consisting of Sony NEX7's with various lens configurations (16/20/24/35 mm). A total of 77 flights were conducted over a 4 ½ day period, with 1.5 TB of data collected. Mission variables included camera height, UAS speed, transect overlaps, and camera lenses/settings. Invaluable knowledge was gained as to limitations and opportunities for field deployment of UAS relative to local conditions and vegetation type. Future efforts will focus of refining data analysis techniques and further optimizing UAS/sensor combinations and flight profiles.

Alaska Satellite Facility: The Quest to Stay Ahead of the Big Data Wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labelle-Hamer, A. L.; Nicoll, J.; Munk, S.

2014-12-01

Big Data is getting bigger. Fast enough is getting faster. The number and type of products produced is growing. The ideas on how to handle the day-to-day management of data and data systems need to scale with the data and the demand. We have seen the effects of rapid growth spurts at the Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) and anticipate we are not done yet. Looking back, ASF was conceived in 1982 to be a single-purpose imaging radar receiving station supporting a science team focused on geophysical processes. The primary construction at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) was completed in 1988 and full operational status achieved in 1991. The expected supports were estimated at 10 minutes per day and quickly grew to 70 minutes per day. In 1994, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between NASA and UAF formed the ASF Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) complementing, the existing agreement for ASF. The demand for the use of ASF as a receiving station and as a data center grew as fast as, and at times faster, than the capabilities. Looking forward, as demand drives the system larger just adding on more of the same often complicates rather than simplifies the system. A growing percentage of efforts and resources spent on dealing with problems that originate from a legacy system can creep up on an organization. This in turn limits the ability to keep the overall sustaining costs under control and leads to a crisis. Such growth means more-of-the-same philosophy has to shift into change-or-die philosophy in order to boot strap up to the next level. In this talk, we review how ASF has faced this several times in the past as the volume and demand of data grew along with the technology to acquire and disseminate it. We will look at what is coming for ASF as a data center and what we think are the next steps to stay ahead of the Big Data wave.

Opportunities for IPY Higher Education and Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.

2007-12-01

A very rich network for higher education and outreach during the fourth International Polar Year (IPY) exists through the University of the Arctic (UArctic, www.uarctic.org), a collaborative consortium of more than ninety institutions e.g. universities, colleges, and other organizations committed to higher education and research in the North, as well as eighteen other projects submitted as Expression of Intents to the IPY Joint Committee formed into an IPY cluster. The coordination office for this UArctic IPY education outreach efforts is located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (www.uaf.edu and www.alaska.edu/ipy). The education outreach programs reflect a continuum of learning as a lifelong process that targets different audiences and approaches: 1) primary and secondary students through teacher professional development workshops on science teaching and research; 2) undergraduate students via education and research experience; 3) graduate students through integrated education and research; 4) early career scientists/university faculty via professional development; and 5) communities/ general public via continuing education/adult education either through formal or informal ways. Additionally there are organizations such as the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Youth Steering Committee (YSC) including a newly formed group on tertiary education to nurture the next generation of polar and non-polar scientists and foster the leadership of the next IPY.

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Science.gov Websites

, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 Phone: 907-822-5534, Fax: 907-451-2690 Delta Area Office PO Box 1149, Delta Junction Fairbanks Office 3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709-4613 Phone: 907-451-2695, Fax: 907-451-2754 Delta Junction Office PO Box 318, Delta Junction, AK 99737 Phone: 907-895-2113, Fax: 907-895-5043 Southeast

Satellite monitoring of remote volcanoes improves study efforts in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dean, K.; Servilla, M.; Roach, A.; Foster, B.; Engle, K.

Satellite monitoring of remote volcanoes is greatly benefitting the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), and last year's eruption of the Okmok Volcano in the Aleutian Islands is a good case in point. The facility was able to issue and refine warnings of the eruption and related activity quickly, something that could not have been done using conventional seismic surveillance techniques, since seismometers have not been installed at these locations.AVO monitors about 100 active volcanoes in the North Pacific (NOPAC) region, but only a handful are observed by costly and logistically complex conventional means. The region is remote and vast, about 5000 × 2500 km, extending from Alaska west to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia (Figure 1). Warnings are transmitted to local communities and airlines that might be endangered by eruptions. More than 70,000 passenger and cargo flights fly over the region annually, and airborne volcanic ash is a threat to them. Many remote eruptions have been detected shortly after the initial magmatic activity using satellite data, and eruption clouds have been tracked across air traffic routes. Within minutes after eruptions are detected, information is relayed to government agencies, private companies, and the general public using telephone, fax, and e-mail. Monitoring of volcanoes using satellite image data involves direct reception, real-time monitoring, and data analysis. Two satellite data receiving stations, located at the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), are capable of receiving data from the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) polar orbiting satellites and from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) equipped satellites.

Division of Forestry Directory

Science.gov Websites

Regional Regional Forester Tim Dabney tim.dabney@alaska.gov (907) 761-6238 Fairbanks/Delta Area Fairbanks Sanford, Fire Management Officer (907) 451-2634 edward.sanford@alaska.gov Delta Office P.O. Box 1149 Delta

Publications - GMC 306 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

the Old Dog Prospect of Treasure Creek of the Fairbanks mining district, Alaska Authors: Duncan, Bill Exploration 1996 drill and geochemical results from the Old Dog Prospect of Treasure Creek of the Fairbanks

Alaska Department of Labor Office of the Commissioner

Science.gov Websites

, Drygas spent nearly a decade as General Counsel to the Alaska District Council of Laborers, where she , property, commercial, and insurance law. Drygas is a lifelong Alaskan who was born and raised in Fairbanks . She earned a Bachelor's degree in history from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a Juris Doctor

Fact Book 1992: University of Alaska Fairbanks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaylord, Thomas; And Others

This publication presents information on the University of Alaska Fairbanks in seven sections. The first section, "Historical and General Information" details the legal establishment, mission, historical highlights, map, organizational structure, accreditation, Board of Regents, Standing Committees and advisory groups, songs, presidents…

Alaska road weather project : technical performance assessment report Fairbanks field demonstration 2013-2014.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-02-01

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities began implementation of a Maintenance Decision Support System in an : effort to improve snow and ice control in the Fairbanks area. As part of the project the reliability of the weather fo...

STUDY OF THE SUBARCTIC HEAT ISLAND AT FAIRBANKS, ALASKA

EPA Science Inventory

The heat island associated with the City of Fairbanks, Alaska was studied as a means of isolating the effects of self-heating modified radiative transfer from other causes of heat islands. Minimal winter insolation virtually eliminated the effects of variable albedo and the daily...

Fact Book 1991, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaylord, Thomas; And Others

This fact book contains detailed student, faculty, academic, and financial information about the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The book is divided into seven sections: (1) general information; (2) academic information; (3) student information; (4) faculty and staff information; (5) budget and financial information; (6) research and public…

78 FR 48638 - Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plans: Alaska; Fairbanks Carbon Monoxide...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-09

... Promulgation of State Implementation Plans: Alaska; Fairbanks Carbon Monoxide Limited Maintenance Plan AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The EPA is proposing to approve a carbon... carbon monoxide National Ambient Air Quality Standards through the second 10- year maintenance period...

Structural health monitoring and condition assessment of Chulitna River Bridge : sensor selection and field installation report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

The Chulitna River Bridge, built in 1970, is located at Historic Mile Post 132.7 on the Alaska Parks Highway between Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska. The Parks : Highway is the most direct route connecting Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Prudhoe Bay. Heavy...

ASBESTOS RELEASE FROM THE DEMOLITION OF TWO SCHOOLS IN FAIRBANKS, ALASKA

EPA Science Inventory

Two elementary schools on Fort Wainwright Army Base in Fairbanks, Alaska were demolished during the Summer of 1992. rior to demolition, all friable asbestos was removed from the buildings in accordance with the applicable U.S. EPA's asbestos NESHAP. he primary objective of the st...

Public Health Nursing: Public Health Centers

Science.gov Websites

Locations Anchorage-based Itinerants Bethel Craig Delta Junction Dillingham Fairbanks Homer Juneau Kenai agencies with state grant assistance Frontier Region Delta Junction Dillingham Fairbanks Kodiak Nome Tok [back to top] Delta Junction Public Health Center 2857 Alaska Hwy, Room 210 Delta Junction, Alaska 99737

40 CFR 81.302 - Alaska.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... District Northwest Arctic Borough Southeast Fairbanks Election District Upper Yukon Election District Yukon... Election District Northwest Arctic Borough Southeast Fairbanks Election District Upper Yukon Election... Nome Census Area North Slope Borough Northwest Arctic Borough Southeast Fairbanks Census Area Yukon...

40 CFR 81.302 - Alaska.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Fairbanks N. Star Borough Area other than portion of Fairbanks urban area designated Nonattainment Kobuk... Unclassifiable/Attainment Denali Borough Fairbanks North Star Borough Nome Census Area North Slope Borough... Star Borough Unclassifiable/Attainment. Nome Census Area Unclassifiable/Attainment. North Slope Borough...

Going the Extra Mile: Supporting Distance Education at University of Alaska Fairbanks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahn, Suzan; Lehman, Lisa; Dupras, Rheba

2007-01-01

The Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has a long history of supporting distance education through state-of-the-art, remote access services. Harsh climate conditions (heavy snowfall and icing, high winds, and extreme temperatures), rugged terrain, limited road and telephone systems, and permafrost that prevents the…

Snow-depth and water-equivalent data for the Fairbanks area, Alaska, spring 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plumb, E.W.; Lilly, M.R.

1996-01-01

Snow depths at 34 sites and snow-water equivalents at 13 sites in the Fairbanks area were monitored during the 1995 snowmelt period (March 30 to April 26) in the spring of 1995. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted this study in cooperation with the Fairbanks International Airport, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources-Division of Mining and Water Management, the U.S Army, Alaska, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Alaska District. These data were collected to provide information about potential recharge of the ground-and surface-water systems during the snowmelt period in the Fairbanks area. This information is needed by companion geohydrologic studies of areas with known or suspected contaminants in the subsurface. Data-collection sites selected had open, boggy, wooded, or brushy vegetation cover and had different slope aspects. The deepest snow at any site, 27.1 inches, was recorded on April 1, 1995; the shallowest snow measured that day was 19.1 inches. The snow-water equivalents at these two sites were 5.9 inches and 4.5 inches, respectively. Snow depths and water equivalents were comparatively greater at open and bog sites than at wooded or brushy sites. Snow depths and water equivalents at all sites decreased throughout the measuring period. The decrease was more rapid at open and boggy sites than at wooded and brushy sites. Snow had completely disappeared from all sites by April 26, 1995.

NSF-supported education/outreach program takes young researchers to the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexeev, V. A.; Walsh, J. E.; Hock, R.; Repina, I.; Kaden, U.; Bartholomew, L.

2014-12-01

Today, more than ever, an integrated cross-disciplinary approach is necessary to explain changes in the Arctic and understand their implications for the human environment. Advanced training and active involvement of early-career scientists is an important component of this cross-disciplinary approach. This effort led by the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) started in 2003. The newly supported project in 2013 is planning four summer schools (one per year) focused on four themes in four different Arctic locations. It provides the participants with an interdisciplinary perspective on Arctic change and its impacts on diverse sectors of the North. It is linked to other ongoing long-term observational and educational programs (e.g. NABOS, Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System; LTER, Long Term Environmental Research) and targets young scientists by using the interdisciplinary and place-based setting to broaden their perspective on Arctic change and to enhance their communication skills. Each course for 15-20 people consists of classroom and hands-on components and work with a multidisciplinary group of mentors on projects devoted to themes exemplified by the location. An education/outreach specialist from the Miami Science Museum covers the activities and teaches students the important science communications skills. A specialist from the School of Education at UAF evaluates student's progress during the summer schools. Lessons learned during the 12 years of conducting summer schools, methods of attracting in-kind support and approaches to teaching students are prominently featured in this study. Activities during the two most recent schools, one conducted in the Arctic Ocean jointly with the 2013 NABOS expedition and another on an Alaskan glacier in 2014 is another focus of this work.

Construction Progress and Science Planning for the New Research Vessel R/V Sikuliaq

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitledge, T. E.

2011-12-01

The research vessel R/V Sikuliaq (pronounced [see-KOO-lee-auk]) is currently being constructed on behalf of the NSF to support future scientific studies in high latitude waters. The 261 foot global class vessel will be capable of breaking 2.5 foot thick ice at 2 knots with an endurance of 45 days at sea and cruising at 11 knots. The R/V Sikuliaq will have a beam of 52 feet and a draft of 18.9 feet that will carry 26 scientists and a crew of 20. Berthing accommodations are a combination of single/double rooms with one stateroom and the common areas of the vessel are designed for ADA access and accommodations. The total laboratory space (main, analytical, electronics, wet, upper, and Baltic room will be 2100 square feet. The 4360 square foot working deck that is approximately 70 feet in length will accommodate 2-4 vans and multiple science operations. The vessel design strives to have the lowest possible environmental impact, including a low underwater-radiated noise signature. The science systems are prescribed to be state-of-the-art for bottom mapping, over-the-side "hands free" gear handling, broad band communications and scientific walk-in freezer and environmental chamber. More details and photos of the construction progress are available on the website at www.sfos.uaf.edu/arrv. The tentative shipyard schedule has a launch date of June 2012 and delivery to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in June 2013. Scientific operations following trials and testing is planned to start in January 2014. A Sikuliaq science planning workshop has been arranged for 18-19 February 2012 in Salt Lake City, UT just prior to the 2012 Ocean Sciences meeting. Interested participants should contact Terry Whitledge (terry@ims.uaf.edu).

Research Vessel R/V Sikuliaq: Joining the UNOLS Fleet in 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitledge, T. E.

2013-12-01

The global class research vessel R/V Sikuliaq is being constructed on behalf of the NSF to support future scientific studies in high latitude waters. The 261 foot vessel will be capable of breaking 2.5 foot thick ice at 2 knots with an endurance of 45 days at sea and cruising at 11 knots. The R/V Sikuliaq has a beam of 52 feet and a draft of 18.9 feet that will carry 26 scientists and a crew of 20. Berthing accommodations are a combination of single/double rooms with one stateroom and the common areas of the vessel are designed for ADA access and accommodations. The total laboratory space (main, analytical, electronics, wet, upper, and Baltic room are 2100 square feet. The 4360 square foot working deck that is approximately 70 feet in length will accommodate 2-4 vans and multiple science operations. The vessel design strives to have the lowest possible environmental impact, including a low underwater-radiated noise signature. The science systems are prescribed to be state-of-the-art for bottom mapping, over-the-side 'hands free' gear handling, broad band communications and scientific walk-in freezer and environmental chamber. More details and photos of the construction progress are available on the website at www.sfos.uaf.edu/arrv. The vessel was launched in October 2012 and delivery to the University of Alaska Fairbanks is scheduled for November 2013. Scientific operations following testing and science sea trials are planned to start in summer of 2014. Questions about the science systems or vessel capabilities should be directed to Terry Whitledge (terry@ims.uaf.edu).

Research Vessel R/V Sikuliaq: A New Asset For The UNOLS Fleet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitledge, T. E.

2012-12-01

The research vessel R/V Sikuliaq is currently being constructed on behalf of the NSF to support future scientific studies in high latitude waters. The 261 foot global class vessel will be capable of breaking 2.5 foot thick ice at 2 knots with an endurance of 45 days at sea and cruising at 11 knots. The R/V Sikuliaq will have a beam of 52 feet and a draft of 18.9 feet that will carry 26 scientists and a crew of 20. Berthing accommodations are a combination of single/double rooms with one stateroom and the common areas of the vessel are designed for ADA access and accommodations. The total laboratory space (main, analytical, electronics, wet, upper, and Baltic room will be 2100 square feet. The 4360 square foot working deck that is approximately 70 feet in length will accommodate 2-4 vans and multiple science operations. The vessel design strives to have the lowest possible environmental impact, including a low underwater-radiated noise signature. The science systems are prescribed to be state-of-the-art for bottom mapping, over-the-side "hands free" gear handling, broad band communications and scientific walk-in freezer and environmental chamber. More details and photos of the construction progress are available on the website at www.sfos.uaf.edu/arrv. The shipyard schedule has a launch date of October 2012 and delivery to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in July 2013. Scientific operations following trials and testing is planned to start in January 2014. Questions about the science systems or vessel capabilities should be directed to Terry Whitledge (terry@ims.uaf.edu).;

Beyond "Classroom" Technology: The Equipment Circulation Program at Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Karen

2008-01-01

The library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks offers a unique equipment lending program through its Circulation Desk. The program features a wide array of equipment types, generous circulation policies, and unrestricted borrowing, enabling students, staff, and faculty to experiment with the latest in audio, video, and computer technologies,…

Recent Science Campaigns at HAARP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoy, R. P.; Bristow, W. A.; Fallen, C. T.

2017-12-01

Experiments in HF ionospheric heating using the High­frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facilities have tremendous potential for informing our investigation of the Earth's upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere. They provide a unique opportunity for quantifying and modeling the multi­scale coupled processes that characterize the interactions between the plasma in near­Earth space, the Earth's magnetic field, and the neutral gasses of the atmosphere. Physical parameters of the region are often difficult to measure with ground­based instruments, and the measurements that are possible are often poorly resolved in range or time or unavailable outside narrow altitude regimes. HF ionospheric modification experiments allow us to measure ionospheric and thermospheric state parameters more systematically and over a broader range of conditions than would otherwise be possible. HAARP is the world's most powerful and most flexible HF transmitting facility, capable of generating 3.6 MW of RF power over a frequency range from about 2 MHz to about 10 MHz. The electronic phased array antenna provides the ability to direct the RF energy to a large region of the sky above Alaska. HAARP was constructed through a research program managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). It was jointly funded by AFRL, ONR, and the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA). These agencies ended of their program of HAARP research in 2014, and donated the site equipment to the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF), in the summer of 2015, who now operate the facility as an international observatory for radio plasma heating and subauroral physics. Since taking control of HAARP, UAF has carried out research campaigns in February 2017, and September 2017. The topics investigated in the campaigns included the physics of ionospheric irregularities (FAI), the stimulated electromagnetic emissions (SEE), generation of optical emissions from the heated region, and technological impacts of irregularities. This paper will give an overview of the status of the facility and will present preliminary results from the experiments carried out in the campaigns.

Valuing Residential Energy Efficiency in Two Alaska Real Estate Markets: A Hedonic Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pride, Dominique J.

Alaska households have high home energy consumption and expenditures. Improving the energy efficiency of the housing stock can reduce home energy consumption, thereby reducing home energy expenditures and CO2 emissions. Improving the energy efficiency of a home may also increase its transaction price if the energy efficiency improvements are capitalized into the value of the home. The relationship between energy efficiency and transaction prices in the Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska residential real estate markets is examined. Using a hedonic pricing framework and difference-in-differences analysis, the impact of the Alaska Home Energy Rebate program on the transaction prices of single-family homes in the Fairbanks and Anchorage housing markets from 2008 through 2015 is examined. The results indicate that compared to homes that did not complete the program, homes that completed the program sell for a statistically significant price premium between 15.1% and 15.5% in the Fairbanks market and between 5% and 11% in the Anchorage market. A hedonic pricing framework is used to relate energy efficiency ratings and transaction prices of homes in the Fairbanks and Anchorage residential real estate markets from 2008 through 2015. The results indicate that homes with above-average energy efficiency ratings sell for a statistically significant price premium between 6.9% and 17.5% in the Fairbanks market and between 1.8% and 6.0% in the Anchorage market.

Rural Alaska Coal Bed Methane: Application of New Technologies to Explore and Produce Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David O. Ogbe; Shirish L. Patil; Doug Reynolds

2005-06-30

The Petroleum Development Laboratory, University of Alaska Fairbanks prepared this report. The US Department of Energy NETL sponsored this project through the Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory (AETDL) of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The financial support of the AETDL is gratefully acknowledged. We also acknowledge the co-operation from the other investigators, including James G. Clough of the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys; Art Clark, Charles Barker and Ed Weeks of the USGS; Beth Mclean and Robert Fisk of the Bureau of Land Management. James Ferguson and David Ogbe carried out themore » pre-drilling economic analysis, and Doug Reynolds conducted post drilling economic analysis. We also acknowledge the support received from Eric Opstad of Elko International, LLC; Anchorage, Alaska who provided a comprehensive AFE (Authorization for Expenditure) for pilot well drilling and completion at Fort Yukon. This report was prepared by David Ogbe, Shirish Patil, Doug Reynolds, and Santanu Khataniar of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and James Clough of the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Survey. The following research assistants, Kanhaiyalal Patel, Amy Rodman, and Michael Olaniran worked on this project.« less

Cross-Cultural Collaboration in Earth Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Stephens, S.; Gordon, L. S.; Kopplin, M. R.

2006-12-01

Alaskan Native elders, other local experts, scientists and educators worked collaboratively in providing professional development science workshops and follow-up support for K-12 teachers. Cognizant of the commonalities between western science and Native knowledge, the Observing Locally Connecting Globally (OLCG) program blended GLOBE Earth science measurements, traditional knowledge and best teaching practices including culturally responsive science curriculum, in engaging teachers and students in climate change research. Native observations and knowledge were used to scaffold some local environmental studies undertaken by Alaskan teachers and their students. OLCG partnered with the Project Jukebox of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program to produce digitized interviews of Native experts and a scientist on climate change. Sample interviews for students to use in asking Native experts about their observations and knowledge on environmental changes as well as other educational materials have been posted on the program website http://www.uaf.edu/olcg. Links to the climate change interviews, the Alaska Cultural Standards for Schools, Teachers and Students, and other relevant resource materials have also been included in the website. Results of pre- and post-institute assessment showed an increase in teacher comfort level with teaching science and integrating Native knowledge in the classroom. Teacher journals indicated the program's positive influence on their math and science teaching methods and curriculum. Student attitude and achievement assessments showed a significant increase in post-test (end of school year) scores from pre-test (beginning of the school year) scores. Other lessons learned from this project will also be presented.

Evolution of geometric and hydraulic parameters as function of discharge in two streams in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vas, D. A.; Toniolo, H. A.; Bailey, J.; Kemnitz, R.

2013-12-01

Abstract The National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) is a vast 22.8 million acre area that extends from the foot hills of the Brooks Range to the Beaufort Sea. The United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in association with University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is conducting hydrological research to establish baseline conditions to aid future infrastructure development related to oil and gas in the NPR-A region. Field measurements (discharge, cross-sectional area, top width, water slope) were carried out in Spring 2011, 2012 and 2013, during receding water levels in the streams when the flows were ice-free. The river gauges are located approximately 15 miles south of the rivers mouth on Beaufort Sea and 13 miles from each other. The contributing watershed areas upstream of the gauging stations are 620 and 128 square miles for Judy Creek and Ublutuoch River respectively. The streams have very different channel characteristics and sediment loads. The Judy Creek channel is somewhat unstable; bed sediment contains sand and fine gravel with a heavy sediment load during spring. Bed sediment on Ublutuoch River mainly comprise of coarse gravel, with heavily brush-vegetated steep banks and very limited sediment load during spring. We present a preliminary set of hydraulic geometric relationships describing the variation of channel width, depth, and velocity as function of discharge at the gauging sites on the rivers. Empirical equations indicate that exponents for channel width have similar values in both rivers (approximately 0.38), while exponents for velocity display different values and signs. Exponents for channel depth range from 0.55 to 0.71. Differences in prevailing sediment transport conditions seem to be, at least partially, responsible for the variation in the exponents. Additionally, roughness coefficients are reported.

BUILDing BLaST: promoting rural students' biomedical research careers using a culturally responsive, one health approach.

PubMed

Taylor, Barbara E; Reynolds, Arleigh J; Etz, Kathy E; MacCalla, Nicole M G; Cotter, Paul A; DeRuyter, Tiffany L; Hueffer, Karsten

2017-01-01

Most postsecondary institutions in the state of Alaska (USA) have a broad mission to serve diverse students, many of whom come from schools in rural villages that are accessible only by plane, boat, or snowmobile. The major research university, the University of Alaska in Fairbanks (UAF), serves a population whereby 40% are from groups recognized as underrepresented in the biomedical workforce. The purpose of this article is to describe the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD)-supported program in the state of Alaska that seeks to engage students from rural areas with a culturally relevant approach that is centered on the One Health paradigm, integrating human, animal, and environmental health. The Biomedical Learning and Student Training (BLaST) program distinguished by broad themes that address recruitment, retention, and success of students in biomedical programs, especially for students from rural backgrounds. Targeted rural outreach emphasizes that biomedical research includes research on the integration of human, animal, and environmental health. This One Health perspective gives personal relevance and connection to biomedical research. This outreach is expected to benefit student recruitment, as well as foster family and community support for pursuit of college degrees. BLaST promotes integration of research into undergraduate curricula through curriculum development, and by creating a new class of instructors, laboratory research and teaching technicians, who provide research mentorship, course instruction, and comprehensive advising. Finally, BLaST facilitates early and sustained undergraduate research experiences in collaborations with graduate students and faculty. BLaST's approach is highly adapted to the Alaskan educational and physical environment, but components and concepts could be adapted to other rural areas as a means to engage students from rural backgrounds, who often have a closer relationship with the natural environment than urban students.

Ground-water and surface-water elevations in the Fairbanks International Airport area, Alaska, 1990-94

USGS Publications Warehouse

Claar, D.V.; Lilly, M.R.

1995-01-01

Ground-water and surface-water elevation data were collected at 52 sites from 1990 to 1994 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Fairbanks International Airport. Water elevations were measured in 32 ground-water observation wells and at 20 surface-water sites to help characterize the geohydrology of the Fairbanks International Airport area. From 1990 to 1993, data were collected in the vicinity of the former fire-training area at the airport. From 1993 to 1994, the data-collection area was expanded to include the entire airport area.

Staff - Gina Graham | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Gina Graham Gina Graham Position: Geologist, Mineral Resources Address: 3354 College Road Fairbanks, AK Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) 3354 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709

Publications - PDF 96-17 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska the Fairbanks Mining District, Alaska, scale 1:63,360 (15.0 M) Digital Geospatial Data Digital © 2010 Webmaster State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State

Staff - Scott W. Crass | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

Position: Analyst/Programmer, Volcanology Address: 3354 College Road Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707 Phone: (907 Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) 3354 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: (907) 451-5000 Fax

Water-elevation, stream-discharge, and ground-water quality data in the Alaska Railroad Industrial Area, Fairbanks, Alaska, May 1993 to May 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kriegler, A.T.; Lilly, M.R.

1995-01-01

From May 1993 to May 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining and Water Management collected data on ground-water and surface-water elevations, stream discharge, and ground-water quality in the Alaska Railroad Industrial area in Fairbanks, Alaska. The data- collection efforts were coordinated with environmental efforts being made in the study area by the Alaska Railroad Corporation. These data were collected as part of an effort to characterize the hydrogeology of the Alaska Railroad Industrial area and to define the extent of petroleum hydrocarbons in the area. Ground-water data were collected at 52 observation wells, surface-water data at 12 sites, stream discharge data at 9 sites, and chemical water-quality data at 32 observation wells.

Alaskan Marine Highway System analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-10-01

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has contracted with a team of consultants, led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) and make recom...

Estimating Velocities of Glaciers Using Sentinel-1 SAR Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gens, R.; Arnoult, K., Jr.; Friedl, P.; Vijay, S.; Braun, M.; Meyer, F. J.; Gracheva, V.; Hogenson, K.

2017-12-01

In an international collaborative effort, software has been developed to estimate the velocities of glaciers by using Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. The technique, initially designed by the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), has been previously used to quantify spatial and temporal variabilities in the velocities of surging glaciers in the Pakistan Karakoram. The software estimates surface velocities by first co-registering image pairs to sub-pixel precision and then by estimating local offsets based on cross-correlation. The Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) has modified the software to make it more robust and also capable of migration into the Amazon Cloud. Additionally, ASF has implemented a prototype that offers the glacier tracking processing flow as a subscription service as part of its Hybrid Pluggable Processing Pipeline (HyP3). Since the software is co-located with ASF's cloud-based Sentinel-1 archive, processing of large data volumes is now more efficient and cost effective. Velocity maps are estimated for Single Look Complex (SLC) SAR image pairs and a digital elevation model (DEM) of the local topography. A time series of these velocity maps then allows the long-term monitoring of these glaciers. Due to the all-weather capabilities and the dense coverage of Sentinel-1 data, the results are complementary to optically generated ones. Together with the products from the Global Land Ice Velocity Extraction project (GoLIVE) derived from Landsat 8 data, glacier speeds can be monitored more comprehensively. Examples from Sentinel-1 SAR-derived results are presented along with optical results for the same glaciers.

Staff - Ken A. Woods | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Communications Address: 3354 College Road Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707 Phone: (907)451-5022 Fax: (907)451-5050 Email ) 3354 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: (907) 451-5000 Fax: (907) 451-5050 Contact DGGS Privacy

Staff - Alicja Wypych | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Resources Address: 3354 College Road Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707 Phone: (907)451-5016 Fax: (907)451-5050 Email ) 3354 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: (907) 451-5000 Fax: (907) 451-5050 Contact DGGS Privacy

Staff - Melanie B. Werdon | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

Resources Address: 3354 College Road Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707 Phone: (907)451-5082 Fax: (907)451-5050 Email ) 3354 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: (907) 451-5000 Fax: (907) 451-5050 Contact DGGS Privacy

DefenseLink Special: Stryker Brigade Returns to Fort Wainwright, Alaska

Science.gov Websites

Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Dec. 13, 2006. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss More Photos Leaders command ceremony in Fairbanks, Alaska, Dec. 14, 2006. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss More Photos

Staff - Patricia E. Gallagher | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska Fairbanks and is currently working toward becoming a certified GIS professional. Position: GIS Analyst professional. Professional Experience 2013-present - Cartographer/GIS Analyst, State of Alaska, Division of

Staff - Jean A. Riordan | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

Penland Pkwy Anchorage, AK 99508 Phone: (907)754-3596 Fax: (907)696-0078 Email: jean.riordan@alaska.gov , Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: (907) 451-5000 Fax: (907) 451-5050 Contact DGGS Privacy Copyright State of Alaska

78 FR 11988 - Migratory Bird Subsistence Harvest in Alaska; Harvest Regulations for Migratory Birds in Alaska...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-21

...-management process involving the Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and Alaska Native... developed under a co-management process involving the Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and... Fish and Game's request to expand the Fairbanks North Star Borough excluded area to include the Central...

Publications - Advanced Search | Alaska Division of Geological &

Science.gov Websites

publications released by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Mineral Industry Research Laboratory USBM Island Seguam Selawik Seldovia Seward Shishmaref Shungnak Simeonof Island Sitka Skagway Sleetmute Solomon

Ground-water and surface-water elevations in the Fairbanks International Airport area, Alaska, 1990-96, and selected geohydrologic report references

USGS Publications Warehouse

Claar, David V.; Lilly, Michael R.

1997-01-01

Ground-water and surface-water elevation data were collected at 61 sites from 1990 to 1996 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Fairbanks International Airport. Water-surface elevations were measured in 41 ground-water observation wells and at 20 surface-water sites to help characterize the geohydrology of the Fairbanks International Airport area. From 1990 to 1993, data were collected in the vicinity of the former fire-training area at the airport. From 1993 to 1996, the data-collection area was expanded to include the entire airport area. The total number of data-collection sites varied each year because of changing project objectives and increased understanding of the geohydrology in the area.

Implementing Global Studies Curriculum through International School-to-School Partnerships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parrett, William H.; Hartsock, Jerry

Alaska's geographic position at the crossroads between East and West and heavy trade with Japan have sparked widespread interest among Alaskans in education about Pacific Rim countries. In 1985 the Alaska Sister Schools Network was formed by the Alaska Department of Education and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, to create opportunities for…

Logistic Requirements and Capabilities for Response to Oil Pollution in Alaska

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-03-01

C-118 (Liftmaster) • C-124 (Globemaster) • C-131 (Cargomaster) • C-130 ( Hercules ) • HH-3 helicopter I Air force planes are stationed at either...St. Marys S - S S - Red Devil S S S Pairbanks Fairbanks Hdqts. P p p p p Big Delta P s S s F Tanacross P p p s p Fort Yukon P p p s - Bettles ...Alaska (1) in 1970: Anchorage Aniak Annette Bethel Big Delta Cold Bay Bettles Cordova Fairbanks Farewell Fort Yukon Galena Gulkana Homer

Marine Science Training Program for Alaska Native Students

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-08-01

Seward Marine Center or Kasitsna Bay. In 1989 we decided that a more intensive internship with direct faculty involvement would be more effective ...at UAF provides orientation activities for prospective Native students from the states rural high schools. In addition RSS provides the Alaska Native...opportunity to explore the effects of science upon their daily lives will attract student to careers into oceanic and related sciences and further

Communicating Research Through Student Involvement in Phenological Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Kopplin, M.; Gazal, R. M.; Robin, J. H.; Boger, R. A.

2011-12-01

Phenology plays a key role in the environment and ecosystem. Primary and secondary students around the world have been collecting vegetation phenology data and contributing to ongoing scientific investigations. They have increased research capacity by increasing spatial coverage of ground observations that can be useful for validation of remotely sensed data. The green-up and green-down phenology measurement protocols developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) as part of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program, have been used in more than 250 schools in over 20 countries. In addition to contributing their data, students have conducted their own investigations and presented them at science fairs and symposiums, and international conferences. An elementary school student in Alaska conducted a comprehensive study on the green-down rates of native and introduced trees and shrubs. Her project earned her a one-year college scholarship at UAF. Students from the Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D. C. and from the Indiana School for the Deaf collaborated on a comparative green-up study, and were chosen to present at an international conference where students from more than 20 countries participated. Similarly, students in Thailand presented at national conferences, their studies such as "The Relationship between Environmental Conditions and Green-down of Teak Trees (Tectona grandis L.)" at Roong Aroon School, Bangkok and "The Comparison of Budburst and Green-up of Leab Trees (Ficus infectoria Roxb.) at Rob Wiang and Mae Khao Tom Sub-district in Chiang Rai Province". Some challenges in engaging students in phenological studies include the mismatch in timing of the start and end of the plant growing season with that of the school year in northern latitudes and the need for scientists and teachers to work with students to ensure accurate measurements. However these are outweighed by benefits to the scientists and students. Phenological studies by the Mat-Su Career and Technical High School students helped scientists working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to determine the best time for an aerial survey of bald eagle nests in the Matanuska Susitna Valley in Alaska. GLOBE student phenological data have also been used as part of a doctoral student dissertation, included in presentations at professional meetings and peer- reviewed scientific papers. Pre- and post- engagement assessment data have indicated a significant increase in content knowledge and science skills of pre-college students who have engaged in phenology investigations. Phenological investigations meet educational standards, help students understand the Earth as a system, do not require expensive equipment, and enable students across the globe to learn science by doing science.

Sharing Ideas. Southeast Alaska Cultures: Teaching Ideas and Resource Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinckley, Kay, Comp.; Kleinert, Jean, Comp.

The product of two 1975 workshops held in Southeastern Alaska (Fairbanks and Sitka), this publication presents the following: (1) papers (written by the educators in attendance at the workshops) which address education methods and concepts relevant to the culture of Southeastern Alaska ("Tlingit Sea Lion Parable"; "Using Local…

Publications - MP 157 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Alaska, containing the communities of Fairbanks, Fort Yukon, and Eagle, scale 1:500,000 (79.0 M) Sheet 7 ; Mineral Prospect; Mountain Leather; Tremolite; Ultramafic; geoscientificInformation Top of Page Department

Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Stem Concepts in Informal and Place-Based Western Educational Systems: Lessons from the North Slope, Alaska

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholas-Figueroa, Linda

2017-01-01

Upon regaining the right to direct education at the local level, the North Slope Borough (NSB) of Alaska incorporated Inupiat educational philosophies into the educational system. The NSB in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks established Ilisagvik College, the only tribal college in Alaska. Ilisagvik College seeks to broaden…

Auroral Infrasound Observed at I53US at Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, C. R.; Olson, J. V.

2003-12-01

In this presentation we will describe two different types of auroral infrasound recently observed at Fairbanks, Alaska in the pass band from 0.015 to 0.10 Hz. Infrasound signals associated with auroral activity (AIW) have been observed in Fairbanks over the past 30 years with infrasonic microphone arrays. The installation of the new CTBT/IMS infrasonic array, I53US, at Fairbanks has resulted in a greatly increased quality of the infrasonic data with which to study natural sources of infrasound. In the historical data at Fairbanks all the auroral infrasonic waves (AIW) detected were found to be the result of bow waves that are generated by supersonic motion of auroral arcs that contain strong electrojet currents. This infrasound is highly anisotropic, moving in the same direction as that of the auroral arc. AIW bow waves observed in 2003 at I53US will be described. Recently at I53US we have observed many events of very high trace velocity that are comprised of continuous, highly coherent wave trains. These waves occur in the morning hours at times of strong auroral activity. This new type of very high trace velocity AIW appears to be associated with pulsating auroral displays. Pulsating auroras occur predominantly after magnetic midnight (10:00 UT at Fairbanks). They are a usual part of the recovery phase of auroral substorms and are produced by energetic electrons precipitating into the atmosphere. Given proper dark, cloudless sky conditions during the AIW events, bright pulsating auroral forms were sometimes visible overhead.

Selected environmental and geohydrologic reports for the Fort Wainwright and Fairbanks areas, Alaska as of July 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lilly, M.R.; DePalma, K.L.; Benson, S.L.

1995-01-01

As part of its effort to help collect data and gather information for geohydrologic investigations, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects and reviews environmental and technical reports relating to geology, hydrology, and geohydrology. The USGS investigation efforts are coordinated with ongoing technical investigations by the Water Research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. One project objective for Fort Wainwright includes maintaining a library of report references for USGS project use and for use by the U.S. Army, Alaska (USARAK), USARAK contractors, and other Federal and State agencies. This report presents an annotated bibliography of reports relating to the project study area or geohydrologic processes important to investigations in the study area.

Hydrology and Climatology of the Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed, Alaska,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

system the watershed falls within the Inter- dense brush of willow, alder and dwarf birch in ior Alaska Forest ( Taiga ) designation. open forests near...and C.T. Cushwina (1973) Research stream flow characteristics in the discontinuous opportunities and needs in the Taiga of Alaska. permafrost zone of...edition. taiga research watershed. Institute of Water Re- linkenson, W.M. nB. Lotspeich and lW. Mueller sources, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska

Staff - Nina T. Harun | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

mapping of the Upper Jurassic Naknek Formation in a footwall syncline associated with the Bruin Bay fault Ivishak Formation in the northeastern Brooks Range, Alaska: University of Alaska Fairbanks, M.S. thesis Triassic Ivishak Formation in the Sadlerochit Mountains, northeastern Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological

Advanced imaging of transportation infrastructure using unmanned aircraft systems : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-01-01

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has been conducting research into unmanned : aircraft systems (UAS) since 2000, with more missions and mission diversity than : any other university. With the creation of the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft : Sy...

Postseismic Transient after the 2002 Denali Fault Earthquake from VLBI Measurements at Fairbanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacMillan, Daniel; Cohen, Steven

2004-01-01

The VLBI antenna (GILCREEK) at Fairbanks, Alaska observes in networks routinely twice a week with operational networks and on additional days with other networks on a more uneven basis. The Fairbanks antenna position is about 150 km north of the Denali fault and from the earthquake epicenter. We examine the transient behavior of the estimated VLBI position during the year following the earthquake to determine how the rate of change of postseismic deformation has changed. This is compared with what is seen in the GPS site position series.

Yesterday Still Lives...Our Native People Remember Alaska.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMarco, Pat, Ed.; And Others

In the summer of 1978, seven teenagers and several staff members from the Fairbanks Native Association-Johnson O'Malley program set out to record some of Alaska's past by interviewing a number of older Alaska Natives and writing their biographical sketches. Some of the students spent a week along the Yukon River taping and photographing people;…

Photovoltaic energy system at an Alaskan site. Research report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, D.K.; Briggs, R.W.

1991-01-01

The study presented herein provides information gathered over several years on the availability of solar energy and its utilization by a photovoltaic (PV) system installed near Fairbanks (65 N latitude) to demonstrate its feasibility. The study addresses both theoretical and experimental investigations on the potential of solar energy for interior Alaska. Three theoretical approaches are described for calculation solar radiation using American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Liu-Jordan, and Collares-Pereira and Rabl models. Computer programs for these theories have been included in the Appendix of the report. The actual test setup of a PV system withmore » all its auxiliary components installed in Haystack (near Fairbanks) and the electrical loads run by it have been described in detail. Four and one-half years of solar radiation measurements and operational experience with the system are documented. Finally, comparisons are made between the measured solar radiation with previous measurements done at the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the calculated values from the three models cited earlier. The information from the study should be useful to interested users in interior Alaska and perhaps to other countries of the world located in similar northern latitudes.« less

Timber resource statistics for the Fairbanks block, Tanana inventory unit, Alaska, 1970.

Treesearch

Karl M. Hegg

1975-01-01

This report for the 3-million-acre Fairbanks block is the first of four on the 14-million-acre Tanana Valley inventory unit. Observations are made on forest condition, defect, stand regeneration, fire history, and present use. Data are provided for an operable noncommercial forest land category as well as for standard Forest Survey area and volume statistics....

Air drying of softwood lumber, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Treesearch

George R Sampson; Forrest A. Ruppert

1985-01-01

Air-drying rates for two stacks of 2-inch-thick white spruce were observed in the Fairbanks area during summer 1982. The air-drying rate for the same size lumber was also observed during winter 1982-83. Very little drying occurred during the winter. Drying rates in summer were correlated with average daily temperature and average daily dew point to derive predictive...

Northern Studies at Northern Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northern Review: A Multidisciplinary Journal of the Arts and Social Sciences of the North, 1994

1994-01-01

Describes college programs and research projects focused on the Arctic, northern studies, or northern concerns at Athabasca University (Alberta), the University of British Columbia, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Scott Polar Institute at the University of Cambridge (England), and Kent State University…

2. PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN FROM NORTH SIDE OF DAVIDSON DITCH LOOKING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN FROM NORTH SIDE OF DAVIDSON DITCH LOOKING SOUTH ALONG LENGTH OF FLUME--VEGETATION NOT REMOVED AS PER ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PERSONNEL. - Davidson Ditch Waste Water Weir, Mile 63 of Alaska's Steese Highway, Chatanika, Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK

Estimating consumer willingness to pay a price premium for Alaska secondary wood products.

Treesearch

Geoffrey H. Donovan; David L. Nicholls

2003-01-01

Dichotomous choice contingent valuation survey techniques were used to estimate mean willingness to pay (WTP) a price premium for made-in-Alaska secondary wood products. Respondents were asked to compare two superficially identical end tables, one made in China and one made in Alaska. The surveys were administered at home shows in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Sitka in...

In memorium: Leslie A. Viereck

Treesearch

Ted Dyrness; Keith Van Cleve; John Yarie

2010-01-01

Leslie A. Viereck passed away at age 78 on 31 August 2008 in Fairbanks, Alaska. At the time of his death Les's knowledge and understanding of the vegetation of Alaska was second to none: he is sorely missed. His introduction to Alaska occurred during the summer of 1948 while he was still an undergraduate at Dartmouth College. He completed his graduate work (M.S....

About Us | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) 3354 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: (907 Division also administers the 11-member Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission. Accomplishments The . Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) 3354 College Road

BIOREMEDIATION FIELD EVALUATION: EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, ALASKA (EPA/540/R-95/533)

EPA Science Inventory

This publication, one of a series presenting the findings of the Bioremediation Field Initiatives bioremediation field evaluations, provides a detailed summary of the evaluation conducted at the Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) Superfund site in Fairbanks, Alaska. At this site, the ...

40 CFR 52.70 - Identification of plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Hearings, Written Testimony, etc. I-2 Recommendations for attainment/Nonattainment designations II-1 Alaska... for the Fairbanks Municipal Utilities System IV-3 Testing Procedures V-1 Air Quality Data An amended... Control Plan Amendment (which includes Appendix A the Alaska Statutes Title 46, Chapter 14, Article 3...

Alaska. Part I: Bibliographies, History and Natural Sciences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubbard, Terry E., Comp.

The bibliographies in this series constitute a preliminary guide to the circulating and reference Alaskana collection of the Elmer E. Rasmuson library at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The material was selected using the triple criteria of information value, availability, and suitability for a small general interest collection. No childrens'…

Introduction to the fifth Mars Polar Science special issue: key questions, needed observations, and recommended investigations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clifford, Stephen M.; Yoshikawa, Kenji; Byrne, Shane; Durham, William; Fisher, David; Forget, Francois; Hecht, Michael; Smith, Peter; Tamppari, Leslie; Titus, Timothy; Zurek, Richard

2013-01-01

The Fifth International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration – which was held from September 12–16, 2011, at the Pike’s Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks, Alaska – is the latest in a continuing series of meetings that are intended to promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas between planetary and terrestrial scientists interested in Mars polar and climate research (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/polar2011/polar20113rd.html). The conference was sponsored by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA’s Mars Program Office, University of Alaska Fairbanks, International Association of Cryospheric Sciences and the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Sciences at York University.

Cross-section, velocity, and bedload data at two erosion sites on the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska, 1979

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burrows, Robert L.

1980-01-01

In an effort to relate river processes to vertical and lateral erosion at two sites on the Tanana River in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska, measurements of depth, velocity, and bedload-transport rates were made at several sections at each site. To facilitate comparison of the river processes and ongoing erosion, compilation and graphic presentation of the velocity distributions and bedload-transport rates are presented in conjunction with cross-section configuration immediately adjacent to the area of erosion. Dry sieve analyses of the bedload samples give particle-size distribution. Approximately 85 to 95% of the material in transport at both sites was in the sand range (>0.062 millimeter <2.0 millimeter). (USGS)

Alaska Mineral Industry Reports | Alaska Division of Geological &

Science.gov Websites

Publications Geologic Materials Center General Information Inventory Monthly Report Hours and Location Policy Surveys has published an annual summary of mineral activity each winter followed by an annual report of conveyor in the foreground. Photo provided by Fairbanks Gold Mining Co. SR 72 Report Athey, J.E., and

The chemical characteristics of ground water near Fairbanks, Alaska: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farmer, G. Lang; Goldfarb, Richard J.; Lilly, Michael R.; Bolton, Bob; Meier, Allen L.; Sanzolone, Richard F.

2000-01-01

Major- and trace-element abundances, and Sr and Pb isotopic compositions, of ground waters in and near Fairbanks, Alaska, were determined to characterize their chemical characteristics and to assess the factors controlling variations in dissolved arsenic concentrations. Collected samples show majorelement (Ca>Mg>Na>K) and strontium and lead isotopic compositions characteristic of waters that have interacted with lithologies comprising the Fairbanks Schist. Dissolved arsenic concentrations are not highly correlated with the abundances of other major and trace elements in these waters; however, waters with high arsenic concentrations (5.4 to 450 parts per billion) tend to have relatively high concentrations of antimony (as much as 1.7 ppb). The correlation between arsenic and antimony suggests that both elements were derived from the oxidation of hypogene sulfide minerals (arsenopyrite) that originally formed within the Fairbanks Schist during hydrothermal activity associated with the emplacement of Cretaceous granitic rocks. Variations in measured arsenic concentrations are due, in part, to the variations in the original abundance of upgradient sulfide minerals from a given well or spring. However, speciation studies on the ground water containing the highest concentration of arsenic in this study (450 ppb) demonstrate that the arsenic occurs primarily in its reduced form (As(III)). In agreement with previous studies, we conclude that relatively reducing ground waters have the highest potential for high arsenic concentrations due to greater mobility of As(III) relative to its oxidized counterpart (As(V)). In light of this conclusion, additional studies are being undertaken to determine how seasonal variations in ground-water redox affect arsenic mobility

Differences in human versus lightning fires between urban and rural areas of the boreal forest in interior Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Calef, Monika; Varvak, Anna; McGuire, A. David

2017-01-01

In western North America, the carbon-rich boreal forest is experiencing warmer temperatures, drier conditions and larger and more frequent wildfires. However, the fire regime is also affected by direct human activities through suppression, ignition, and land use changes. Models are important predictive tools for understanding future conditions but they are based on regional generalizations of wildfire behavior and weather that do not adequately account for the complexity of human–fire interactions. To achieve a better understanding of the intensity of human influence on fires in this sparsely populated area and to quantify differences between human and lightning fires, we analyzed fires by both ignition types in regard to human proximity in urban (the Fairbanks subregion) and rural areas of interior Alaska using spatial (Geographic Information Systems) and quantitative analysis methods. We found substantial differences in drivers of wildfire: while increases in fire ignitions and area burned were caused by lightning in rural interior Alaska, in the Fairbanks subregion these increases were due to human fires, especially in the wildland urban interface. Lightning fires are starting earlier and fires are burning longer, which is much more pronounced in the Fairbanks subregion than in rural areas. Human fires differed from lightning fires in several ways: they started closer to settlements and highways, burned for a shorter duration, were concentrated in the Fairbanks subregion, and often occurred outside the brief seasonal window for lightning fires. This study provides important insights that improve our understanding of the direct human influence on recently observed changes in wildfire regime with implications for both fire modeling and fire management.

Geohydrology and ground-water geochemistry at a sub-arctic landfill, Fairbanks, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Downey, J.S.

1990-01-01

The Fairbanks-North Star Borough, Alaska, landfill is located on silt, sand, and gravel deposits of the Tanana River flood plain, about 3 miles south of the city of Fairbanks water supply wells. The landfill has been in operation for about 25 years in this sub-arctic region of discontinuous permafrost. The cold climate limits biological activity within the landfill with corresponding low gas and leachate production. Chloride concentrations, specific conductance, water temperature, and earth conductivity measurements indicate a small plume of leachate flowing to the northwest from the landfill. The leachate remains near the water table as it flows northwestward toward a drainage ditch. Results of computer modeling of this local hydrologic system indicate that some of the leachate may be discharging to the ditch. Chemical data show that higher-than-background concentrations of several ions are present in the plume. However, the concentrations appear to be reduced to background levels within a short distance along the path of groundwater flow from the landfill, and thus the leachate is not expected to affect the water supply wells. (USGS)

Forest science research and scientific communities in Alaska: a history of the origins and evolution of USDA Forest Service research in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage.

Treesearch

Max G. Geier

1998-01-01

Research interest in the forests of Alaska can be traced from the 1990s back to 1741, when Georg Steller, the surgeon on Vitus Bering's Russian expedition, visited Kayak Island, collected plants, and recorded his observations. Given the scope and scale of potential research needs and relatively high expenses for travel and logistics in Alaska, support for forest...

Integration of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Imagery and Derived Products into Severe Weather Disaster Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, L. A.; Molthan, A.; Nicoll, J. B.; Bell, J. R.; Gens, R.; Meyer, F. J.

2017-12-01

Disaster response efforts leveraging imagery from NASA, USGS, NOAA, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have continued to expand as satellite imagery and derived products offer an enhanced overview of the affected areas, especially in remote areas where terrain and the scale of the damage can inhibit response efforts. NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has been supporting the NASA Earth Science Disaster Response Program by providing both optical and SAR imagery products to the NWS and FEMA to assist during domestic response efforts. Although optical imagery has dominated, the availability of ESA's Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the Sentinel 1-A/B satellites offers a unique perspective to the damage response community as SAR imagery can be collected regardless of the time of day or the presence of clouds, two major hindrances to the use of satellite optical imagery. Through a partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and the collocated Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF), NASA's SAR Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC), SPoRT has been investigating the use of SAR imagery products to support storm damage surveys conducted by the National Weather Service after any severe weather event. Additionally, products are also being developed and tested for FEMA and the National Guard Bureau. This presentation will describe how SAR data from the Sentinel 1A/B satellites are processed and developed into products. Examples from multiple tornado and hail events will be presented highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of SAR imagery and how it integrates and compliments more traditional optical imagery collected post-event. Specific case study information from a large hail event in South Dakota and a long track tornado near Clear Lake, Wisconsin will be discussed as well as an overview of the work being done to support FEMA and the National Guard.

Introduction to SNPP/VIIRS Flood Mapping Software Version 1.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, S.; Sun, D.; Goldberg, M.; Sjoberg, W.; Santek, D.; Hoffman, J.

2017-12-01

Near real-time satellite-derived flood maps are invaluable to river forecasters and decision-makers for disaster monitoring and relief efforts. With support from the JPSS (Joint Polar Satellite System) Proving Ground and Risk Reduction (PGRR) Program, flood detection software has been developed using Suomi-NPP/VIIRS (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership/Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) imagery to automatically generate near real-time flood maps for National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFC) in the USA. The software, which is called VIIRS NOAA GMU Flood Version 1.0 (hereafter referred to as VNG Flood V1.0), consists of a series of algorithms that include water detection, cloud shadow removal, terrain shadow removal, minor flood detection, water fraction retrieval, and floodwater determination. The software is designed for flood detection in any land region between 80°S and 80°N, and it has been running routinely with direct broadcast SNPP/VIIRS data at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW/SSEC) and the Geographic Information Network of Alaska at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF/GINA) since 2014. Near real-time flood maps are distributed via the Unidata Local Data Manager (LDM), reviewed by river forecasters in AWIPS-II (the second generation of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System) and applied in flood operations. Initial feedback from operational forecasters on the product accuracy and performance has been largely positive. The software capability has also been extended to areas outside of the USA via a case-driven mode to detect major floods all over the world. Offline validation efforts include the visual inspection of over 10,000 VIIRS false-color composite images, an inter-comparison with MODIS automatic flood products and a quantitative evaluation using Landsat imagery. The steady performance from the 3-year routine process and the promising validation results indicate that VNG Flood V1.0 has a high feasibility for flood detection at the product level.

Resistance and resilience of floating mat fens in interior Alaska following airboat disturbance

Treesearch

Amy Zacheis; Kate Doran

2009-01-01

The floating mat fens of the Tanana Flats in interior Alaska are productive wetlands near the urban center of Fairbanks. Airboat traffic has created a network of trails through the floating vegetation mats. We established protected areas along established trails, which allowed for measurement of plant community resistance to airboat traffic and resilience following...

Nesting biology of Lesser Canada Geese, Branta canadensis parvipes, along the Tanana River, Alaska

Treesearch

Craig R. Ely; John M. Pearce; Roger W. Ruess

2008-01-01

Lesser Canada Geese (Brania canadensis parvipes) are widespread throughout interior regions of Alaska and Canada, yet there have been no published studies documenting basic aspects of their nesting biology. We conducted a study to determine reproductive parameters of Lesser Canada Geese nesting along the Tanana River near the city of Fairbanks, in...

Dispersal of white spruce seed on Willow Island in interior Alaska.

Treesearch

Andrew Youngblood; Timothy A. Max

1992-01-01

The seasonal and spatial patterns of dispersal of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) seed were studied from 1986 to 1989 in floodplain stands along the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska. Analysis of the 1987 crop showed that production of filled seed was strongly related to estimated production of total seed and unrelated to selected stand...

Regeneration alternatives for upland white spruce after buring and logging in interior Alaska

Treesearch

R. V. Densmore; G. P. Juday; John C. Zasada

1999-01-01

Site-preparation and regeneration methods for white spruce (Picea glaucu (Meench) Voss) were tested near Fairbanks Alaska, on two upland sites which had been burned in a wildfire and salvage logged. After 5 and 10 years, white spruce regeneration did not differ among the four scarification methods but tended to be lower without scarification....

Delivering a lab experience to students in remote road-less locations in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, Vanessa; Solie, Daniel

2010-02-01

Bush Physics is a pilot physics course offered by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Taught both as a distance delivery course for rural students and as a traditional course to students in Fairbanks, it is designed to prepare rural (predominantly Alaska Native) students for success in STEM programs. While the lecture portion is successfully distance-delivered using teleconference, delivering the laboratory portion effectively has been more challenging. Bush Physics has been taught twice previously to a total of 24 students who otherwise would not have had access to physics instruction. Methods utilized to help distance education students complete the laboratory credit include mailing equipment kits, emailing pictures and video descriptions, travel to certain villages to do experiments during weekends and utilizing on-site mentors. Past results and feedback have improved the laboratory section for spring 2010. We plan to use testing and student surveys to begin to quantify improvement in student mathematical ability and reasoning. )

Site selection feasibility for a solar energy system on the Fairbanks Federal Building

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

A feasibility study was performed for the installation of a solar energy system on the Federal Building in Fairbanks, Alaska, a multifloor office building with an enclosed parking garge. The study consisted of determining the collectable solar energy at the Fairbanks site on a monthly basis and comparing this to the monthly building heating load. Potential conventional fuel savings were calculated on a monthly basis and the overall economics of the solar system applications were considered. Possible solar system design considerations, collector and other system installation details, interface of the solar system with the conventional HVAC systems, and possible control modes were all addressed. Conclusions, recommendations and study details are presented.

ISEA (International geodetic project in SouthEastern Alaska) for rapid uplifting caused by glacial retreat: (4) Gravity tide observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, T.; Miura, S.; Sun, W.; Kaufman, A. M.; Cross, R.; Freymueller, J. T.; Heavner, M.

2006-12-01

The southeastern Alaska shows a large uplift rate as 30 mm/yr at most, which is considered to be closely related to the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) including two effects of the past and present-day ice melting (Larsen et al., 2004). So, this area is important to improve our knowledge of the viscoelastic property of the earth and to consider the global changes. Combing the displacement and gravity observations is useful to constrain the model computation results for GIA (Sato et al., 2006). In order to progress the previous work by the group of Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF), an observation project by Japan and USA groups was started in 2005 (Miura et al., this meeting). Under this project, June 2006, the continuous GPS measurements started (M. Kufman et al., this meeting) and the absolute gravity (AG) measurements were conducted (W. Sun et al., this meeting). Precise correction for the effect of ocean tide loading is one of the key to increase the observation accuracy of the GPS and gravity observations, especially for the AG measurement. Thanks for the satellite sea surface altimeters such as TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1, the accuracy of global ocean tide models based on these data has been much improved, and its accuracy is estimated at a level better than 1.3 cm as a RMS error of the vector differences of the 8 main tidal waves (Matsumoto et al., 2006). However, on the other hand, it is known that the southeastern Alaska is a place that shows a large discrepancy among the proposed global ocean tide models mainly due to a complex topography and bathymetry of the fjord area. In order to improve the accuracy of the ocean tide correction, we started the gravity tide observation at Juneau from June 2006. Two kinds of gravimeters are used for the observation. Sampling interval of the data is at every 1 min. We analyzed the 1 month data from the beginning of the observation and compared the tidal analysis results with the model tide including both effects of the solid and ocean tides. For this computation, we used the Love numbers and the loading Green function for the PREM earth model (Dziewonski & Anderson, 1981) and a global ocean tide model by Schwiderski (1980). Our comparison clearly indicates that a possibility to improve the accuracy of the model prediction by taking into account the actual tidal harmonics observed in the southeastern Alaska.

FIRE_ACE_C130_RAMS

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2017-04-26

... NCAR C-130 Instrument:  Radiation Measurement System Spatial Coverage:  Fairbanks, Alaska and the ... Parameters:  Upwelling and Downwelling Total Solar Flux Infrared Flux and Narrowband Flux Order Data:  ...

Radiometric age file for Alaska: A section in The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1980

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shew, Nora B.; Wilson, Frederic H.

1982-01-01

The Alaska radiometric age file of the Branch of Alaskan Geology is a computer-based compilation of radiometric dates from the state of Alaska and the western parts of the Yukon Territory and British Columbia. More than 1800 age determinations from over 250 references have been entered in the file. References date back to 1958 and include both published and unpublished sources. The file is the outgrowth of an original radiometric age file compiled by Don Grybeck and students at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (Turner and others, 1975).

Airborne Laser Altimetry Measurements of Glacier Wastage in Alaska and NW Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, C. F.; Hock, R. M.; Arendt, A. A.; Zirnheld, S. L.

2009-12-01

Laser altimetry elevation profiles of glaciers in NW North America (Alaska, Yukon, and NW British Columbia) have been collected by the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute (UAF-GI) beginning in 1993. Since then, more than 200 glaciers throughout NW North America have been measured, many of them multiple times with typical repeat intervals of 3 to 5 years. All of the largest glaciers here have been profiled, including at least some representative glaciers from every major icefield in NW North America. Over 40 glaciers were surveyed again in the summer of 2009, a significant and unusually large annual addition to our database of surface elevation changes. Beginning in August 2009 we flew the surveys using the new UAF-GI swath mapping LiDAR system which records a 0.5 km wide 3-d map of survey points on an approximately 1 m x 1 m grid along the glacier centerlines. Over 40 glaciers and icefields have now been surveyed 3 or more times over the past 15 years, and these regions have been analyzed for changes in their rates of wastage. These regions include the Stikine Icefield of southeast Alaska, the Columbia Glacier, the Bering-Bagley and Seward-Malaspina systems, the Yakutat Icefield, Glacier Bay, the Harding Icefield, and the Alaska Range. Increased melt rates are generally observed over the most recent 3 to 5 year interval when compared to the previous 5 to 10 years, with many glaciers experiencing a factor of two or greater in their recent area-averaged thinning rates. Hypsometry appears to be a significant factor, with those areas that have relatively low average elevation and low accumulation areas showing stronger effects of the accelerated thinning. In particular, those icefields near the Gulf of Alaska coast, such as the Yakutat, Harding and Brady Icefields, are now rapidly wasting. A few areas that have relatively high elevation accumulation areas appear to have steady rates of thinning, such as within the St. Elias Mountains.

Increasing insect reactions in Alaska: is this related to changing climate?

PubMed

Demain, Jeffrey G; Gessner, Bradford D; McLaughlin, Joseph B; Sikes, Derek S; Foote, J Timothy

2009-01-01

In 2006, Fairbanks, AK, reported its first cases of fatal anaphylaxis as a result of Hymenoptera stings concurrent with an increase in insect reactions observed throughout the state. This study was designed to determine whether Alaska medical visits for insect reactions have increased. We conducted a retrospective review of three independent patient databases in Alaska to identify trends of patients seeking medical care for adverse reactions after insect-related events. For each database, an insect reaction was defined as a claim for the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition (ICD-9), codes E9053, E906.4, and 989.5. Increases in insect reactions in each region were compared with temperature changes in the same region. Each database revealed a statistically significant trend in patients seeking care for insect reactions. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Emergency Department reported a fourfold increase in patients in 2006 compared with previous years (1992-2005). The Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Center of Alaska reported a threefold increase in patients from 1999 to 2002 to 2003 to 2007. A retrospective review of the Alaska Medicaid database from 1999 to 2006 showed increases in medical claims for insect reactions among all regions, with the largest percentage of increases occurring in the most northern areas. Increases in insect reactions in Alaska have occurred after increases in annual and winter temperatures, and these findings may be causally related.

Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Venezky, Dina Y.; Murray, Tom; Read, Cyrus

2008-01-01

Steam plume from the 2006 eruption of Augustine volcano in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Explosive ash-producing eruptions from Alaska's 40+ historically active volcanoes pose hazards to aviation, including commercial aircraft flying the busy North Pacific routes between North America and Asia. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors these volcanoes to provide forecasts of eruptive activity. AVO is a joint program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAFGI), and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). AVO is one of five USGS Volcano Hazards Program observatories that monitor U.S. volcanoes for science and public safety. Learn more about Augustine volcano and AVO at http://www.avo.alaska.edu.

Wood and coal cofiring in interior Alaska: utilizing woody biomass from wildland defensible-space fire treatments and other sources.

Treesearch

David L. Nicholls; Stephen E. Patterson; Erin Uloth

2006-01-01

Cofiring wood and coal at Fairbanks, Alaska, area electrical generation facilities represents an opportunity to use woody biomass from clearings within the borough's wildland-urban interface and from other sources, such as sawmill residues and woody material intended for landfills. Potential benefits of cofiring include air quality improvements, reduced greenhouse...

Summary of climatic data for the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest, interior Alaska.

Treesearch

Richard J. Barney; Erwin R. Berglund

1973-01-01

A summary of climatic data during the 1968-71 growing seasons is presented for the subarctic Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest located near Fairbanks, Alaska. Data were obtained from three weather station sites at elevations of 1,650, 1,150, and 550 feet from May until September each year. Data are for relative humidity, rainfall, and maximum, minimum, and mean...

The College Hill Chronicles: How the University of Alaska Came of Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Neil

This volume relates the founding and subsequent history of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. It is written by a retired former student and lifelong faculty member in the geophysics department. Divided into major sections, the first covers the site, early Alaskan history, founding of the school when the focus was on agriculture and mining, the…

Implications of research on lodgepole pine introduction in interior Alaska.

Treesearch

John N. Alden

1988-01-01

Growth, winter injury, and mortality were evaluated for 12-year-old trees of 11 subarctic lodgepole pine provenances and a jack pine provenance at Fairbanks, Alaska. Provenances from northeast British Columbia grew more than 0.003 cubic meter of wood per tree annually from 9 to 12 years after outplanting. The species sustained snow damage and winter injury, however,...

Timber resource statistics for the Tanana inventory unit, Alaska, 1971-75.

Treesearch

Willem W.S. Van Hees

1984-01-01

Statistics on forest area, total gross and net timber volumes, and annual net growth and mortality are presented for the 1971-75 timber inventory of the Tanana unit, Alaska. This report summarizes statistics previously published for the four inventory blocks of the unit: Fairbanks, Kantishna, Upper Tanana, and Wood-Salcha. Timberland area is estimated at 2.19 million...

Lessons Taught, Lessons Learned. Teachers' Reflections on Schooling in Rural Alaska.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnhardt, Ray, Ed.; Tonsmeire, J. Kelly, Ed.

This collection contains 15 essays by teachers who participated in the First Annual Rural Alaska Instructional Improvement Academy in Fairbanks in May 1987. The essays were written as a follow-up to the academy, based on the teachers' reflections on their own experiences in rural schools as well as on the academy workshops they attended and on the…

Observations and modeling of methane flux in northern wetlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Futakuchi, Y.; Ueyama, M.; Matsumoto, Y.; Yazaki, T.; Hirano, T.; Kominami, Y.; Harazono, Y.; Igarashi, Y.

2016-12-01

Methane (CH4) budgets in northern wetlands vary greatly with high spatio-temporal heterogeneity. Owing to limited available data, yet, it is difficult to constrain the CH4 emission from northern wetlands. In this context, we continuously measured CH4 fluxes at two northern wetlands. Measured fluxes were used for constraining the new model that empirically partitioned net CH4 fluxes into the processes of production, oxidation, and transport associated with ebullition, diffusion, and plant, based on the optimization technique. This study reveal the important processes related to the seasonal variations in CH4 emission with the continuous observations and inverse model analysis. The measurements have been conducted at a Sphagnum-dominated cool temperate bog (BBY) since April 2015 using the open-path eddy covariance method and a sub-arctic forested bog on permafrost in University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) since May 2016 using three automated chambers by a laser-based gas analyzer (FGGA-24r-EP, Los Gatos Research Inc., USA). In BBY, daily CH4 fluxes ranged from 1.9 nmol m-2 s-1 in early spring to 97.9 nmol m-2 s-1 in mid-summer. Growing-season total CH4 flux was 13 g m-2 yr-1 in 2015. In contrast, CH4 flux at the UAF site was small (0.2 to 1.0 nmol m-2 s-1), and hardly increased since start of the observation. This difference could be caused by the difference in the climate and soil conditions; mean air and soil temperature, and presence of permafrost. For BBY, the seasonal variation of CH4 emission was mostly explained by soil temperature, suggesting that the production was the important controlling process. In mid-summer when soil temperature was high, however, decrease in atmospheric pressure and increase in vegetation greenness stimulated CH4 emission probably through plant-mediated transport and form of bubble, suggesting that the transport processes were important. Based on a preliminary results by the model optimization in BBY site, CH4 fluxes were strongly influenced by the processes associated with production, ebullition, and plant-mediated transports rather than the processes associated with oxidation and diffusion. In this presentation, we will show that the new data-model fusion that we developed is the effective tool for evaluating CH4 fluxes and controlling processes at northern wetlands.

Effects of moisture limitation on tree growth in upland and floodplain forest ecosystems in interior Alaska

Treesearch

John. Yarie

2008-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of summer throughfall on the growth of trees, at upland and floodplain locations, in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska. Corrugated clear plastic covers were installed under the canopy of floodplain balsam poplar/white spruce stands and upland hardwood/white spruce stands to control soil moisture recharge as a result...

A Collaborative and Mutually Beneficial Tribal Marine Science Workshop Format for Tribal Natural Resource Professionals, Marine Educators, and Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsumoto, George I.; Needham, Cathy; Opheim, Michael; Chen, Glenn

2014-01-01

The Tribal Marine Science Workshop has run annually since 2010. The workshop takes place at the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by NOAA and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, near Seldovia, Alaska. It is hosted by the Seldovia Village Tribe, sponsored by the Bureau of…

Science for Alaska: Public Understanding of University Research Priorities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, D.

2015-12-01

Science for Alaska: Public Understanding of Science D. L. Campbell11University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA Around 200 people brave 40-below-zero temperatures to listen to university researchers and scientists give lectures about their work at an event called the Science for Alaska Lecture Series, hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. It is held once a week, for six weeks during the coldest part of a Fairbanks, Alaska, winter. The topics range from space physics to remote sensing. The lectures last for 45 minutes with 15 minutes for audience questions and answers. It has been popular for about 20 years and is one of many public outreach efforts of the institute. The scientists are careful in their preparations for presentations and GI's Public Relations staff chooses the speakers based on topic, diversity and public interest. The staff also considers the speaker's ability to speak to a general audience, based on style, clarity and experience. I conducted a qualitative research project to find out about the people who attended the event, why they attend and what they do with the information they hear about. The participants were volunteers who attended the event and either stayed after the lectures for an interview or signed up to be contacted later. I used used an interview technique with open-ended questions, recorded and transcribed the interview. I identified themes in the interviews, using narrative analysis. Preliminary data show that the lecture series is a form of entertainment for people who are highly educated and work in demanding and stressful jobs. They come with family and friends. Sometimes it's a date with a significant other. Others want to expose their children to science. The findings are in keeping with the current literature that suggests that public events meant to increase public understanding of science instead draws like-minded people. The findings are different from Campbell's hypothesis that attendance was based on an interest in Arctic science research, since all the research is related to the polar regions.

Alaskan Auroral All-Sky Images on the World Wide Web

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenbaek-Nielsen, H. C.

1997-01-01

In response to a 1995 NASA SPDS announcement of support for preservation and distribution of important data sets online, the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska, proposed to provide World Wide Web access to the Poker Flat Auroral All-sky Camera images in real time. The Poker auroral all-sky camera is located in the Davis Science Operation Center at Poker Flat Rocket Range about 30 miles north-east of Fairbanks, Alaska, and is connected, through a microwave link, with the Geophysical Institute where we maintain the data base linked to the Web. To protect the low light-level all-sky TV camera from damage due to excessive light, we only operate during the winter season when the moon is down. The camera and data acquisition is now fully computer controlled. Digital images are transmitted each minute to the Web linked data base where the data are available in a number of different presentations: (1) Individual JPEG compressed images (1 minute resolution); (2) Time lapse MPEG movie of the stored images; and (3) A meridional plot of the entire night activity.

Enter Sandbox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clucas, T.; Wirth, G. S.

2015-12-01

Interactive geospatial education tools can excite students and public audiences alike. Alaska EPSCoR and UAF GINA have taken one such tool - an augmented-reality sandbox invented at UC-Davis - and created a completely mobile version, which can be easily transported and deployed on and off the road system. In addition, EPSCoR has developed model curricula that use the sandbox to teach basic topography and hydrology skills. More advanced curricular modules in development will teach about flooding, tsunamis, and other hydrologic and landscape hazards. Instructions on building a mobile sandbox, curricula, and video of the sandbox in action are available at www.alaska.edu/epscor/Augmented-Reality%20Sandbox/

ACTS mobile propagation campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldhirsh, Julius; Vogel, Wolfhard J.; Torrence, Geoffrey W.

1994-01-01

Preliminary results are presented for three propagation measurement campaigns involving a mobile receiving laboratory and 20 GHz transmissions from the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). Four 1994 campaigns were executed during weekly periods in and around Austin, Texas in February and May, in Central Maryland during March, and in Fairbanks, Alaska and environs in June. Measurements tested the following effects at 20 GHz: (1) attenuation due to roadside trees with and without foliage, (2) multipath effects for scenarios in which line-of-sight paths were unshadowed, (3) fades due to terrain and roadside obstacles, (4) fades due to structures in urban environs, (5) single tree attenuation, and (6) effects of fading at low elevation angles (8 deg in Fairbanks, Alaska) and high elevation angles (55 deg in Austin, Texas). Results presented here cover sampled measurements in Austin, Texas for foliage and non-foliage cases and in Central Maryland for non-foliage runs.

An Undergraduate Designed VLF Receiver: Findings from an Auroral Flight in Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, E.; Behrend, C. C.; Fenton, A.; Mathur, S.; Greer, M.; Bering, E., III

2017-12-01

The fluctuating state of the D-region ionosphere creates electromagnetic oscillations in the very low frequency (VLF) range. These naturally occurring VLF waves, or sferics, can have distinct features and intensities which can be measured to describe state of the plasma in the D-region. These features are more prominent during geomagnetic events—such as the aurora. To investigate these waves, this team redesigned and fabricated a VLF receiver with an air-core loop antenna. The receiver was attached to a 1500-gram latex balloon and flown during a moderate auroral event on the 15th of March, 217 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Using MATLAB to make different graphs of the data, such as spectrograms, the sferics received on that night can be visualized and interpreted. Through the VLF spectrum, this poster will provide an interpretation of the D-region and describe the events of the flight (natural and manmade).

A Survey of Road Construction and Maintenance Problems in Central Alaska.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-10-01

recent natural disasters, such as the earthquake of 1964 and the Fairbanks flood in 1967, seriously set back the Alaskan highway program for several...problems as classifica- tion of natural road building materials, prevention of culvert icing, measurement of subgrade temperature, maintenance of slopes...Scarcity of clays or other material suitable for use as a binder in gravel surfacings poses additional problems throughout Alaska. Dust and stones

Interactive controls of herbivory and fluvial dynamics on landscape vegetation patterns on the Tanana River floodplain, interior Alaska.

Treesearch

Lem G. Butler; Knut Kielland; T. Scott Rupp; Thomas A. Hanley

2007-01-01

We examined the interactive effects of mammalian herbivory and fluvial dynamics on vegetation dynamics and composition along the Tanana River in interior Alaska between Fairbanks and Manley Hot Springs. We used a spatially explicit model of landscape dynamics (ALFRESCO) to simulate vegetation changes on a 1-year time-step. The model was run for 250 years and was...

Proceedings of the Meeting of the Coastal Engineering Research Board (45th) Held in Fairbanks and Homer, Alaska on 14-16 May 1986.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-01

65 THE COASTAL COMMUNITY IN THE STATE OF ALASKA Dr. John B. Olson, DOT and PUBLIC FACILITIES ..................... 69 ST. GEORGE HARBOR LOW...WRSC-D) 0930 - 0945 COFFEE BREAK 0945 - 1030 Continuation of Chief’s Initiatives BG Patrick J. Kelly (DAEN-CWZ) 1030 - 1100 The Coastal Community in...weather permit- ting, they just tell them to slow down till a berth is available. 68 THE COASTAL COMMUNITY IN THE STATE OF ALASKA Dr. John B. Olson Special

Historical and Possible Future Changes in Permafrost and Active Layer Thickness in Alaska: Implications to Landscape Changes and Permafrost Carbon Pool.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchenko, S. S.; Helene, G.; Euskirchen, E. S.; Breen, A. L.; McGuire, D.; Rupp, S. T.; Romanovsky, V. E.; Walsh, J. E.

2017-12-01

The Soil Temperature and Active Layer Thickness (ALT) Gridded Data was developed to quantify the nature and rate of permafrost degradation and its impact on ecosystems, infrastructure, CO2 and CH4 fluxes and net C storage following permafrost thaw across Alaska. To develop this database, we used the process-based permafrost dynamics model GIPL2 developed in the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Lab, UAF and which is the permafrost module of the Integrated Ecosystem Model (IEM) for Alaska and Northwest Canada. The climate forcing data for simulations were developed by the Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (SNAP, http://www.snap.uaf.edu/). These data are based on the historical CRU3.1 data set for the retrospective analysis period (1901-2009) and the five model averaged data were derived from the five CMIP5/AR5 IPCC Global Circulation Models that performed the best in Alaska and other northern regions: NCAR-CCSM4, GFDL-CM3, GISS-E2-R, IPSL-CM5A-LR, MRI-CGCM3. A composite of all five-model outputs for the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 were used in these particular permafrost dynamics simulations. Data sets were downscaled to a 771 m resolution, using the Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) climatology. Additional input data (snow characteristics, soil thermal properties, soil water content, organic matter accumulation or its loss due to fire, etc.) came from the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM) and the ALFRESCO (ALaska FRame-based EcoSystem COde) model simulations. We estimated the dynamics of permafrost temperature, active layer thickness, area occupied by permafrost, and volume of seasonally thawed soils within the 4.75 upper meters (original TEM soil column) across the Alaska domain. Simulations of future changes in permafrost indicate that, by the end of the 21st century, late-Holocene permafrost in Alaska will be actively thawing at all locations and that some Late Pleistocene carbon-rich peatlands underlain by permafrost will start to thaw at some locations. The modeling results also indicate how different types of ecosystems affect the thermal state of permafrost and its stability. The release of carbon and the net effect of this thawing depends on the balance between increased productivity and respiration, which depend, in part, on soil moisture dynamics.

Environmental Impact Statement for the Modernization and Enhancement of Ranges, Airspace, and Training Areas in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex in Alaska. Volume 2 - Appendices A through L

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

enhanC;enwnlswonld ~nahle reoJ istk. jolll l training artd ta.~ti 1g to sup pori omergi ng tedwolo~ttt.», respond lo recent balllefiold...The military uses the JPARC to conduct testing and training and lo support joint exercises and mission rehearsals. The JPARC was originally developed...68th Ave. and Elmore Rd.) 4477 Pike’s Landing.Road Anchorage, Alaska 99507-2599 Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 I 0 a.m. to noon and I :00 lo 5:00p.m. I 0

1. PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN FROM THE SOUTH LOOKING NORTH ACROSS AN ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN FROM THE SOUTH LOOKING NORTH ACROSS AN ERODED AREA. THE SOUTH END OF THE FLUME HAS COLLAPSED. - Davidson Ditch Waste Water Weir, Mile 63 of Alaska's Steese Highway, Chatanika, Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK

Publications - RDF 2007-1 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

://doi.org/10.14509/15759 Publication Products Report Report Information rdf2007_001.pdf (443.0 K) Digital Geospatial Data Digital Geospatial Data Fairbanks Mining District Geochemical Data Data File Format File Size

Integrating Native knowledge and community perspectives in geoscience research and education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Stephens, S.; Schneider, W.

2010-12-01

Multiple perspectives are being incorporated in geoscience research and education exemplified by ongoing projects at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This presentation will highlight two such projects. In the Seasons and Biomes project, that monitors seasons through global learning communities, in an effort to increase K-12 student understanding of Earth as a system and the environmental changes occurring in their local environment, students are accessing different knowledge systems in their studies. During professional development workshops for K-12 teachers, Alaska Native elders and community experts have been invited to be part of the scientist-educator team to help teachers engage their students in geoscience studies. Teachers learn and practice scientific measurement protocols in investigations such as atmosphere/weather, phenology and hydrology, learn about increasing their observation skills and systems thinking and how to engage and guide their students in environmental investigations. Native elders have been involved in classroom projects to help students understand what changes have occurred and currently occurring in their villages. They have also been involved in projects where small groups of students have conducted investigations under their guidance and the teachers’/scientists’ guidance. A student group from Shageluk, Alaska, successfully completed their study on effects of environmental changes and fire, and was invited and funded along with their Native mentor, to present their findings at an international student conference. In the Stakeholders and Climate Change project, fieldwork, meetings and numerous interviews have been conducted with Tanana, Ft. Yukon, and Chalkyitsik elders and middle-aged travelers and subsistence users. These video-taped interviews have been transcribed, digitized and processed into a draft Alaska Stakeholders and Climate Change/Project Jukebox website using Drupal CMA to create and maintain dynamic content and XSLT to create synchronized transcription. Interviews also have been analyzed and sorted according to 6 emerging themes: weather, rivers and lakes, fire, permafrost, plants and animals, and seasonality. Additionally, an interview “sampler” has been produced in DVD format for sharing with communities. This past February, we conducted a Stakeholders and Climate Change Workshop that melded local and indigenous observations and scientific research. Residents of Fort Yukon, Chalkyitsik and Tanana, Alaska and IARC and other UAF scientists met for two days to discuss changes in weather, climate, seasonality and the effects on landscape, subsistence resources and activities. Participating scientists were stimulated by the questions and observations of local residents and are interested in how their knowledge and future investigations might align more directly with local concerns. Local residents were appreciative of attention to their climate change concerns and are particularly interested in how their observations link to scientific explanations and to climate change forecasts for their specific location and getting climate change information out to communities and schools.

Making a Difference: A Primer for Women in Public Life. Report on a Leadership Seminar Sponsored by the Alaska Women's Commission (Fairbanks, Alaska, April 12, 1988).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callahan, Christine

This workshop summary offers a guide for women who are considering seeking public office. It covers pre-campaign concerns, development of a campaign plan, and keeping the campaign on target. While a campaign plan should be an anchor, it also should be a flexible tool that can be revised, if necessary. The document discusses "targeting,"…

A resolution celebrating the 2014 Arctic Winter Games, in Fairbanks, Alaska.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK

2014-03-13

Senate - 03/26/2014 Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Fact Book 1993.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaylord, Thomas A.; And Others

This 1993 fact book provides historical and current information concerning the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. The book provides academic and assessment data, student enrollment data, and information on faculty and staff, financial budgets, research and public services, and educational facilities. Historical data includes, beside the…

Investigation of Soil and Vegetation Characteristics in Discontinuous Permafrost Landscapes Near Fairbanks, Alaska

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

watermelon berry, wild strawberry , blueberry (Vaccinium alaskaense), sedge (Carex spp.), salmonberry (Rubus spp.), prickly rose (Rosa acicularis... Strawberry Fragaria canadensis UPL X USDA, NRCS (2014) Labrador tea Rhododendron groenlandicum FAC X USDA, NRCS (2014) Twinflower Linnaea

Maintenance of influenza A viruses and antibody response in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sampled during the non-breeding season in Alaska

PubMed Central

Lindberg, Mark S.; Meixell, Brandt W.; Smith, Kyle R.; Puryear, Wendy B.; Davis, Kimberly R.; Runstadler, Jonathan A.; Stallknecht, David E.; Ramey, Andrew M.

2017-01-01

Prevalence of influenza A virus (IAV) infections in northern-breeding waterfowl has previously been reported to reach an annual peak during late summer or autumn; however, little is known about IAV infection dynamics in waterfowl populations persisting at high-latitude regions such as Alaska, during winter. We captured mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) throughout the non-breeding season (August–April) of 2012–2015 in Fairbanks and Anchorage, the two largest cities in Alaska, to assess patterns of IAV infection and antibody production using molecular methods and a standard serologic assay. In addition, we used virus isolation, genetic sequencing, and a virus microneutralization assay to characterize viral subtypes and to evaluate the immune response of mallards captured on multiple occasions through time. We captured 923 mallards during three successive sampling years: Fairbanks in 2012/13 and 2013/14, and Anchorage in 2014/15. Prevalence varied by age, season, and year/site with high and relatively stable estimates throughout the non-breeding season. Infected birds were detected in all locations/seasons except early-winter in Fairbanks during 2013/14. IAVs with 17 combinations of hemagglutinin (H1–5, H7–9, H11, H12) and neuraminidase (N1–6, N8, N9) subtypes were isolated. Antibodies to IAVs were detected throughout autumn and winter for all sampling locations and years, however, seroprevalence was higher among adults and varied among years. Mallards exhibited individual heterogeneity with regard to immune response, providing instances of both seroconversion and seroreversion to detected viral subtypes. The probability that an individual transitioned from one serostatus to another varied by age, with juvenile mallards having higher rates of seroconversion and seroreversion than adults. Our study provides evidence that a diversity of IAVs circulate in populations of mallards wintering at urban locations in Alaska, and we suggest waterfowl wintering at high-latitudes may play an important role in maintenance of viruses across breeding seasons. PMID:28837606

Maintenance of influenza A viruses and antibody response in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sampled during the non-breeding season in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spivey, Timothy; Lindberg, Mark S.; Meixell, Brandt W.; Smith, Kyle R.; Puryear, Wendy Blay; Davis, Kimberly R.; Runstadler, Jonathan A.; Stallknecht, David E.; Ramey, Andy M.

2017-01-01

Prevalence of influenza A virus (IAV) infections in northern-breeding waterfowl has previously been reported to reach an annual peak during late summer or autumn; however, little is known about IAV infection dynamics in waterfowl populations persisting at high-latitude regions such as Alaska, during winter. We captured mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) throughout the non-breeding season (August–April) of 2012–2015 in Fairbanks and Anchorage, the two largest cities in Alaska, to assess patterns of IAV infection and antibody production using molecular methods and a standard serologic assay. In addition, we used virus isolation, genetic sequencing, and a virus microneutralization assay to characterize viral subtypes and to evaluate the immune response of mallards captured on multiple occasions through time. We captured 923 mallards during three successive sampling years: Fairbanks in 2012/13 and 2013/14, and Anchorage in 2014/15. Prevalence varied by age, season, and year/site with high and relatively stable estimates throughout the non-breeding season. Infected birds were detected in all locations/seasons except early-winter in Fairbanks during 2013/14. IAVs with 17 combinations of hemagglutinin (H1–5, H7–9, H11, H12) and neuraminidase (N1–6, N8, N9) subtypes were isolated. Antibodies to IAVs were detected throughout autumn and winter for all sampling locations and years, however, seroprevalence was higher among adults and varied among years. Mallards exhibited individual heterogeneity with regard to immune response, providing instances of both seroconversion and seroreversion to detected viral subtypes. The probability that an individual transitioned from one serostatus to another varied by age, with juvenile mallards having higher rates of seroconversion and seroreversion than adults. Our study provides evidence that a diversity of IAVs circulate in populations of mallards wintering at urban locations in Alaska, and we suggest waterfowl wintering at high-latitudes may play an important role in maintenance of viruses across breeding seasons.

Renewed unrest at Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Power, John A.

2004-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO),a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, has detected unrest at Mount Spurr volcano, located about 125 km west of Anchorage, Alaska, at the northeast end of the Aleutian volcanic arc.This activity consists of increased seismicity melting of the summit ice cap, and substantial rates of C02 and H2S emission.The current unrest is centered beneath the volcano's 3374-m-high summit, whose last known eruption was 5000–6000 years ago. Since then, Crater Peak, 2309 m in elevation and 4 km to the south, has been the active vent. Recent eruptions occurred in 1953 and 1992.

Publications - IC 46 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Mapping Advisory Board STATEMAP Publications Geophysics Program Information Geophysical Survey ; Aeromagnetic; Aeromagnetic Survey; Airborne Geophysical Survey; Antimony; Arsenic; Arsenopyrite; Base Metals ; Electromagnetic Data; Electromagnetic Survey; Exploration; Fairbanks Mining District; Fort Knox Mine; Fortymile

Nesting biology of Lesser Canada Geese, Branta canadensis parvipes, along the Tanana River, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ely, Craig R.; Pearce, J.M.; Ruess, Roger W.

2008-01-01

Lesser Canada Geese (Branta canadensis parvipes) are widespread throughout interior regions of Alaska and Canada, yet there have been no published studies documenting basic aspects of their nesting biology. We conducted a study to determine reproductive parameters of Lesser Canada Geese nesting along the Tanana River near the city of Fairbanks, in interior Alaska. Fieldwork was conducted in May of 2003, and consisted of locating nests along the riparian corridor between Fairbanks and Northpole, Alaska. Nests were found on gravel islands and shore habitats along the Tanana River, and were most commonly observed among driftwood logs associated with patches of alder (Alnus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.). Peak of nest initiation was 3-8 May, with a range from 27 April to 20 May; renesting was likely. Clutches ranged in size from 2 to 7 eggs and averaged 4.6 eggs. There was a negative correlation between clutch size and date of nest initiation. Egg size (mean mass = 128 g) was similar to other medium-sized Canada Geese. A positive correlation between egg size and clutch size was likely related to female age. Nineteen of 28 nests (68%) were active when visited; nests located on islands with nesting Mew Gulls (Larus canus) were more likely to be active than nests located elsewhere. Evidence at nest sites implicated Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) as nest predators.

Vegetation and paleoclimate of the last interglacial period, central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, D.R.; Ager, T.A.; Beget, J.E.

2001-01-01

The last interglacial period is thought to be the last time global climate was significantly warmer than present. New stratigraphic studies at Eva Creek, near Fairbanks, Alaska indicate a complex last interglacial record wherein periods of loess deposition alternated with periods of soil formation. The Eva Forest Bed appears to have formed about the time of or after deposition of the Old Crow tephra (dated to ??? 160 to ??? 120 ka), and is therefore correlated with the last interglacial period. Pollen, macrofossils, and soils from the Eva Forest Bed indicate that boreal forest was the dominant vegetation and precipitation may have been greater than present around Fairbanks during the peak of the last interglacial period. A new compilation of last interglacial localities indicates that boreal forest was extensive over interior Alaska and Yukon Territory. Boreal forest also extended beyond its present range onto the Seward and Baldwin Peninsulas, and probably migrated to higher elevations, now occupied by tundra, in the interior. Comparison of last interglacial pollen and macrofossil data with atmospheric general circulation model results shows both agreement and disagreement. Model results of warmer-than-present summers are in agreement with fossil data. However, numerous localities with boreal forest records are in conflict with model reconstructions of an extensive cool steppe in interior Alaska and much of Yukon Territory during the last interglacial. ?? 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Workshop on the Martian Northern Plains: Sedimentological, periglacial, and paleoclimatic evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kargel, J. S. (Editor); Parker, T. J. (Editor); Moore, J. M. (Editor)

1993-01-01

The penultimate meeting in the Mars Surface and Atmosphere Through Time (MSATT) series of workshops was held on the campus of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, Alaska, 12-13 Aug. 1993. This meeting, entitled 'The Martian Northern Plains: Sedimentological, Periglacial, and Paleoclimatic Evolution,' hosted by the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, was designed to help foster an exchange of ideas among researchers of the Mars science community and the terrestrial glacial and periglacial science community. The technical sessions of the workshop were complemented by field trips to the Alaska Range and to the Fairbanks area and a low-altitude chartered overflight to the Arctic Costal Plain, so that, including these trips, the meeting lasted from 9-14 Aug. 1993. The meeting, field trips, and overflight were organized and partially funded by the Lunar and Planetary Institute and the MSATT Study Group. The major share of logistical support was provided by the Publications and Program Services Department of the Lunar and Planetary Institute. The workshop site was selected to allow easy access to field exposures of active glaciers and glacial and periglacial landforms. In all, 25 scientists attended the workshop, 24 scientists (plus 4 guests and the meeting coordinator) participated in the field trips, and 18 took part in the overflight. This meeting reaffirmed the value of expertly led geologic field trips conducted in association with topical workshops.

UAF Space Systems Engineering Program: Engaging Students through an Apprenticeship Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorsen, D.

2017-12-01

Learning by doing has been the mantra of engineering education for decades, however, the constraints of semester length courses limits the types and size of experiences that can be offered to students. The Space Systems Engineering Program (SSEP) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks provides interdisciplinary engineering and science students with hands-on experience in all aspects of space systems engineering through a design, build, launch paradigm applied to balloon and rocket payloads and small satellites. The program is structured using an apprenticeship model such that students, freshmen through graduate, can participate in multi-year projects thereby gaining experiences appropriate to their level in college. Students enter the lab in a trainee position and receive training on lab processes and design software. Depending on the student's interests they learn how to use specific lab equipment and software design tools. Trainees provide support engineering under guidance of an upper classman. As the students' progress in their degree program and gain more expertise, they typically become part of a specific subsystem team, where they receive additional training in developing design documents and in writing requirements and test documents, and direct their efforts to meeting specific objectives. By the time the student reaches their senior year, they have acquired the leadership role for a specific subsystem and/or a general leadership role in the lab. If students stay to pursue graduate degrees, they assume the responsibility of training and mentoring other undergraduates in their areas of expertise. Throughout the program upper class students mentor the newer students. The Space Systems Engineering Program strives to reinforce a student's degree program through these large scale projects that place engineering in context.

Using Place-Based Independent Class Projects as a Means to Hone Research Skills and Prepare a Future Geospatial Workforce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prakash, A.; Gens, R.; Cristobal, J.; Waigl, C. F.; Balazs, M. S.; Graham, P. R.; Butcher, C. E.; Sparrow, E. B.

2015-12-01

It is never too early to bring in your own research into teaching. Considerable efforts have been made globally to introduce STEM research themes in K12 environments. These efforts a laudable as they help to create STEM identity in students and get students excited to pursue higher education. The task of a post-secondary educator is to build on that excitement and ensure that the students who enter higher education come out knowledgeable, skilled, and employable. At the University of Alaska Fairbanks we have structured our geospatial curricula to include place-based, independent research projects in several semester-long classes. These class-projects serve as mini capstone research experiences that take a student through the entire process of research including: identifying a problem or need; building a hypothesis; formulating the science question; searching, acquiring, and processing data; analyzing and interpreting the research results; and presenting the outcomes in written and oral format to a peer group. Over a decade of experience has shown that students tend to engage and perform well when the research addresses an authentic problem they can relate to and take ownership of. Over 150 student-lead class projects using a variety of freely available datasets have contributed not only to preparing the future workforce, but also to enhancing the research profile of UAF. We extended the same model to a summer internship program where graduate students who have gone through the experience of an in-class research project serve as mentors for undergraduate interns. Even the condensed time frame yields positive outcomes including joint publications between faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate students in the peer-reviewed literature.

Measurement of Near-Surface Carbon Dioxide Concentrations with an Open-Path Tunable Diode Laser Sensor and a Non-Dispersive Infrared Sensor at the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site near Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, D. M.; Caine, K. M.; Miller, J. H. H.

2016-12-01

Continuous collection of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations is imperative in understanding seasonal and inter-annual variability of carbon feedbacks above thawing permafrost. Permafrost makes up one-quarter of the Earth's terrestrial surface and has the potential to release twice the amount of carbon than is currently in the atmosphere if global temperatures continue to increase. A collaborative effort with the University of Alaska - Fairbanks, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and our group at George Washington University is underway to monitor these feedbacks near Fairbanks, Alaska. In June 2016, we deployed an open-path tunable diode laser sensor along with a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor at the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site as an exploratory study for their use in collecting near-surface CO2 concentrations above thawing permafrost. The open-path instrument (OPI) collected spatially-integrated measurements approximately 1.5 meters above the surface of a young thermokarst bog over a 15-day period whereas the NDIR sensor collected localized measurements 1 meter above the surface for 16 days. Near-continuous measurements were achieved with the NDIR sensor which was limited only by the availability of solar-produced power. The OPI measurements were further limited by maintaining laser alignment under changing environmental conditions. However, the campaign achieved a nearly 80% duty cycle for the entire test period. Here we compare both the localized and spatially-integrated carbon dioxide measurements and their observed diurnal concentration cycles, whose magnitude showed a strong dependence on daily weather at the test site.

Business, State of Alaska

Science.gov Websites

, Community, and Economic Development Small Business Assistance Center More Business Links » Visitor Visiting (RUBA) Program Business Resources Department of Community and Economic Development Div. of Corporations Anchorage Economic Development Corporation Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation Juneau Economic

COLD TEMPERATURE MOTOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS TESTING IN ALASKA

EPA Science Inventory

A motor vehicle emissions testing study was conducted in Anchorage and Fairbanks during the winter of 1998-99 to collect actual measurements of initial idle emission rates. The study was performed for a sample of 111 automobiles and light-duty trucks under cold wintertime ambient...

Regional thermal and electric energy output of salt-gradient solar ponds in the U.S.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singer, M. J.; Lin, E. I. H.

1982-01-01

Salt-gradient solar pond thermal and electrical energy output was calculated for each of twelve regions within the United States as part of an effort to assess solar pond applicability and extent of requisite physical resources on a regional basis. The energy output level is one of the key factors affecting the economic feasibility of solar ponds. Calculated thermal energy output ranges from 6.9 Wt/sq m in Fairbanks, Alaska, to 73.1 Wt/sq m in Daggett, California, at an energy extraction temperature of 45 C. The output ranges from 0.0 Wt/sq m in Fairbanks to 63.2 Wt/sq m in Daggett at 60 C. Electrical energy output ranges from 0.0 We/sq m in Fairbanks to 3.11 We/sq m in Daggett. Although these estimates constitute a reasonable basis for regional comparison, site-specific analysis must be performed for an actual application design.

Hydrologic information for land-use planning; Fairbanks vicinity, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Gordon L.

1978-01-01

The flood plain on the Chena and Tanana Rivers near Fairbanks, Alaska, has abundant water in rivers and in an unconfined alluvial aquifer. The principal source of ground water is the Tanana River, from which ground water flows northwesterly to the Chena River. Transmissivity of the aquifer commonly exceed 100 ,000 sq ft. The shallow water table (less than 15 ft below land surface), high hydraulic conductivity of the sediments and cold soil give the flood plain a high susceptibility to pollution by onsite sewerage systems. The Environmental Protection Agency recommended maximum concentrations for drinking water may be exceeded in surface water for manganese and bacteria and in ground water for iron, manganese, and bacteria. Residents of the uplands obtain water principally from a widely-distributed fractured schist aquifer. The aquifer is recharged by local infiltration of precipitation and is drained by springs on the lower slopes and by ground-water flow to alluvial aquifers of the valleys. The annual base flow from basins in the uplands ranged from 3,000 to 100,000 gallons per acre; the smallest base flows occur in basins nearest the city of Fairbanks. The thick silt cover and great depth to the water table give much of the uplands a low susceptibility to pollution by onsite sewage disposal. Ground water is locally high in nitrate, arsenic, iron , and manganese. (Woodard-USGS)

Arctic Oil Spill Mapping and Response Using Unmanned Aerial Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, K. W.

2011-12-01

The University of Alaska Fairbanks works extensively with unmanned aerial systems and various sensor payloads used in mapping. Recent projects with Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum have demonstrated that unmanned aerial systems, including fixed and rotary winged platforms, can provide quick response to oil spill mapping in a variety of flight conditions, including those not well suited for manned aerial systems. We describe this collaborative research between the University and oil companies exploring and developing oil resources in Alaska and the Arctic.

Ground-Penetrating-Radar Profiles of Interior Alaska Highways: Interpretation of Stratified Fill, Frost Depths, Water Table, and Thaw Settlement over Ice-Rich Permafrost

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-01

interior Alaska are afflicted with this problem, including local roads within Fairbanks and other communities. With climate change and global warming...insert), which is correct for solid ice under frozen sand and gravel and Blue Board too thin to change the waveform polarity. A massive ice horizon...vertical resolution—specifically, resolution (separa- tion) of reflections from different interfaces. The reflections are caused by changes in

Results from the April 2009 Gulf of Alaska Line Transect Survey (GOALS) in the Navy Training Exercise Area

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-01

Fairbanks. Stafford , K. M., D. K. Mellinger, S. E. Moore, and C. G. Fox. 2007. Seasonal variability and detection range modeling of baleen whale ...hours/day surveying a total of 3,519 km (1,900 nmi) and recorded 49 acoustic iv   detections of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and killer...Alaska have been used to record calls from blue , humpback and fin whales throughout the year ( Stafford et al. 2007). Despite the challenges of

2013 volcanic activity in Alaska: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dixon, James P.; Cameron, Cheryl; McGimsey, Robert G.; Neal, Christina A.; Waythomas, Chris

2015-08-14

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, and seismic events at 18 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2013. Beginning with the 2013 AVO Summary of Events, the annual description of the AVO seismograph network and activity, once a stand-alone publication, is now part of this report. Because of this change, the annual summary now contains an expanded description of seismic activity at Alaskan volcanoes. Eruptions occurred at three volcanic centers in 2013: Pavlof Volcano in May and June, Mount Veniaminof Volcano in June through December, and Cleveland Volcano throughout the year. None of these three eruptive events resulted in 24-hour staffing at AVO facilities in Anchorage or Fairbanks.

Morchella tomentosa: a unique belowground structure and a new clade of morels

Treesearch

Franck O.P. Stefani; Serge Sokolski; Trish L. Wurtz; Yves Piché; Richard C. Hamelin; J. André Fortin; Jean A. Bérubé

2010-01-01

Mechanisms involved in post-fire morel fructification remain unclear. A new undescribed belowground vegetative structure of Marchella tomentosa in a burned boreal forest was investigated north of Fairbanks, Alaska. The name "radiscisclerotium" is proposed to define this peculiar and elaborate belowground vegetative structure of ...

R.S.V.P. Teacher-Coordinator Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1983

Alaska Teacher-Coordinators in the Rural Student Vocational Program (RSVP) should be familiar with activities necessary to insure proper selection of students and proper and meaningful work placement. In RSVP, students from outlying high schools travel to Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau to participate in 2 weeks of work experience with cooperating…

Deformations in VLBI antennas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, T. A.; Thomsen, P.

1988-01-01

A study is presented of deformations in antennas with the emphasis on their influence on VLBI measurements. The GIFTS structural analysis program has been used to model the VLBI antenna in Fairbanks (Alaska). The report identifies key deformations and studies the effect of gravity, wind, and temperature. Estimates of expected deformations are given.

5 CFR 591.227 - What adjustment factors does OPM add to the price indexes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... table shows the adjustment factor for each area: COLA area Amount Anchorage, AK 7.0 Fairbanks, AK 9.0 Juneau, AK 9.0 Rest of the State of Alaska 9.0 City and County of Honolulu, HI 5.0 Hawaii County, HI 7.0...

5 CFR 591.227 - What adjustment factors does OPM add to the price indexes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... table shows the adjustment factor for each area: COLA area Amount Anchorage, AK 7.0 Fairbanks, AK 9.0 Juneau, AK 9.0 Rest of the State of Alaska 9.0 City and County of Honolulu, HI 5.0 Hawaii County, HI 7.0...

5 CFR 591.227 - What adjustment factors does OPM add to the price indexes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... table shows the adjustment factor for each area: COLA area Amount Anchorage, AK 7.0 Fairbanks, AK 9.0 Juneau, AK 9.0 Rest of the State of Alaska 9.0 City and County of Honolulu, HI 5.0 Hawaii County, HI 7.0...

5 CFR 591.227 - What adjustment factors does OPM add to the price indexes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... table shows the adjustment factor for each area: COLA area Amount Anchorage, AK 7.0 Fairbanks, AK 9.0 Juneau, AK 9.0 Rest of the State of Alaska 9.0 City and County of Honolulu, HI 5.0 Hawaii County, HI 7.0...

Current and Future Demand for Distance Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDiarmid, G. Williamson; Goldsmith, Scott; Hill, Alexandra; Hull, Teresa

This study assesses current and future demands for distance education at the University of Alaska (UA). It highlights findings from interviews with representatives of 33 rural organizations, and 36 instructors who teach 53 distance education courses. It also lists questions raised and recommendations made by provosts at the Anchorage, Fairbanks,…

77 FR 2979 - Environmental Impacts Statements; Notice of Availability

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-20

... Stand Alone Gas Pipeline, Construction and Operation of a 737 mile Pipeline to Transport Supply of Natural Gas and Natural Gas Liquids from Alaska's North Slope to Fairbanks, Anchorage and the Cook Inlet..., Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012 Central Planning Area Lease Sales...

Satellite Television Demonstration Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alaska Governor's Office of Telecommunications, Juneau.

This report describes the status of this pilot satellite television project for the state of Alaska which provides for the distribution of television programming to the RCA Toll Centers in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka, and Bethel, as well as to 23 selected rural sites. The historical background is discussed, as well as the process involved…

Hyperspectral surveying for mineral resources in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kokaly, Raymond F.; Graham, Garth E.; Hoefen, Todd M.; Kelley, Karen D.; Johnson, Michaela R.; Hubbard, Bernard E.

2016-07-07

Alaska is a major producer of base and precious metals and has a high potential for additional undiscovered mineral resources. However, discovery is hindered by Alaska’s vast size, remoteness, and rugged terrain. New methods are needed to overcome these obstacles in order to fully evaluate Alaska’s geology and mineral resource potential. Hyperspectral surveying is one method that can be used to rapidly acquire data about the distributions of surficial materials, including different types of bedrock and ground cover. In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey began the Alaska Hyperspectral Project to assess the applicability of this method in Alaska. The primary study area is a remote part of the eastern Alaska Range where porphyry deposits are exposed. In collaboration with the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey is collecting and analyzing hyperspectral data with the goals of enhancing geologic mapping and developing methods to identify and characterize mineral deposits elsewhere in Alaska.

Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus spp.) of Interior Alaska: Species Composition, Distribution, Seasonal Biology, and Parasites

PubMed Central

Pampell, Rehanon; Pantoja, Alberto; Holloway, Patricia; Knight, Charles; Ranft, Richard

2015-01-01

Abstract Background Despite the ecological and agricultural significance of bumble bees in Alaska, very little is known and published about this important group at the regional level. The objectives of this study were to provide baseline data on species composition, distribution, seasonal biology, and parasites of the genus Bombus at three major agricultural locations within Alaska: Fairbanks, Delta Junction, and Palmer, to lay the groundwork for future research on bumble bee pollination in Alaska. New information A total of 8,250 bumble bees representing 18 species was collected from agricultural settings near Delta Junction, Fairbanks, and Palmer, Alaska in 2009 and 2010. Of the 8,250 specimens, 51% were queens, 32.7% were workers, and 16.2% were males. The species composition and relative abundances varied among sites and years. Delta Junction had the highest relative abundance of bumble bees, representing 51.6% of the specimens collected; the other two locations, Fairbanks and Palmer represented 26.5% and 21.8% of the overall catch respectively. The species collected were: Bombus bohemicus Seidl 1837 (= B. ashtoni (Cresson 1864)), B. balteatus Dahlbom 1832, B. bifarius Cresson 1878, B. centralis Cresson 1864, B. cryptarum (Fabricius 1775) (=B. moderatus Cresson 1863), B. distinguendus Morawitz 1869, B. flavidus Eversmann 1852 (=B. fernaldae Franklin 1911), B. flavifrons Cresson 1863, B. frigidus Smith 1854, B. insularis (Smith 1861), B. jonellus (Kirby 1802), B. melanopygus Nylander 1848, B. mixtus Cresson 1878, B. neoboreus Sladen 1919, B. occidentalis Greene 1858, B. perplexus Cresson 1863, B. rufocinctus Cresson 1863, and B. sylvicola Kirby 1837. Overall, the most common bumble bees near agricultural lands were B. centralis, B. frigidus, B. jonellus, B. melanopygus, B. mixtus, and B. occidentalis. Species' relative population densities and local diversity were highly variable from year to year. Bombus occidentalis, believed to be in decline in the Pacific Northwest states, represented 10.4% of the overall specimens collected from the three sites studied. Bumble bees were found to be infected by Nosema and nematodes with infection rates up to 2.1% and 16.7% respectively. Of the eight species infected by parasites, B. occidentalis displayed the highest Nosema infection, while B. centralis was the species with the highest infection of nematodes. To our knowledge this represents the first multi-year study on bumble bees from the main agricultural areas of Alaska to provide baseline data on species composition, distribution, seasonal biology, and parasites of the genus Bombus. PMID:25977613

Preliminary investigation of gold mineralization in the Pedro Dome-Cleary Summit area, Fairbanks district, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pilkington, H.D.; Forbes, R.B.; Hawkins, D.B.; Chapman, R.M.; Swainbank, R.C.

1969-01-01

Anomalous gold values in mineralized veins and hydrothermally altered quartz-mica schist in the Pedro Dome-Cleary Summit area of the Fairbanks district suggest the presence of numerous small low- to high-grade lodes. Anomalous concentrations of gold were found to exist in the wall rocks adjacent to mineralized veins. In general, the gold concentration gradients in these wall rocks are much too steep to increase appreciably the mineable width of the veins. Anomalous gold values were also detected in bedrock samples taken by means of a power auger on the Murphy Dome Road along the southwest extension of the Pedro Dome-Cleary Summit mineralized belt.

Coordination and Convening of the 2016 Arctic Science Summit Week

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hinzman, Larry D.

The Arctic Science Summit Week, Arctic Observing Summit, Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials, Model Arctic Council, and International Arctic Assembly were convened on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks with great productivity and satisfaction of the participants. We were pleased to welcome over 1000 participants from 30 different nations and over 130 different institutions. The organization and execution of these meetings was extensive and complex involving more than 250 coordinators, volunteers and contributors from across Alaska. The participants were enthusiastic in their praise of the content and accomplishments of the meeting, but they were equally happy about themore » genuine welcome offered to our guests by the people of Alaska. Hosting a complex event such as this summit required an army of supporting services and we were blessed to have volunteers from Fairbanks, North Pole, Anchorage and other communities throughout Alaska helping us meet these needs. This truly was an event hosted by the people of Alaska. The significance of these events cannot be overstated. The US and global communities are finally coming to the realization of the important role that the Arctic plays in international politics, economics, and science. The Arctic has experienced tremendous changes in recent years, offering new opportunities that may be addressed through international collaborations, and serious challenges that must be addressed through active investment, adaptation and national and international coordination. Over 10% of the meeting participants were indigenous peoples, from indigenous organizations or hailed from small remote communities. This is still lower than we had hoped, but it is greater participation than similar meetings have experienced in the past. It is through such engagement that we can attack problems related to the changing environment, stagnant economies, and social ills.« less

Drive Cycle Data | Transportation Secure Data Center | NREL

Science.gov Websites

one file. Download Individual Survey and Study Drive Cycle Data Below you'll find drive cycle data download files for individual surveys and studies. Greater Fairbanks, Alaska, Transportation Survey Drive Cycle Data by Vehicle (24-hour period of operation) Download Learn more about the survey. California

77 FR 19318 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

... communities in Alaska: Anaktuvuk Pass, Anchorage, Atqasuk, Barrow, Fairbanks, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, and..., Nuiqsut, Point Lay, and Wainwright. The dates, times, and locations of the meetings and hearings will be... communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Barrow, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, and Wainwright. Ronald L. Dunton, Acting...

77 FR 11154 - Notice of Availability for the Eastern Interior Draft Resource Management Plan/Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-24

... BLM will announce future meetings or hearings and any other public participation activities at least..., Attention--Eastern Interior Draft RMP/EIS, Bureau of Land Management, 1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks... interior Alaska and is divided into four geographic areas: The Fortymile, Steese, Upper Black River, and...

78 FR 48611 - Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plans: Alaska; Fairbanks Carbon Monoxide...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-09

... rule. SUMMARY: The EPA is taking direct final action to approve a carbon monoxide (CO) Limited... maintain the CO National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) through the second 10-year maintenance..., Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101. Hand Delivery/Courier: U.S. EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900...

75 FR 27977 - FM Table of Allotments, Fairbanks, Alaska

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-19

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 73 [DA 10-754; MB Docket No. 10-81; RM-11600] FM.... SUMMARY: This document sets forth a proposal to amend the FM Table of Allotments. The Commission requests comment on a petition filed by Educational Media Foundation proposing the allotment of FM Channels 224C2...

Injection of emamectin benzoate protects paper birch from birch leafminer (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) for two field seasons

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Roger E. Burnside; Mark E. Schultz

2013-01-01

Ambermarked birch leafminer, Profenusa thomsoni (Konow) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), is an exotic, invasive pest of urban and wildland birch. We initiated a study near Fairbanks, Alaska to determine the efficacy of emamectin benzoate (TREE-äge®, Arborjet Inc., Woburn, MA) for control of P. thomsoni on paper...

Pupil Transportation Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Anthony R.

The safest means of transportation in the United States is the school bus fleet. Each school day, over 350,000 school buses transport about 22,000,000 children ages 3 to 21--from wheelchair pupils to varsity football players--to and from school in weather conditions ranging from those for Fairbanks, Alaska, to those typical of Cave Creek, Arizona.…

Assessment of the contribution of traffic emissions to the mobile vehicle measured PM2.5 concentration by means of WRF-CMAQ simulations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-03-01

The Alaska adapted version of the Weather Research and Forecasting and the Community Modeling and Analysis Quality (WRF-CMAQ) modeling : systems was used to assess the contribution of traffic to the PM2.5-concentration in the Fairbanks nonattainment ...

Forest regeneration at high latitudes.

Treesearch

Mayo Murray; Robert M. VanVeldhuizen

1980-01-01

Early in 1979 we surveyed forest managers and researchers in a number of northern countries to identify topics in forest management of circumpolar interest. Responses most frequently centered on problems of forest regeneration and related harvesting practices. As a result, an international workshop was held in Fairbanks, Alaska, on 13-15 November 1979, to obtain a...

"That's a Hard Question": Undergraduate Students Talk about Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montague-Winebarger, Caitlin N.

2012-01-01

In this project I examine the ability of undergraduate students to articulate a working definition of culture and cross-culture. The students were predominately elementary education majors, enrolled in one of two culture-based elective courses at the University of Alaska Fairbanks during the 2010-2011 school year. Through the use of…

Science Education Future. Proceedings of the Arctic Science Conference (39th, Fairbanks, Alaska, October 7-10, 1988).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fairbanks, AK. Arctic Div.

This catalog includes abstracts of each of the papers delivered at the Arctic Science Conference. The conference was divided into the following symposia: (1) "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology"; (2) "An Update of Alaskan Science and Discovery"; (3) "Science Education for the Public"; (4) "Hubbard Glacier,…

Monitoring volcanic threats using ASTER satellite data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duda, K.A.; Wessels, R.; Ramsey, M.; Dehn, J.

2008-01-01

This document summarizes ongoing activities associated with a research project funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) focusing on volcanic change detection through the use of satellite imagery. This work includes systems development as well as improvements in data analysis methods. Participating organizations include the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Science Team, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) at the USGS Alaska Science Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology (JPL/CalTech), the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. ?? 2007 IEEE.

Clean Air Act oversight: field hearings. Hearings before the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, Ninety-Seventh Congress, First Session, June 27, 1981 Seattle, Washington, June 30, 1981 Randolph, Vermont, July 1, 1981 Albany, New York, July 1, 1981 Fairbanks, Alaska, Part 7

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1981-01-01

Part 7 of the field hearings report covers hearings held on June 27, 1981 in Seattle, Washington, June 30, 1981 in Randolph, Vermont, July 1, 1981 in Albany, NY, and also July 1, 1981 in Fairbanks, Alaska. A total of 122 witnesses appeared to express their views on reauthorizing the Clean Air Act and to suggest possible amendments. Witnesses represented federal and state agencies, local businesses, and public interest groups. Witnesses were asked to address the issues of health standards, the Prevention of Significant Deterioration rule, all air pollutants and the effects, and the lack of clear responsibility and flexibilitymore » in the Clean Air Act. Present at the Albany meeting were representatives from the Canadian government, which is concerned with the problem of transboundary pollution. The record includes the testimony and supporting materials submitted for the record. (DCK)« less

Alaska Volcano Observatory at 20

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichelberger, J. C.

2008-12-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) was established in 1988 in the wake of the 1986 Augustine eruption through a congressional earmark. Even within the volcanological community, there was skepticism about AVO. Populations directly at risk in Alaska were small compared to Cascadia, and the logistical costs of installing and maintaining monitoring equipment were much higher. Questions were raised concerning the technical feasibility of keeping seismic stations operating through the long, dark, stormy Alaska winters. Some argued that AVO should simply cover Augustine with instruments and wait for the next eruption there, expected in the mid 90s (but delayed until 2006), rather than stretching to instrument as many volcanoes as possible. No sooner was AVO in place than Redoubt erupted and a fully loaded passenger 747 strayed into the eruption cloud between Anchorage and Fairbanks, causing a powerless glide to within a minute of impact before the pilot could restart two engines and limp into Anchorage. This event forcefully made the case that volcano hazard mitigation is not just about people and infrastructure on the ground, and is particularly important in the heavily traveled North Pacific where options for flight diversion are few. In 1996, new funding became available through an FAA earmark to aggressively extend volcano monitoring far into the Aleutian Islands with both ground-based networks and round-the-clock satellite monitoring. Beyond the Aleutians, AVO developed a monitoring partnership with Russians volcanologists at the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The need to work together internationally on subduction phenomena that span borders led to formation of the Japan-Kamchatka-Alaska Subduction Processes (JKASP) consortium. JKASP meets approximately biennially in Sapporo, Petropavlovsk, and Fairbanks. In turn, these meetings and support from NSF and the Russian Academy of Sciences led to new international education and research opportunities for Russian and American students. AVO was a three-way partnership of the federal and state geological surveys and the state university from the start. This was not a flowering of ecumenism but was rather at the insistence of the Alaska congressional delegation. Such shared enterprises are not managerially convenient, but they do bring a diversity of roles, thinking, and expertise that would not otherwise be possible. Through AVO, the USGS performs its federally mandated role in natural hazard mitigation and draws on expertise available from its network of volcano observatories. The Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys performs a similar role at the state level and, in the tradition of state surveys, provides important public communications, state data base, and mapping functions. The University of Alaska Fairbanks brought seismological, remote sensing, geodetic, petrological, and physical volcanological expertise, and uniquely within US academia was able to engage students directly in volcano observatory activities. Although this "model" cannot be adopted in total elsewhere, it has served to point the USGS Volcano Hazards Program in a direction of greater openness and inclusiveness.

Near-Simultaneous Measurement of Ground Level Carbon Dioxide and Methane Concentrations with an Open-Path Tunable Diode Laser Sensor at the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research site near Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, D. M.; Miller, J. H. H.

2017-12-01

Beyond anthropogenic carbon emissions, the increase in atmospheric carbon from natural feedbacks such as thawing permafrost poses a risk to the global climate as global temperatures continue to increase. Permafrost is formally defined as soil that is continuously frozen for 24 consecutive months. These soils comprise nearly twenty-five percent of the Earth's terrestrial surface and possess twice the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere. Continuous collection of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) concentrations is imperative in understanding seasonal and inter-annual variability of carbon feedbacks above thawing permafrost. A multi-year collaborative effort with the University of Alaska - Fairbanks, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and our group at George Washington University is underway to monitor these feedbacks near Fairbanks, Alaska. In June 2017, we deployed two open-path tunable diode laser sensors at the Bonanza Long Term Ecological Research Site for measurement of CO2 and CH4 concentrations. The open-path instrument (OPI) is an inexpensive, low-power sensor that collects spatially-integrated measurements of target molecules approximately 1.5 meters above ground level. With a total power burden of 18 W, the sensors ran exclusively on solar power for 15 days in a young thermokarst bog and 3.5 days at a rich fen site. Here we report on initial retrieval of diurnal cycles from each field site and compare our spatially-integrated measurements of CO2 and CH4. For CO2, the magnitude of the diurnal cycles show a strong dependence on daily weather at both field sites. These laser measurements are complemented by point measurements of CO2, temperature, pressure, and humidity made along the laser's optical path by non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors.

Earthquake Hazard and Risk in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Black Porto, N.; Nyst, M.

2014-12-01

Alaska is one of the most seismically active and tectonically diverse regions in the United States. To examine risk, we have updated the seismic hazard model in Alaska. The current RMS Alaska hazard model is based on the 2007 probabilistic seismic hazard maps for Alaska (Wesson et al., 2007; Boyd et al., 2007). The 2015 RMS model will update several key source parameters, including: extending the earthquake catalog, implementing a new set of crustal faults, updating the subduction zone geometry and reoccurrence rate. First, we extend the earthquake catalog to 2013; decluster the catalog, and compute new background rates. We then create a crustal fault model, based on the Alaska 2012 fault and fold database. This new model increased the number of crustal faults from ten in 2007, to 91 faults in the 2015 model. This includes the addition of: the western Denali, Cook Inlet folds near Anchorage, and thrust faults near Fairbanks. Previously the subduction zone was modeled at a uniform depth. In this update, we model the intraslab as a series of deep stepping events. We also use the best available data, such as Slab 1.0, to update the geometry of the subduction zone. The city of Anchorage represents 80% of the risk exposure in Alaska. In the 2007 model, the hazard in Alaska was dominated by the frequent rate of magnitude 7 to 8 events (Gutenberg-Richter distribution), and large magnitude 8+ events had a low reoccurrence rate (Characteristic) and therefore didn't contribute as highly to the overall risk. We will review these reoccurrence rates, and will present the results and impact to Anchorage. We will compare our hazard update to the 2007 USGS hazard map, and discuss the changes and drivers for these changes. Finally, we will examine the impact model changes have on Alaska earthquake risk. Consider risk metrics include average annual loss, an annualized expected loss level used by insurers to determine the costs of earthquake insurance (and premium levels), and the loss exceedance probability curve used by insurers to address their solvency and manage their portfolio risk. We analyze risk profile changes in areas with large population density and for structures of economic and financial importance: the Trans-Alaska pipeline, industrial facilities in Valdez, and typical residential wood buildings in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.

Population response of the northern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus) to differentially cut white spruce forest.

Treesearch

Stephen D. West; R. Glenn Ford; John C. Zasada

1980-01-01

The population response of the northern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus) to a differentially cut white spruce (Picea glauca) forest 30 km southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, was monitored by simultaneous livetrapping in a clearcut, in a partially cut or shelterwood area, and in an area of uncut forest. During the first...

Geophysical Institute. Biennial report, 1993-1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-01-01

The 1993-1994 Geophysical Institute Biennial Report was published in November 1995 by the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It contains an overview of the Geophysical Institute, the Director`s Note, and research presentations concerning the following subjects: Scientific Predictions, Space Physics, Atmospheric Sciences, Snow, Ice and Permafrost, Tectonics and Sedimentation, Seismology, Volcanology, Remote Sensing, and other projects.

Long-term impact of a leaf miner outbreak on the performance of quaking aspen

Treesearch

D. Wagner; P. Doak

2013-01-01

The aspen leaf miner, Phyllocnistis populiella Cham., has caused widespread and severe damage to aspen in the boreal forests of western North America for over a decade. We suppressed P. populiella on individual small aspen ramets using insecticide at two sites near Fairbanks, Alaska, annually for 7 years and compared plant...

78 FR 54481 - Alaska Native Claims Selection

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-04

... FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the BLM. The BLM... a week for four consecutive weeks in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. DATES: Any party claiming a... requirements of 43 CFR part 4 within the following time limits: 1. Unknown parties, parties unable to be...

Analysis of the Effects of Online Homework on the Achievement, Persistence, and Attitude of Developmental Mathematics Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnsley, Amy Elizabeth

2014-01-01

This dissertation summarizes a study of the use of online homework with developmental mathematics students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. To address the problem of high failure rates in developmental mathematics courses this study investigated the relationship between online homework and academic achievement, persistence, and attitude.…

75 FR 1447 - Alaska Railroad Corporation-Construction and Operation Exemption-Rail Line Between North Pole and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-11

... Railroad Corporation--Construction and Operation Exemption--Rail Line Between North Pole and Delta Junction... of North Pole (located just south of Fairbanks) to the southern side of the community of Delta... Railroad Administration, U.S. Air Force 354th Fighter Wing Command from Eielson Air Force Base, U.S. Army...

Ecological effects of the Wickersham Dome fire near Fairbanks, Alaska.

Treesearch

L.A. Viereck; C.T. Dyrness

1979-01-01

The Wickersham Dome fire occurred in late June 1971 and burned over 6 300 hectares of predominantly black spruce forest land. Shortly after the fire was controlled, studies of the effects of the fire on various components of the biotic community were undertaken. Results reported here are mainly for the first 3 years after the fire.

Forest classification at high latitudes as an aid to regeneration.

Treesearch

Mayo ed. Murray

1985-01-01

Early in 1979, the School of Agriculture and Land Resources Management of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks surveyed forest managers in a number of northern countries to identify topics of circumpolar interest in forest management. Responses most frequently centered on problems of forest regeneration. As a result, we initiated what was to be a series of international...

Workplan for U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic data-collection and support activities on Fort Wainwright, Alaska, 1994-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Claar, David V.; Lilly, Michael R.

1999-01-01

The U.S. Army Alaska is responsible for environmental activities on Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, Alaska. In order to better meet the needs of environmental investigations, the Army requires geohydrologic information about the Fort Wainwright area. Since 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey has been working in cooperation with the U.S. Army Alaska and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to investigate the geohydrology of the Fort Wainwright area. The primary objectives of the study are to collect basic ground-water and surface-water data and to support ongoing environmental investigations by other agencies. This report is the workplan describing the technical methods used by the USGS to meet these objectives. It includes details on field procedures, data collection, and analyses of water samples.

The USP1-UAF1 complex interacts with RAD51AP1 to promote homologous recombination repair.

PubMed

Cukras, Scott; Lee, Euiho; Palumbo, Emily; Benavidez, Pamela; Moldovan, George-Lucian; Kee, Younghoon

2016-10-01

USP1 deubiquitinating enzyme and its stoichiometric binding partner UAF1 play an essential role in promoting DNA homologous recombination (HR) repair in response to various types of DNA damaging agents. Deubiquitination of FANCD2 may be attributed to the key role of USP1-UAF1 complex in regulating HR repair, however whether USP1-UAF1 promotes HR repair independently of FANCD2 deubiquitination is not known. Here we show evidence that the USP1-UAF1 complex has a FANCD2-independent function in promoting HR repair. Proteomic search of UAF1-interacting proteins revealed that UAF1 associates with RAD51AP1, a RAD51-interacting protein implicated in HR repair. We show that UAF1 mediates the interaction between USP1 and RAD51AP1, and that depletion of USP1 or UAF1 led to a decreased stability of RAD51AP1. Protein interaction mapping analysis identified some key residues within RAD51AP1 required for interacting with the USP1-UAF1 complex. Cells expressing the UAF1 interaction-deficient mutant of RAD51AP1 show increased chromosomal aberrations in response to Mitomycin C treatment. Moreover, similar to the RAD51AP1 depleted cells, the cells expressing UAF1-interaction deficient RAD51AP1 display persistent RAD51 foci following DNA damage exposure, indicating that these factors regulate a later step during the HR repair. These data altogether suggest that the USP1-UAF1 complex promotes HR repair via multiple mechanisms: through FANCD2 deubiquitination, as well as by interacting with RAD51AP1.

The USP1-UAF1 complex interacts with RAD51AP1 to promote homologous recombination repair

PubMed Central

Cukras, Scott; Lee, Euiho; Palumbo, Emily; Benavidez, Pamela; Moldovan, George-Lucian; Kee, Younghoon

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT USP1 deubiquitinating enzyme and its stoichiometric binding partner UAF1 play an essential role in promoting DNA homologous recombination (HR) repair in response to various types of DNA damaging agents. Deubiquitination of FANCD2 may be attributed to the key role of USP1-UAF1 complex in regulating HR repair, however whether USP1-UAF1 promotes HR repair independently of FANCD2 deubiquitination is not known. Here we show evidence that the USP1-UAF1 complex has a FANCD2-independent function in promoting HR repair. Proteomic search of UAF1-interacting proteins revealed that UAF1 associates with RAD51AP1, a RAD51-interacting protein implicated in HR repair. We show that UAF1 mediates the interaction between USP1 and RAD51AP1, and that depletion of USP1 or UAF1 led to a decreased stability of RAD51AP1. Protein interaction mapping analysis identified some key residues within RAD51AP1 required for interacting with the USP1-UAF1 complex. Cells expressing the UAF1 interaction-deficient mutant of RAD51AP1 show increased chromosomal aberrations in response to Mitomycin C treatment. Moreover, similar to the RAD51AP1 depleted cells, the cells expressing UAF1-interaction deficient RAD51AP1 display persistent RAD51 foci following DNA damage exposure, indicating that these factors regulate a later step during the HR repair. These data altogether suggest that the USP1-UAF1 complex promotes HR repair via multiple mechanisms: through FANCD2 deubiquitination, as well as by interacting with RAD51AP1. PMID:27463890

The Northern Plains MSATT Meeting, and a call for a field-oriented successor to MSATT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kargel, J. S.

1993-01-01

The workshop was devoted to a review of our knowledge of the Martian northern plains and presentation of recent ideas pertaining to the geologic and climatic evolution of this interesting region. The meeting was held in Fairbanks to allow easy access to Mars-like terrains in central and northern Alaska. There is no place on Earth that is a close analog of the Martian northern plains, but parts of Alaska come reasonably close in some respects, so we may expect that some of the processes occurring there are similar to processes that have occurred on Mars.

Alaska Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Facility science data processing architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hilland, Jeffrey E.; Bicknell, Thomas; Miller, Carol L.

1991-01-01

The paper describes the architecture of the Alaska SAR Facility (ASF) at Fairbanks, being developed to generate science data products for supporting research in sea ice motion, ice classification, sea-ice-ocean interaction, glacier behavior, ocean waves, and hydrological and geological study areas. Special attention is given to the individual substructures of the ASF: the Receiving Ground Station (RGS), the SAR Processor System, and the Interactive Image Analysis System. The SAR data will be linked to the RGS by the ESA ERS-1 and ERS-2, the Japanese ERS-1, and the Canadian Radarsat.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2013-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Manoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. Only published papers and maps are included here; abstracts presented at scientific meetings are omitted. Publication dates are based on year of issue, with no attempt to assign them to fiscal year.

Rural Student Vocational Program (RSVP) [and] Housing Guide for Parents and Students [and] Work Supervisor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rural Student Vocational Program, Wasilla, AK.

The purpose of the Rural Student Vocational Program (RSVP) is to provide rural high school vocational students with work and other experiences related to their career objective. Students from outlying schools travel to Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau (Alaska) to participate in two weeks of work experience with cooperating agencies and businesses.…

Strategic Analysis and Plan for Implementing Telemedicine at Fort Greely

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-03-01

Analysis The Situational Analysis tool assessed the environmental, market , and organizational factors involved in a Fort Greely telemedicine... Factors ): Medicaid reimbursement is now approved for Alaska regardless of method of healthcare delivery. Market Factors (Customers): The influx of...arrive are Active National Guardsmen and Fort Greely Telemedicine 50 their families. Market Factors (Services): Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (FMH) can

2013-2014 Greater Fairbanks, Alaska, Transportation Survey |

Science.gov Websites

1,700 households for a one-day personal travel survey, and a sub-sample participated with global one week. The purpose of phase one was to better understand the impact of vehicle emissions on air portion of phase one were asked to participate in phase two. Drive Cycle Processing and Filtering NREL has

The effect on vegetation and soil temperature of logging flood-plain white spruce.

Treesearch

C.T. Dyrness; L.A. Vlereck; M.J. Foote; J.C. Zasada

1988-01-01

During winter 1982-83, five silvicultural treatments were applied on Willow Island (near Fairbanks, Alaska): two types of shelterwood cuttings, a clearcutting, a clearcutting with broadcast slash burning, and a thinning. The effects of these treatments on vegetation, soil temperature, and frost depth were followed from 1983 through 1985. In 1984 and 1985, logged plots...

76 FR 58298 - Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey; Alaska

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-20

..., along a portion of the west boundary of Township 7 North, Range 9 East, the corrective dependent... survey of Townships 7 North, Ranges 8 and 9 East and the survey of Tract 37, Township 7 North, Range 9... Fairbanks, within Township 7 North, Range 9 East and Townships 8 North, Ranges 9, 10 and 11 East, of the...

76 FR 53939 - Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey; Alaska

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-30

..., along a portion of the west boundary of Township 7 North, Range 9 East, the corrective dependent... survey of Townships 7 North, Ranges 8 and 9 East and the survey of Tract 37, Township 7 North, Range 9... Fairbanks, within Township 7 North, Range 9 East and Townships 8 North, Ranges 9, 10 and 11 East, of the...

Fairbanks International Airport, Transportation & Public Facilities, State

Science.gov Websites

, Alaska 99709 Phone: (907) 474-2500 Fax: (907) 474-2513 Email FAI Hours of Operation: FAI is open 24 hours a day. Passenger screening checkpoints are open: 4:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily, including holidays PDF document FAI to Host Open House at La Quinta Inn & Suites PDF document FAI Helps Combat Opioid

Southern Alaska Coastal Relief Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, E.; Eakins, B.; Wigley, R.

2009-12-01

The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in conjunction with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has developed a 24 arc-second integrated bathymetric-topographic digital elevation model of Southern Alaska. This Coastal Relief Model (CRM) was generated from diverse digital datasets that were obtained from NGDC, the United States Geological Survey, and other U.S. and international agencies. The CRM spans 170° to 230° E and 48.5° to 66.5° N, including the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Alaska’s largest communities: Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. The CRM provides a framework for enabling scientists to refine tsunami propagation and ocean circulation modeling through increased resolution of geomorphologic features. It may also be useful for benthic habitat research, weather forecasting, and environmental stewardship. Shaded-relief image of the Southern Alaska Coastal Relief Model.

Who Knew? Inconnu

USGS Publications Warehouse

Margraf, F. Joseph

2016-01-01

In 1999, I moved to Alaska to serve as unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and professor of fisheries in the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. What was unusual about this move was that before this I was an easterner and southerner, having done my graduate work in fisheries at Texas A&M University and been stationed in the Coop Unit Program in Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. I had never worked with salmonids of any sort. To me fish with adipose fins also had whiskers! I suddenly found myself working in the land of salmon experts, and I didn't even reliably know the names—scientific, common, or colloquial—of the five (or is it six?) common Pacific salmon species in Alaska. I had to quickly find a research niche that probably didn't involve salmon.

Volcanic ash plume identification using polarization lidar: Augustine eruption, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sassen, Kenneth; Zhu, Jiang; Webley, Peter W.; Dean, K.; Cobb, Patrick

2007-01-01

During mid January to early February 2006, a series of explosive eruptions occurred at the Augustine volcanic island off the southern coast of Alaska. By early February a plume of volcanic ash was transported northward into the interior of Alaska. Satellite imagery and Puff volcanic ash transport model predictions confirm that the aerosol plume passed over a polarization lidar (0.694 mm wavelength) site at the Arctic Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For the first time, lidar linear depolarization ratios of 0.10 – 0.15 were measured in a fresh tropospheric volcanic plume, demonstrating that the nonspherical glass and mineral particles typical of volcanic eruptions generate strong laser depolarization. Thus, polarization lidars can identify the volcanic ash plumes that pose a threat to jet air traffic from the ground, aircraft, or potentially from Earth orbit.

Wildlife, Snow, Coffee, and Video: The IPY Activities of the University of Alaska Young Researchers' Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pringle, D.; Alvarez-Aviles, L.; Carlson, D.; Harbeck, J.; Druckenmiller, M.; Newman, K.; Mueller, D.; Petrich, C.; Roberts, A.; Wang, Y.

2007-12-01

The University of Alaska International Polar Year (IPY) Young Researchers' Network is a group of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Our interdisciplinary group operates as a volunteer network to promote the International Polar Year through education and outreach aimed at the general public and Alaskan students of all ages. The Young Researchers' Network sponsors and organizes science talks or Science Cafés by guest speakers in public venues such as coffee shops and bookstores. We actively engage high school students in IPY research concerning the ionic concentrations and isotopic ratios of precipitation through Project Snowball. Our network provides hands-on science activities to encourage environmental awareness and initiate community wildlife monitoring programs such as Wildlife Day by Day. We mentor individual high school students pursuing their own research projects related to IPY through the Alaska High School Science Symposium. Our group also interacts with the general public at community events and festivals to share the excitement of IPY for example at the World Ice Art Championship and Alaska State Fair. The UA IPY Young Researchers' Network continues to explore new partnerships with educators and students in an effort to enhance science and education related to Alaska and the polar regions in general. For more information please visit: http://ipy-youth.uaf.edu or e-mail: ipy-youth@alaska.edu

Virtual Reality Visualization of Permafrost Dynamics Along a Transect Through Northern Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chappell, G. G.; Brody, B.; Webb, P.; Chord, J.; Romanovsky, V.; Tipenko, G.

2004-12-01

Understanding permafrost dynamics poses a significant challenge for researchers and planners. Our project uses nontraditional visualization tools to create a 3-D interactive virtual-reality environment in which permafrost dynamics can be explored and experimented with. We have incorporated a numerical soil temperature model by Gennadiy Tipenko and Vladimir Romanovsky of the Geophysical institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks into an animated tour in space and time in the virtual reality facility of the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The software is being written by undergraduate interns Patrick Webb and Jordanna Chord under the direction of Professors Chappell and Brody. When using our software, the user appears to be surrounded by a 3-D computer-generated model of the state of Alaska. The eastern portion of the state is displaced upward from the western portion. The data are represented on an animated vertical strip running between the two parts, as if eastern Alaska were raised up, and the soil at the cut could be viewed. We use coloring to highlight significant properties and features of the soil: temperature, the active layer, etc. The user can view data from various parts of the state simply by walking to the appropriate location in the model, or by using a flying-style interface to cover longer distances. Using a control panel, the user can also alter the time, viewing the data for a particular date, or watching the data change with time: a high-speed movie in which long-term changes in permafrost are readily apparent. In the second phase of the project, we connect the visualization directly to the model, running in real time. We allow the user to manipulate the input data and get immediate visual feedback. For example, the user might specify the kind and placement of ground cover, by ``painting'' snowpack, plant species, or fire damage, and be able to see the effect on permafrost stability with no significant time lag.

Differences in Human Versus Lightning Fires with Human Proximity at Two Spatial Scales in Interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calef, M. P.; Varvak, A.; McGuire, A. D.

2017-12-01

The boreal forest contains significant amounts of carbon in its biomass and soils and is currently responding to a rapidly changing climate. This is leading to warmer temperatures, drier conditions and larger and more frequent wildfires in western North America. However, the fire regime is also affected by direct human activities through suppression, ignition, and land use changes. Models are important predictive tools for understanding future conditions but they are based on regional generalizations of wildfire behavior and do not account for the complexity of human-fire interactions. In order to achieve a better understanding of the human influence on fires and how human fires differ from lightning fires, we analyzed both in regard to human proximity at two spatial scales (the Fairbanks subregion and Interior Alaska) using ArcGIS and quantitative analysis methods. We found that area burned is increasing across the region at 3% per year and is driven by increase in area burned by lightning while human-caused area burned has been decreasing recently especially in the WUI near Fairbanks. Human fires differed from lightning fires in several ways: they occurred significantly closer to settlements and highways, burned for a shorter duration, and were not as restricted to a brief seasonal window. The fire regime in the much more populated Fairbanks subregion has been altered by human activity: it experienced substantially more human fire ignitions along with a larger area burned though the human influence decreases with distance. This study provides important insights into spatial patterns of human influences on fires and provides useful information for fire modeling and fire management.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2012-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Manoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. Only published papers and maps are included here; numerous abstracts presented at scientific meetings are omitted. Publication dates are based on year of issue, with no attempt to assign them to fiscal year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2014-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Manoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all of these institutions. Only published papers and maps are included here; abstracts presented at scientific meetings are omitted. Publication dates are based on year of issue, with no attempt to assign them to a fiscal year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2011-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Manoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. Only published papers and maps are included here; numerous abstracts presented at scientific meetings are omitted. Publications dates are based on year of issue, with no attempt to assign them to fiscal year.

Publications of Volcano Hazards Program 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2001-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 1997

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

1998-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geologic and Water Resources Divisions of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Proceedings of International Conference on the Role of the Polar Regions in Global Change Held in Fairbanks Alaska on 11-15 June 1990. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

and occurring at was first noted by Findeisen [1940]. temperatures near -400C were found in the 27 years of data The homogeneous freezing of water at...the likelihood. and distinct pollutant-produced signatire on the nature of the consequences of such processes. REFERENCES Findeisen , W., The formation

Temperature changes in an initially frozen wood chip pile.

Treesearch

George R. Sampson; Jenifer H. McBeath

1987-01-01

White spruce trees and tops were chipped and placed in a pile near Fairbanks, Alaska, in February 1983. The pile was 6 meters in diameter and 6 meters high in a cylindrical shape. Thermocouples were placed at 25 locations within the pile so that temperatures could be tracked over time. Gypsum blocks were placed at 10 locations to determine changes in moisture content....

Artificial Recruitment of UAF1-USP Complexes by a PHLPP1-E1 Chimeric Helicase Enhances Human Papillomavirus DNA Replication

PubMed Central

Gagnon, David; Lehoux, Michaël

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT The E1 helicase from anogenital human papillomavirus (HPV) types interacts with the cellular WD repeat-containing protein UAF1 in complex with the deubiquitinating enzyme USP1, USP12, or USP46. This interaction stimulates viral DNA replication and is required for maintenance of the viral episome in keratinocytes. E1 associates with UAF1 through a short UAF1-binding site (UBS) located within the N-terminal 40 residues of the protein. Here, we investigated if the E1 UBS could be replaced by the analogous domain from an unrelated protein, the pleckstrin homology domain and leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1). We found that PHLPP1 and E1 interact with UAF1 in a mutually exclusive manner and mapped the minimal PHLPP1 UBS (PUBS) to a 100-amino-acid region sufficient for assembly into UAF1-USP complexes. Similarly to the E1 UBS, overexpression of PUBS in trans inhibited HPV DNA replication, albeit less efficiently. Characterization of a PHLPP1-E1 chimeric helicase revealed that PUBS could partially substitute for the E1 UBS in enhancing viral DNA replication and that the stimulatory effect of PUBS likely involves recruitment of UAF1-USP complexes, as it was abolished by mutations that weaken UAF1-binding and by overexpression of catalytically inactive USPs. Although functionally similar to the E1 UBS, PUBS is larger in size and requires both the WD repeat region and C-terminal ubiquitin-like domain of UAF1 for interaction, in contrast to E1, which does not contact the latter. Overall, this comparison of two heterologous UBSs indicates that these domains function as transferable protein interaction modules and provide further evidence that the association of E1 with UAF1-containing deubiquitinating complexes stimulates HPV DNA replication. IMPORTANCE The E1 protein from anogenital HPV types interacts with the UAF1-associated deubiquitinating enzymes USP1, USP12, and USP46 to stimulate replication of the viral genome. Little is known about the molecular nature of the E1-UAF1 interaction and, more generally, how UAF1-USP complexes recognize their substrate proteins. To address this question, we characterized the UAF1-binding site (UBS) of PHLPP1, a protein unrelated to E1. Using a PHLPP1-E1 chimeric helicase, we show that the PHLPP1 UBS (PUBS) can partially substitute for the E1 UBS in stimulating HPV DNA replication. This stimulation required conserved sequences in PUBS that meditate its interaction with UAF1, including a motif common to the E1 UBS. These results indicate that UAF1-binding sequences function as transferable protein interaction modules and provide further evidence that UAF1-USP complexes stimulate HPV DNA replication. PMID:25833051

Artificial Recruitment of UAF1-USP Complexes by a PHLPP1-E1 Chimeric Helicase Enhances Human Papillomavirus DNA Replication.

PubMed

Gagnon, David; Lehoux, Michaël; Archambault, Jacques

2015-06-01

The E1 helicase from anogenital human papillomavirus (HPV) types interacts with the cellular WD repeat-containing protein UAF1 in complex with the deubiquitinating enzyme USP1, USP12, or USP46. This interaction stimulates viral DNA replication and is required for maintenance of the viral episome in keratinocytes. E1 associates with UAF1 through a short UAF1-binding site (UBS) located within the N-terminal 40 residues of the protein. Here, we investigated if the E1 UBS could be replaced by the analogous domain from an unrelated protein, the pleckstrin homology domain and leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1). We found that PHLPP1 and E1 interact with UAF1 in a mutually exclusive manner and mapped the minimal PHLPP1 UBS (PUBS) to a 100-amino-acid region sufficient for assembly into UAF1-USP complexes. Similarly to the E1 UBS, overexpression of PUBS in trans inhibited HPV DNA replication, albeit less efficiently. Characterization of a PHLPP1-E1 chimeric helicase revealed that PUBS could partially substitute for the E1 UBS in enhancing viral DNA replication and that the stimulatory effect of PUBS likely involves recruitment of UAF1-USP complexes, as it was abolished by mutations that weaken UAF1-binding and by overexpression of catalytically inactive USPs. Although functionally similar to the E1 UBS, PUBS is larger in size and requires both the WD repeat region and C-terminal ubiquitin-like domain of UAF1 for interaction, in contrast to E1, which does not contact the latter. Overall, this comparison of two heterologous UBSs indicates that these domains function as transferable protein interaction modules and provide further evidence that the association of E1 with UAF1-containing deubiquitinating complexes stimulates HPV DNA replication. The E1 protein from anogenital HPV types interacts with the UAF1-associated deubiquitinating enzymes USP1, USP12, and USP46 to stimulate replication of the viral genome. Little is known about the molecular nature of the E1-UAF1 interaction and, more generally, how UAF1-USP complexes recognize their substrate proteins. To address this question, we characterized the UAF1-binding site (UBS) of PHLPP1, a protein unrelated to E1. Using a PHLPP1-E1 chimeric helicase, we show that the PHLPP1 UBS (PUBS) can partially substitute for the E1 UBS in stimulating HPV DNA replication. This stimulation required conserved sequences in PUBS that meditate its interaction with UAF1, including a motif common to the E1 UBS. These results indicate that UAF1-binding sequences function as transferable protein interaction modules and provide further evidence that UAF1-USP complexes stimulate HPV DNA replication. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory Website a Tool for Information Management and Dissemination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snedigar, S. F.; Cameron, C. E.; Nye, C. J.

2006-12-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory's (AVO's) website served as a primary information management tool during the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano. The AVO website is dynamically generated from a database back- end. This system enabled AVO to quickly and easily update the website, and provide content based on user- queries to the database. During the Augustine eruption, the new AVO website was heavily used by members of the public (up to 19 million hits per day), and this was largely because the AVO public pages were an excellent source of up-to-date information. There are two different, yet fully integrated parts of the website. An external, public site (www.avo.alaska.edu) allows the general public to track eruptive activity by viewing the latest photographs, webcam images, webicorder graphs, and official information releases about activity at the volcano, as well as maps, previous eruption information, bibliographies, and rich information about other Alaska volcanoes. The internal half of the website hosts diverse geophysical and geological data (as browse images) in a format equally accessible by AVO staff in different locations. In addition, an observation log allows users to enter information about anything from satellite passes to seismic activity to ash fall reports into a searchable database. The individual(s) on duty at the watch office use forms on the internal website to post a summary of the latest activity directly to the public website, ensuring that the public website is always up to date. The internal website also serves as a starting point for monitoring Alaska's volcanoes. AVO's extensive image database allows AVO personnel to upload many photos, diagrams, and videos which are then available to be browsed by anyone in the AVO community. Selected images are viewable from the public page. The primary webserver is housed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and holds a MySQL database with over 200 tables and several thousand lines of php code gluing the database and website together. The database currently holds 95 GB of data. Webcam images and webicorder graphs are pulled from servers in Anchorage every few minutes. Other servers in Fairbanks generate earthquake location plots and spectrograms.

Using strategic planning and organizational development principles for health promotion in an Alaska native community.

PubMed

Lardon, Cecile; Soule, Susan; Kernak, Douglas; Lupie, Henry

2011-01-01

Health promotion aims to support people in their efforts to increase control over factors that impact health and well-being. This emphasis on empowerment and contextual influences allows for a more holistic conceptualization of health and approaches to promoting health that are anchored in principles of community development and systems change. Piciryaratgun Calritllerkaq (Healthy Living Through A Healthy Lifestyle) is a collaboration between a Yup'ik village in rural Alaska and researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The goal was to improve nutrition, increase exercise, and decrease stress. The project utilized elements of organization development and strategic planning to develop a local infrastructure and process and to promote local expertise. The project team developed goals, objectives, action, and evaluation plans that integrated local traditions, Yup'ik culture, and research.

Coastal Survey Using Unmanned Aerial Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, G.

2012-12-01

Generating high-resolution 3-dimensional costal imagery from imagery collected on small-unmanned aircraft is opening many opportunities to study marine wildlife and its use of costal habitats as well as climate change effects on northern coasts where storm surges are radically altering the coastline. Additionally, the technology is being evaluated for oil spill response planning and preparation. The University of Alaska Fairbanks works extensively with small-unmanned aircraft and recently began evaluating the aircraft utility for generating survey grade mapping of topographic features. When generating 3-D maps of coastal regions however there are added challenges that the University have identified and are trying to address. Recent projects with Alaska fisheries and BP Exploration Alaska have demonstrated that small-unmanned aircraft can support the generation of map-based products that are nearly impossible to generate with other technologies.

Long-term bird study records Arctic climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zielinski, Sarah

Alaska's summer of 2005 was the second warmest on record there, with a record retreat of arctic pack ice. As Alaskan temperatures gradually increase, artic birds, such as the black guillemots of Cooper Island, near Barrow, Alaska, are experiencing drastic habitat changes. Though these small black and white birds—the subjects of a long-term study of climate change—fared better this year than they have in the recent past (due to local cool conditions), they are nonetheless struggling to adapt as their artic island summer home becomes subarctic.George Divokyan ornithologist at the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, discovered the Cooper Island colony of guillemots in the early 1970s and has spent every summer since 1975 there studying these birds. He presented his latest research during a 3 November talk in Washington, D.C.

Using strategic planning and organizational development principles for health promotion in an Alaska Native community

PubMed Central

Lardon, Cécile; Soule, Susan; Kernak, Douglas; Lupie, Henry

2011-01-01

SUMMARY Health promotion aims to support people in their efforts to increase control over factors that impact health and well-being. This emphasis on empowerment and contextual influences allows for a more holistic conceptualization of health and approaches to promoting health that are anchored in principles of community development and systems change. Piciryaratgun Calritllerkaq (Healthy Living Through A Healthy Lifestyle) is a collaboration between a Yup’ik village in rural Alaska and researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The goal was to improve nutrition, increase exercise and decrease stress. The project utilized elements of organization development and strategic planning to develop a local infrastructure and process and to promote local expertise. The project team developed goals, objectives, action and evaluation plans that integrated local traditions, Yup’ik culture, and research. PMID:21271433

Evaluation of Geotextile Reinforced Embankments on the Farmer’s Loop Road in Fairbanks, Alaska

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

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AmeriFlux US-Prr Poker Flat Research Range Black Spruce Forest

DOE Data Explorer

Suzuki, Rikie [Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

2016-01-01

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Prr Poker Flat Research Range Black Spruce Forest. Site Description - This site is located in a blackspruce forest within the property of the Poker Flat Research Range, University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Time-lapse image of the canopy is measured at the same time to relate flux data to satellite images.

Aerobic Methane Oxidation in Alaskan Lakes Along a Latitudinal Transect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Cruz, K. C.; Sepulveda-Jauregui, A.; Walter Anthony, K. M.; Anthony, P.; Thalasso, F.

2013-12-01

Karla Martinez-Cruz* **, Armando Sepulveda-Jauregui*, Katey M. Walter Anthony*, Peter Anthony*, and Frederic Thalasso**. * Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska. ** Biotechnology and Bioengineering Department, Cinvestav, Mexico city, D. F., Mexico. Methane (CH4) is the third most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, after carbon dioxide and water vapor. Boreal lakes play an important role in the current global warming by contributing as much as 6% of global atmospheric CH4 sources annually. On the other hand, aerobic methane oxidation (methanotrophy) in lake water is a fundamental process in global methane cycling that reduces the amount of CH4 emissions to the atmosphere. Several environmental factors affect aerobic methane oxidation in the water column both directly and indirectly, including concentration of CH4 and O2, temperature and carbon budgets of lakes. We analyzed the potential of aerobic methane oxidation (PMO) rates in incubations of water collected from 30 Alaskan lakes along a north-south transect during winter and summer 2011. Our findings showed an effect of CH4 and O2 concentrations, temperature and yedoma thawing permafrost on PMO activity in the lake water. The highest PMO rates were observed in summer by lakes situated on thawing yedoma permafrost, most of them located in the interior of Alaska. We also estimated that 60-80% of all CH4 produced in Alaskan lakes could be taken up by methanotrophs in the lake water column, showing the significant influence of aerobic methane oxidation of boreal lakes to the global CH4 budget.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Western Region Kasatochi Volcano Coastal and Ocean Science

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeGange, Anthony

2010-01-01

Alaska is noteworthy as a region of frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The region contains 52 historically active volcanoes, 14 of which have had at least one major eruptive event since 1990. Despite the high frequency of volcanic activity in Alaska, comprehensive studies of how ecosystems respond to volcanic eruptions are non-existent. On August 7, 2008, Kasatochi Volcano, in the central Aleutian Islands, erupted catastrophically, covering the island with ash and hot pyroclastic flow material. Kasatochi Island was an annual monitoring site of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR); therefore, features of the terrestrial and nearshore ecosystems of the island were well known. In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), AMNWR, and University of Alaska Fairbanks began long-term studies to better understand the effects of the eruption and the role of volcanism in structuring ecosystems in the Aleutian Islands, a volcano-dominated region with high natural resource values.

Robotic weather balloon launchers spread in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosen, Julia

2018-04-01

Last week, things began stirring inside the truck-size box that sat among melting piles of snow at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska. Before long, the roof of the box yawned open and a weather balloon took off into the sunny afternoon, instruments dangling. The entire launch was triggered with the touch of a button, 5 kilometers away at an office of the National Weather Service (NWS). The flight was smooth, just one of hundreds of twice-daily balloon launches around the world that radio back crucial data for weather forecasts. But most of those balloons are launched by people; the robotic launchers, which are rolling out across Alaska, are proving to be controversial. NWS says the autolaunchers will save money and free up staff to work on more pressing matters. But representatives of the employee union question their reliability, and say they will hasten the end of Alaska's remote weather offices, where forecasting duties and hours have already been slashed.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2007-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2004-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2008-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2009-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2006-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This bibliographic report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2002-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nathenson, Manuel

2010-01-01

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Manoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year.

Comparisons of Simultaneously Acquired Airborne Sfm Photogrammetry and Lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, C. F.

2014-12-01

Digital elevation models (DEMs) created using images from a consumer DSLR camera are compared against simultaneously acquired LiDAR on a number of airborne mapping projects across Alaska, California and Utah. The aircraft used is a Cessna 180, and is equipped with the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute (UAF-GI) scanning airborne LiDAR system. This LiDAR is the same as described in Johnson et al, 2013, and is the principal instrument used for NASA's Operation IceBridge flights in Alaska. The system has been in extensive use since 2009, and is particularly well characterized with dozens of calibration flights and a careful program of boresight angle determination and monitoring. The UAF-GI LiDAR has a precision of +/- 8 cm and accuracy of +/- 15 cm. The photogrammetry DEM simultaneously acquired with the LiDAR relies on precise shutter timing using an event marker input to the IMU associated with the LiDAR system. The photo positions are derived from the fully coupled GPS/IMU processing, which samples at 100 Hz and is able to directly calculate the antenna to image plane offset displacements from the full orientation data. This use of the GPS/IMU solution means that both the LiDAR and Cessna 180 photogrammetry DEM share trajectory input data, however no orientation data nor ground control is used for the photorammetry processing. The photogrammetry DEMs are overlaid on the LiDAR point cloud and analyzed for horizontal shifts or warps relative to the LiDAR. No warping or horizontal shifts have been detectable for a number of photogrammetry DEMs. Vertical offsets range from +/- 30 cm, with a typical standard deviation about that mean of 10 cm or better. LiDAR and photogrammetry function inherently differently over trees and brush, and direct comparisons between the two methods show much larger differences over vegetated areas. Finally, the differences in flight patterns associated with the two methods will be discussed, highlighting the photogrammetry requirements for a well planned grid pattern and the effects of significant end lap and side lap in the imagery coverage.

Chaparral Model 60 Infrasound Sensor Evaluation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slad, George William; Merchant, Bion J.

2016-03-01

Sandia National Laboratories has tested and evaluated an infrasound sensor, the Model 60 manufactured by Chaparral Physics, a Division of Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The purpose of the infrasound sensor evaluation was to determine a measured sensitivity, transfer function, power, self-noise, dynamic range, and seismic sensitivity. The Model 60 infrasound sensor is a new sensor developed by Chaparral Physics intended to be a small, rugged sensor used in more flexible application conditions.

Atmospheric Aerosol Sampling with Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Alaska: Instrument Development, Payload Integration, and Measurement Campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barberie, S. R.; Saiet, E., II; Hatfield, M. C.; Cahill, C. F.

2014-12-01

Atmospheric aerosols remain one of biggest variables in understanding global climate. The number of feedback loops involved in aerosol processes lead to nonlinear behavior at the systems level, making confident modeling and prediction difficult. It is therefore important to ground-truth and supplement modeling efforts with rigorous empirical measurements. To this end, the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has developed a new cascade DRUM-style impactor to be mounted aboard a variety of unmanned aircraft and work in tandem with an optical particle counter for the routine collection of atmospheric aerosols. These UAS-based aerosol samplers will be employed for measurement campaigns in traditionally hazardous conditions such as volcanic plumes and over forest fires. Here we report on the development and laboratory calibration of the new instrument, the integration with UAS, and the vertical profiling campaigns being undertaken.

The AVO Website - a Comprehensive Tool for Information Management and Dissemination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snedigar, S.; Cameron, C.; Nye, C. J.

2008-12-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) website serves as a primary information management, browsing, and dissemination tool. It is database-driven, thus easy to maintain and update. There are two different, yet fully integrated parts of the website. An external site (www.avo.alaska.edu) allows the general public to track eruptive activity by viewing the latest photographs, webcam images, seismic data, and official information releases about the volcano, as well as maps, previous eruption information, and bibliographies. This website is also the single most comprehensive source of Alaska volcano information available. The database now contains 14,000 images, 3,300 of which are publicly viewable, and 4,300 bibliographic citations - many linked to full-text downloadable files.. The internal portion of the website is essential to routine observatory operations, and hosts browse images of diverse geophysical and geological data in a format accessible by AVO staff regardless of location. An observation log allows users to enter information about anything from satellite passes to seismic activity to ash fall reports into a searchable database, and has become the permanent record of observatory function. The individual(s) on duty at home, at the watch office, or elsewhere use forms on the internal website to log information about volcano activity. These data are then automatically parsed into a number of primary activity notices which are the formal communication to appropriate agencies and interested individuals. Geochemistry, geochronology, and geospatial data modules are currently being developed. The website receives over 100 million hits, and serves 1,300 GB of data annually. It is dynamically generated from a MySQL database with over 300 tables and several thousand lines of php code which write the actual web display. The primary webserver is housed at (but not owned by) the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and currently holds 200 GB of data. Webcam images, webicorder graphs, earthquake location plots, and spectrograms are pulled and generated by other servers in Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Seasonal and Latitudinal Variations in Dissolved Methane from 42 Lakes along a North-South Transect in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sepulveda-Jauregui, A.; Walter Anthony, K. M.; Martinez-Cruz, K. C.; Anthony, P.; Thalasso, F.

2013-12-01

Armando Sepulveda-Jauregui,* Katey M. Walter Anthony,* Karla Martinez-Cruz,* ** Peter Anthony,* and Frederic Thalasso**. * Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska. ** Biotechnology and Bioengineering Department, Cinvestav, Mexico city, D. F., Mexico. Northern lakes are important reservoirs and sources to the atmosphere of methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. It is estimated that northern lakes (> 55 °N) contribute about 20% of the total global lake methane emissions, and that emissions from these lakes will increase with climate warming. Temperature rise enhances methane production directly by providing the kinetic energy to methanogenesis, and indirectly by supplying organic matter from thawing permafrost. Warmer lakes also store less methane since methane's solubility is inversely related to temperature. Alaskan lakes are located in three well-differentiated permafrost classes: yedoma permafrost with high labile carbon stocks, non-yedoma permafrost with lower carbon stocks, and areas without permafrost, also with generally lower carbon stocks. We sampled dissolved methane from 42 Alaskan lakes located in these permafrost cover classes along a north-south Alaska transect from Prudhoe Bay to the Kenai Peninsula during open-water conditions in summer 2011. We sampled 26 of these lakes in April, toward the end of the winter ice-covered period. Our results indicated that the largest dissolved methane concentrations occurred in interior Alaska thermokarst lakes formed in yedoma-type permafrost during winter and summer, with maximal concentrations of 17.19 and 12.76 mg L-1 respectively. In these lakes, emission of dissolved gases as diffusion during summer and storage release in spring were 18.4% and 17.4% of the annual emission budget, while ebullition (64.2 %) comprised the rest. Dissolved oxygen was inversely correlated with dissolved methane concentrations in both seasons; the absence of O2 enhances methane production, while high concentration of O2 could favor methane oxidation. These relationships suggest that permafrost type, and specifically the availability of permafrost organic matter, influences methane cycling in Alaskan lakes.

How Winter Time Atmospheric Stability Influences PM2.5 Concentration in Different Complex Terrains; Beijing in China vs Fairbanks in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karandana Gamalathge, T. D.; Green, M.

2017-12-01

Consequences of air pollution is known to majority of the global population. Small particles or aerosols play a significant role in global climate change, and increasing the number of people suffer from poor health. Specially during winter seasons, people live in valleys or close to mountains experience hazy conditions and severe health problems. As a result, aerosol related research works have gained more attention over the last couple of decades. We considered PM2.5-particulate matter less than 2.5 µm of aerodynamic diameter, to see how PM2.5 varies with different atmospheric conditions during winter seasons over two different regions of the world. We selected five winter seasons from November to February from 2011 to 2015 both in Beijing and in Fairbanks. Both locations can be considered as complex terrains, as those regions are surrounded by or close to mountains. Using University of Wyoming's sounding data, we calculated a parameter called Heat Deficit (HD). Higher HD is associated with less turbulence, thus high PM2.5 concentration. On the other hand, low HD is associated with high turbulence, thus low PM2.5 concentration. So, we considered HD as a measure of stability in the region of interest. Despite geographical differences, Fairbanks was covered by snow every day over the study period while Beijing had almost no snow cover. Analysis was done in two ways, with and without paying attention to precipitation. HD was also evaluated with different levels of PM2.5, set up to multiples of average PM2.5 concentration. This was done to check whether HD correlates well with a particular range of PM2.5. A day of precipitation for Fairbanks was considered to be when the daily snowfall >1 inch, while for Beijing when any type of daily precipitation >0.1 inch. Precipitation for Beijing was rare and only 9 days were met even with the 0.1 inch criteria while Fairbanks had 61 days of exceeding the 1 inch criteria. Results revealed that precipitation doesn't impact the strength of the relationship between HD and PM2.5 either yearly or all winters combined. However, it varied from Beijing to Fairbanks. Fairbanks had a r2 of 0.3 while Beijing had a r2 of 0.4. The same was true for HD in a given range of PM2.5 for combined winters. While the precipitation didn't show an influence, strength of the relationship for Fairbanks was lower than that of Beijing.

Use of new and old technologies and methods by the Alaska Volcano Observatory during the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, T. L.; Nye, C. J.; Eichelberger, J. C.

2006-12-01

The recent eruption of Augustine Volcano was the first significant volcanic event in Cook Inlet, Alaska since 1992. In contrast to eruptions at remote Alaskan volcanoes that mainly affect aviation, ash from previous eruptions of Augustine has affected communities surrounding Cook Inlet, home to over half of Alaska's population. The 2006 eruption validated much of AVO's advance preparation, underscored the need to quickly react when a problem or opportunity developed, and once again demonstrated that while technology provides us with wonderful tools, professional relationships, especially during times of crisis, are still important. Long-term multi-parametric instrumental monitoring and background geological and geophysical studies represent the most fundamental aspect of preparing for any eruption. Once significant unrest was detected, AVO augmented the existing real-time network with additional instrumentation including web cameras. GPS and broadband seismometers that recorded data on site were also quickly installed as their data would be crucial for post-eruption research. Prior to 2006, most of most of AVO's eruption response plans and protocols had focused on the threat to aviation rather than ground-based hazards. However, the relationships and protocols developed for the aviation threat were sufficient to be adapted to the ash fall hazard, though it is apparent that more work, both scientific and with response procedures, is needed. Similarly, protocols were quickly developed for warning of a flank- collapse induced tsunami. Information flow within the observatory was greatly facilitated by an internal web site that had been developed and refined specifically for eruption response. Because AVO is a partnership of 3 agencies (U.S. Geological Survey, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys) with offices in both Fairbanks and Anchorage, web and internet-facing data servers provided reliable and rapid access to much of the information to each office. Information flow between the observatory and the public and emergency responders was accomplished through the AVO public web site, e-mail, faxes, public meetings, and frequent phone calls. AVO's newly renovated Operations Center in Anchorage provided a central 24/7 site to both receive and disseminate information and conduct media interviews. With selected real time data sets and hourly updates provided on the AVO public web site, many emergency responders and even private citizens tracked the eruption in near real time themselves.

Modeling soil temperature change in Seward Peninsula, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debolskiy, M. V.; Nicolsky, D.; Romanovsky, V. E.; Muskett, R. R.; Panda, S. K.

2017-12-01

Increasing demand for assessment of climate change-induced permafrost degradation and its consequences promotes creation of high-resolution modeling products of soil temperature changes. This is especially relevant for areas with highly vulnerable warm discontinuous permafrost in the Western Alaska. In this study, we apply ecotype-based modeling approach to simulate high-resolution permafrost distribution and its temporal dynamics in Seward Peninsula, Alaska. To model soil temperature dynamics, we use a transient soil heat transfer model developed at the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory (GIPL-2). The model solves one dimensional nonlinear heat equation with phase change. The developed model is forced with combination of historical climate and different future scenarios for 1900-2100 with 2x2 km resolution prepared by Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (2017). Vegetation, snow and soil properties are calibrated by ecotype and up-scaled by using Alaska Existing Vegetation Type map for Western Alaska (Flemming, 2015) with 30x30 m resolution provided by Geographic Information Network of Alaska (UAF). The calibrated ecotypes cover over 75% of the study area. We calibrate the model using a data assimilation technique utilizing available observations of air, surface and sub-surface temperatures and snow cover collected by various agencies and research groups (USGS, Geophysical Institute, USDA). The calibration approach takes into account a natural variability between stations in the same ecotype and finds an optimal set of model parameters (snow and soil properties) within the study area. This approach allows reduction in microscale heterogeneity and aggregated soil temperature data from shallow boreholes which is highly dependent on local conditions. As a result of this study we present a series of preliminary high resolution maps for the Seward Peninsula showing changes in the active layer depth and ground temperatures for the current climate and future climate change scenarios.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Komhyr, W.D.; Quincy, D.M.; Grass, R.D.

This report describes work to improve the quality of total ozone and Umkehr data obtained in the past at the NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory and the Dobson spectrophotometer ozone observatories. The authors present results of total ozone data re-evaluations for ten stations: Byrd, Antarctica; Fairbanks, Alaska; Hallett, Antarctica; Huancayo, Peru; Haute Provence, France; Lauder, New Zealand; Perth, Australia; Poker Flat, Alaska; Puerto Montt, Chile; and South Pole, Antarctica. The improved data will be submitted in early 1996 to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) World Ozone Data Center (WODC), and the Atmospheric Environment Service for archiving. Considerable work hasmore » been accomplished, also, in reevaluating Umkehr data from seven of the stations, viz., Huancayo, Haute Provence, Lauder, Perth, Poker Flat, Boulder, Colorado; and Mauna Loa, Hawaii.« less

The Role of the National Guard and Civil Preparedness Agency in Time of Natural Disaster

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-04-02

1967 Fairbanks, Alaska was exposted to the worst flood ever recorded 6 in that area with $178 million in damage. Fifteen billion gallons of...been noted that the sectors of the state that are continuously conducting refresher training and taking part in home study courses prepared by...agencies and the National Guard per- sonnel participate. It is the experience factor that will improve our disaster expertise and our ability to act as

Compositional Analysis of Fine Particulate Matter in Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nattinger, K.; Simpson, W. R.; Huff, D.

2015-12-01

Fairbanks, AK experiences extreme pollution episodes that result in winter violations of the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This poses a significant health risk for the inhabitants of the area. These high levels result from trapping of pollution in a very shallow boundary layer due to local meteorology, but the role of primary (direct emission) of particulate matter versus secondary production (in the atmosphere) of particulate matter is not understood. Analysis of the PM2.5 composition is being conducted to provide insight into sources, trends, and chemistry. Methods are developed to convert carbon data from IMPROVE (post-2009 analysis method) to NIOSH (pre-2009 method) utilizing blank subtraction, sampler bias adjustment, and inter-method correlations from co-located samples. By converting all carbon measurements to a consistent basis, long-term trends can be analyzed. The approach shows excellent mass closure between PM2.5 mass reconstructed from constituents and gravimetric-analyzed mass. This approach could be utilized in other US locations where the carbon analysis methods also changed. Results include organic and inorganic fractional mass percentages, analyzed over an eight-year period for two testing sites in Fairbanks and two in the nearby city of North Pole. We focus on the wintertime (Nov—Feb) period when most air quality violations occur and find that the particles consist primarily of organic carbon, with smaller percentages of sulfate, elemental carbon, ammonium, and nitrate. The Fairbanks area PM2.5 organic carbon / elemental carbon partitioning matches the source profile of wood smoke. North Pole and Fairbanks PM2.5 have significant compositional differences, with North Pole having a larger percentage of organic matter. Mass loadings in SO42-, NO3-, and total PM2.5 mass correlate with temperature. Multi-year temporal trends show little if any change with a strong effect from temperature. Insights from this study regarding primary versus possible secondary PM2.5 production processes can help in identifying effective PM2.5 control strategies.

Summary of 2012 reconnaissance field studies related to the petroleum geology of the Nenana Basin, interior Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wartes, Marwan A.; Gillis, Robert J.; Herriott, Trystan M.; Stanley, Richard G.; Helmold, Kenneth P.; Peterson, C. Shaun; Benowitz, Jeffrey A.

2013-01-01

The Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) recently initiated a multi-year review of the hydrocarbon potential of frontier sedimentary basins in Alaska (Swenson and others, 2012). In collaboration with the Alaska Division of Oil & Gas and the U.S. Geological Survey we conducted reconnaissance field studies in two basins with recognized natural gas potential—the Susitna basin and the Nenana basin (LePain and others, 2012). This paper summarizes our initial work on the Nenana basin; a brief summary of our work in the Susitna basin can be found in Gillis and others (in press). During early May 2012, we conducted ten days of helicopter-supported fieldwork and reconnaissance sampling along the northern Alaska Range foothills and Yukon–Tanana upland near Fairbanks (fig. 1). The goal of this work was to improve our understanding of the geologic development of the Nenana basin and to collect a suite of samples to better evaluate hydrocarbon potential. Most laboratory analyses have not yet been completed, so this preliminary report serves as a summary of field data and sets the framework for future, more comprehensive analysis to be presented in later publications.

Selective and cell-active inhibitors of the USP1/UAF1 deubiquitinase complex reverse cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer cells

PubMed Central

Chen, Junjun; Dexheimer, Thomas S.; Ai, Yongxing; Liang, Qin; Villamil, Mark A.; Inglese, James; Maloney, David J; Jadhav, Ajit; Simeonov, Anton; Zhuang, Zhihao

2012-01-01

Ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) have in recent years emerged as a promising therapeutic target class. We identified selective small-molecule inhibitors against a deubiquitinase complex, the human USP1/UAF1, through quantitative high throughput screening (qHTS) of a collection of bioactive molecules. The top inhibitors, pimozide and GW7647, inhibited USP1/UAF1 noncompetitively with a Ki of 0.5 and 0.7 μM respectively, and displayed selectivity against a number of deubiquitinases, deSUMOylase and cysteine proteases. The USP1/UAF1 inhibitors act synergistically with cisplatin in inhibiting cisplatin-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell proliferation. USP1/UAF1 represents a promising target for drug intervention because of its involvement in translesion synthesis and Fanconi anemia pathway important for normal DNA damage response. Our results support USP1/UAF1 as a potential therapeutic target and provide the first example of targeting the USP/WD40 repeat protein complex for inhibitor discovery. PMID:22118673

Finalize field testing of cold climate heat pump (CCHP) based on tandem vapor injection compressors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shen, Bo; Baxter, Van D.; Abdelaziz, Omar

2017-03-01

This report describes the system diagram and control algorithm of a prototype air-source cold climate heat pump (CCHP) using tandem vapor injection (VI) compressors. The prototype was installed in Fairbanks, Alaska and underwent field testing starting in 09/2016. The field testing results of the past six months, including compressor run time fractions, measured COPs and heating capacities, etc., are presented as a function of the ambient temperature. Two lessons learned are also reported.

Taiga forest stands and SAR: Monitoring for subarctic global change

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Way, J.; Kwok, R.; Viereck, L.

1992-03-01

In preparation for the first European Earth Remote Sensing (ERS-1) mission, a series of multitemporal, multifrequency, multipolarization aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data sets were acquired over the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest near Fairbanks, Alaska in March 1988. Significant change in radar backscatter was observed over the two-week experimental period due to changing environmental conditions. These preliminary results are presented to illustrate the opportunity afforded by the ERS-1 SAR to monitor temporal change in forest ecosystems.

John B. "Jack" Townshend (1927-2012)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Love, Jeffrey J.; Finn, Carol A.

2012-01-01

Jack Townshend, geophysicist and dedicated public servant, died on 13 August 2012 in Fairbanks, Alaska. He was 85. Jack's career with the federal government, most of it with the national magnetic observatory program, spanned more than six solar cycles of time, and he retired only days before his death. The duration of Jack's career encompassed an important period in the history of the advancement of our understanding of the Earth. Jack's career of contributions, his life, and his personality are worthy of retrospective celebration.

Workshop on the Martian Northern Plains: Sedimentological, Periglacial, and Paleoclimatic Evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kargel, Jeffrey S. (Editor); Moore, Jeffrey (Editor); Parker, Timothy (Editor)

1993-01-01

Papers that have been accepted for presentation at the Workshop on the Martian Northern Plains: Sedimentological, Periglacial, and Paleoclimatic Evolution, on 12-14 Aug. 1993 in Fairbanks, Alaska are included. Topics covered include: hydrological consequences of ponded water on Mars; morphological and morphometric studies of impact craters in the Northern Plains of Mars; a wet-geology and cold-climate Mars model: punctuation of a slow dynamics approach to equilibrium; the distribution of ground ice on Mars; and stratigraphy of the Martian Northern Plains.

Evaluating the heat pump alternative for heating enclosed wastewater treatment facilities in cold regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martel, C. J.; Phetteplace, G. E.

1982-05-01

This report presents a five-step procedure for evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of using heat pumps to recover heat from treatment plant effluent. The procedure is meant to be used at the facility planning level by engineers who are unfamiliar with this technology. An example of the use of the procedure and general design information are provided. Also, the report reviews the operational experience with heat pumps at wastewater plants located in Fairbanks, Alaska, Madison, Wisconsin, and Wilton, Maine.

PNNL Researchers Collect Permafrost Cores in Alaska

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2016-11-23

Permafrost is ground that is frozen for two or more years. In the Arctic, discontinuous regions of this saturated admixture of soil and rock store a large fraction of the Earth’s carbon – about 1672 petagrams (1672 trillion kilograms). As temperatures increase in the Northern Hemisphere, a lot of that carbon may be released to the atmosphere, making permafrost an important factor to represent accurately in global climate models. At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a group led by James C. Stegen periodically extracts permafrost core samples from a site near Fairbanks, Alaska. Back at the lab in southeastern Washington State,more » they study the cores for levels of microbial activity, carbon fluxes, hydrologic patterns, and other factors that reveal the dynamics of this consequential layer of soil and rock.« less

Evaluation of Forest Health Conditions using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatfield, M. C.; Heutte, T. M.

2016-12-01

US Forest Service Alaska Region Forest Health Protection (FHP) and University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) are evaluating capability of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to monitor forest health conditions in Alaska's Interior Region. In July 2016, the team deployed UAS at locations in the Tanana Valley near Fairbanks in order to familiarize FHP staff with capabilities of UAS for evaluating insect and disease damage. While many potential uses of UAS to evaluate and monitor forest health can be envisioned, this project focused on use of a small UAS for rapid assessment of insect and disease damage. Traditional ground-based methods are limited by distance from ground to canopy and inaccessibility of forest stands due to terrain conditions. Observation from fixed-wing aircraft provide a broad overview of conditions but are limited by minimum safe flying altitude (500' AGL) and aircraft speed ( 100 mph). UAS may provide a crucial bridge to fill in gaps between ground and airborne methods, and offer significant cost savings and greater flexibility over helicopter-based observations. Previous uses of UAS for forest health monitoring are limited - this project focuses on optimizing choice of vehicle, sensors, resolution and area scanned from different altitudes, and use of visual spectrum vs NIR image collection. The vehicle selected was the ACUASI Ptarmigan, a small hexacopter (based on DJI S800 airframe and 3DR autopilot) capable of carrying a 1.5 kg payload for 15 min for close-range environmental monitoring missions. Sites were chosen for conditions favorable to UAS operation and presence of forest insect and disease agents including spruce broom rust, aspen leaf miner, birch leaf roller, and willow leafblotch miner. A total of 29 flights were conducted with 9000+ images collected. Mission variables included camera height, UAS speed, and medium- (Sony NEX-7) vs low-resolution (GoPro Hero) cameras. Invaluable knowledge was gained as to limitations and opportunities for field deployment of UAS relative to local conditions of terrain and forest type. Analysis will include image suitability for orthocorrection and production of stand level image mosaic, with further optimization of image collection parameters to detect known insect- and disease-caused disturbance.

The lab and the land: overcoming the Arctic in Cold War Alaska.

PubMed

Farish, Matthew

2013-03-01

The militarization of Alaska during and after World War II created an extraordinary set of new facilities. But it also reshaped the imaginative role of Alaska as a hostile environment, where an antagonistic form of nature could be defeated with the appropriate combination of technology and training. One of the crucial sites for this reformulation was the Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory, based at Ladd Air Force Base in Fairbanks. In the first two decades of the Cold War, its employees conducted numerous experiments on acclimatization and survival. The laboratory is now best known for an infamous set of tests involving the application of radioactive tracers to indigenous Alaskans--experiments publicized by post-Cold War panels established to evaluate the tragic history of atomic-era human subject research. But little else has been written about the laboratory's relationship with the populations and landscapes that it targeted for study. This essay presents the laboratory as critical to Alaska's history and the history of the Cold War sciences. A consideration of the laboratory's various projects also reveals a consistent fascination with race. Alaskan Natives were enrolled in experiments because their bodies were understood to hold clues to the mysteries of northern nature. A scientific solution would aid American military campaigns not only in Alaska, but in cold climates everywhere.

Ultrasound assisted immersion freezing of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis L.).

PubMed

Xin, Ying; Zhang, Min; Adhikari, Benu

2014-09-01

The aim of this study was to research the ultrasound-assisted freezing (UAF) of broccoli. CaCl2 solution was used as freezing medium. The comparative advantage of using UAF over normal freezing on the freezing time, cell-wall bound calcium to total calcium ratio, textural properties, color, drip loss and L-ascorbic acid contents was evaluated. The application of UAF at selected acoustic intensity with a range of 0.250-0.412 W/cm(2) decreased the freezing time and the loss of cell-wall bound calcium content. Compared to normal freezing, the values of textural properties, color, L-ascorbic acid content were better preserved and the drip loss was significantly minimized by the application of UAF. However, when outside that range of acoustic intensity, the quality of the ultrasound-assisted frozen broccoli was inferior compared to that of the normally frozen samples. Selected the appropriate acoustic intensity was very important for the application of UAF. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Beverage consumption in an Alaska Native village: a mixed-methods study of behaviour, attitudes and access.

PubMed

Elwan, Deena; de Schweinitz, Peter; Wojcicki, Janet M

2016-01-01

American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have the highest prevalence of obesity for any racial/ethnic group. Previous studies examining risk factors for obesity have identified excessive sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and inadequate water consumption as major risk factors for this population group. The historical scarcity of water in rural Alaska may explain consumption patterns including reliance on SSBs and other packaged drinks. Our study was designed to assess SSB, water and other beverage consumption and attitudes towards consumption in Alaska Native children and adults residing in rural Alaska. During summer 2014, 2 focus groups were conducted employing community members in a small rural village more than 200 air miles west of Fairbanks, Alaska. Interviews were completed with shop owners, Early Head Start and Head Start program instructors (n=7). SSB and total beverage intakes were measured using a modified version of the BEVQ-15, (n=69). High rates of SSB consumption (defined as sweetened juice beverages, soda, sweet tea, energy drink or sports drinks) and low rates of water consumption were reported for all age groups in the village. All adolescents and 81% of children reported drinking SSBs at least once per week in the last month, and 48% of adolescents and 29% of younger children reported daily consumption. Fifty-two per cent of adults reported consuming SSBs at least once per week and 20% reported daily consumption. Twenty-five per cent of adolescents reported never drinking water in the past month, and 19% of younger children and 21% of adults did not consume water daily. Alaska Native children and adults living in the Interior Alaska consume high amounts of SSBs including energy drinks and insufficient amounts of water. Interventions targeting beverage consumption are urgently needed for the Alaska Native population in rural Alaska.

Collaborative Sounding Rocket launch in Alaska and Development of Hybrid Rockets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Tomohisa; Tsutsumi, Akimasa; Ito, Toshiyuki; Kan, Yuji; Tohyama, Fumio; Nakashino, Kyouichi; Hawkins, Joseph

Tokai University student rocket project (TSRP) was established in 1995 for a purpose of the space science and engineering hands-on education, consisting of two space programs; the one is sounding rocket experiment collaboration with University of Alaska Fairbanks and the other is development and launch of small hybrid rockets. In January of 2000 and March 2002, two collaborative sounding rockets were successfully launched at Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. In 2001, the first Tokai hybrid rocket was successfully launched at Alaska. After that, 11 hybrid rockets were launched to the level of 180-1,000 m high at Hokkaido and Akita in Japan. Currently, Tokai students design and build all parts of the rockets. In addition, they are running the organization and development of the project under the tight budget control. This program has proven to be very effective in providing students with practical, real-engineering design experience and this program also allows students to participate in all phases of a sounding rocket mission. Also students learn scientific, engineering subjects, public affairs and system management through experiences of cooperative teamwork. In this report, we summarize the TSRP's hybrid rocket program and discuss the effectiveness of the program in terms of educational aspects.

Adding Vectors across the North: Development of Laboratory Component of Distance Education Physics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, V. K.; Solie, D. J.

2010-12-01

Bush Physics for the 21st Century (BP21) is a distance education physics course offered through the Interior Aleutians Campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It provides an opportunity for rural Alaskan high school and community college students, many of whom have no other access to advanced science courses, to earn university science credit. The curriculum is mathematically rigorous and includes a laboratory component to prepare students who wish to pursue science and technology careers. The laboratory component has been developed during the past 3 years. Students learn lab safety, basic laboratory technique, experiment components and group collaboration. Experiments have place-based themes and involve skills that translate to rural Alaska when possible. Preliminary data on the general effectiveness of the labs have been analyzed and used to improve the course.

Two Dimensional Hydrodynamic Analysis of the Moose Creek Floodway

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

HEC -2 model used during the design and recertification of the Tanana River Levee. 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4...ER D C/ CH L TR -1 2 -2 0 Two Dimensional Hydrodynamic Analysis of the Moose Creek Floodway C oa st al a n d H yd ra u lic s La b or at...approximately 17 miles East of Fairbanks, Alaska, and is part of the Chena River Lakes Flood Control project. The Chena River floodway is designed to

Tanana River Monitoring and Research Program: Relationships Among Bank Recession, Vegetation, Soils, Sediments and Permafrost on the Tanana River Near Fairbanks, Alaska.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-01

field book for scale). Figure 2 (cont’d). Figure 3. Upstream portion of reach 2, 9 May 1980; USGS gauging station (A) and the approximate location...eral information was taken from maps, and site-specific data were obtained from the logs of wells drilled by the Corps of Engineers. The well log data...were drilled along or near this route, which runs approximately parallel to the bank, but not near the riverbank aL most locations (Fig. 1). The

Proceedings of International Conference on the Role of the Polar Regions in Global Change Held in Fairbanks, Alaska on 11-15 June 1990. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

Photosyn- ic change, Report of a Workshop, San Diego, CA, March thesis , in An Arctic Ecosystem, The Coastal Tundra at 7-9,1980, CONF-8003118, U.S...consequent these lake sediments is not restricted to major changes in the mobilization and translocation of Fe as Fe2+ and Mn as development of the... thesis , 298 pp., Florin, M. B., and H. E. Wright, Jr., Diatom evidence for the Department of Geography, University of Western persistence of stagnant

Conference Proceedings on Propagation Effects on Military Systems in the High Altitude Region Held in Fairbanks, Alaska on 3-7 June 1985.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-11-01

Printing Services Limited ’ 40 Chigwel Lane, Loughton, Essex "I."-, THEME With the advent of new systems operating at high latitudes in the field of...Radars C. L. Rino and J. Owen, SRI International , Menlo Park, CA, US 1530 Break 1600 2.7. High-Latitude Scintillations using NNSS Satellites L. Kersley...D. Kelly, R. T. Tsunoda, SRI International , Menlo Park, CA, US, J. K. Oleson and P. Stauning, Danish Meteorological Institute, Copenhagen, DE

Geochemical controls of elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater, Ester Dome, Fairbanks district, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verplanck, P.L.; Mueller, S.H.; Goldfarb, R.J.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Youcha, E.K.

2008-01-01

Ester Dome, an upland area near Fairbanks, Alaska, was chosen for a detailed hydrogeochemical study because of the previously reported elevated arsenic in groundwater, and the presence of a large set of wells amenable to detailed sampling. Ester Dome lies within the Fairbanks mining district, where gold-bearing quartz veins, typically containing 2-3??vol.% sulfide minerals (arsenopyrite, stibnite, and pyrite), have been mined both underground and in open cuts. Gold-bearing veins on Ester Dome occur in shear zones and the sulfide minerals in these veins have been crushed to fine-grained material by syn- or post-mineralization movement. Groundwater at Ester Dome is circumneutral, Ca-HCO3 to Ca-SO4 type, and ranges from dilute (specific conductance of 48????S/cm) to more concentrated (specific conductance as high as 2070????S/cm). In general, solute concentrations increase down hydrologic gradient. Redox species indicate that the groundwaters range from oxic to sub-oxic (low dissolved oxygen, Fe(III) reduction, no SO4 reduction). Waters with the highest Fe concentrations, as high as 10.7??mg/L, are the most anoxic. Dissolved As concentrations range from < 1 to 1160????g/L, with a median value of 146????g/L. Arsenic concentrations are not correlated with specific conductance or Fe concentrations, suggesting that neither groundwater residence time, nor reductive dissolution of iron oxyhydroxides, control the arsenic chemistry. Furthermore, As concentrations do not covary with other constituents that form anions and oxyanions in solution (e.g., HCO3, Mo, F, or U) such that desorption of arsenic from clays or oxides also does not control arsenic mobility. Oxidation of arsenopyrite and dissolution of scorodite, in the near-surface environment appears to be the primary control of dissolved As in this upland area. More specifically, the elevated As concentrations are spatially associated with sulfidized shear zones and localities of gold-bearing quartz veins. Consistent with this interpretation, elevated dissolved Sb concentrations (as high as 59????g/L), also correlated with occurrences of hypogene sulfide minerals, were measured in samples with high dissolved As concentrations.

Response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory to Public Inquiry Concerning the 2006 Eruption of Augustine Volcano, Cook Inlet, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adleman, J. N.

2006-12-01

The 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano provided the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) with an opportunity to test its newly renovated Operations Center (Ops) at the Alaska Science Center in Anchorage. Because of the demand for interagency operations and public communication, Ops became the hub of Augustine monitoring activity, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, from January 10 through May 19, 2006. During this time, Ops was staffed by 17 USGS AVO staff, and over two dozen Fairbanks-based AVO staff from the Alaska Department of Geological and Geophysical Surveys and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute and USGS Volcano Hazards Program staff from outside Alaska. This group engaged in communicating with the public, media, and other responding agencies throughout the eruption. Before and during the eruption, reference sheets - ;including daily talking - were created, vetted, and distributed to prepare staff for questions about the volcano. These resources were compiled into a binder stationed at each Ops phone and available through the AVO computer network. In this way, AVO was able to provide a comprehensive, uniform, and timely response to callers and emails at all three of its cooperative organizations statewide. AVO was proactive in scheduling an Information Scientist for interviews on-site with Anchorage television stations and newspapers several times a week. Scientists available, willing, and able to speak clearly about the current activity were crucial to AVO's response. On January 19, 2006, two public meetings were held in Homer, 120 kilometers northeast of Augustine Volcano. AVO, the West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, and the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management gave brief presentations explaining their roles in eruption response. Representatives from several local, state, and federal agencies were also available. In addition to communicating with the public by daily media interviews and phone calls to Ops, all activity reports, images, and selected data streams were posted in near real time on the AVO public website. Hundreds of emails were answered. The AVO website quickly became highly organized and the most up-to-date and comprehensive place for anyone with internet access to learn about the eruption and AVO's response. This was the first such organized response of AVO and may be the outgrowth of increased expectations of AVO by the public. From November 28, 2005, through May 16, 2006, staff logged and answered approximately 400 phone calls and 1000 emails about Augustine. AVO's interagency response plan and relationships with other key agencies helped in responding to requests from the media and the public for a wide variety of information. However, the most frequent questions from callers were about ash fall advisories and what to do in the event of an ash fall. This highlighted the need to produce coordinated, co-agency reporting of ash fall potential and recommended preparation.

Fractionation and characterization of natural organic matter from certain rivers and soils by free-flow electrophoresis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leenheer, J.A.; Malcolm, R.L.

1973-01-01

Soluble river organic matter and soil fulvic acids from a variety of environments were compared by examining the free-flow electrophoretic fractionation curves of organic carbon, color, and polysaccharides. Significant amounts of virtually colorless organic material were found in both the soil and the river preparations. Polysaccharides comprised 20-75 percent of the colorless material in the soil fulvic acids but only 3.2-7.0 percent of the colorless material in the river preparations. A significant amount of polysaccharides was complexed with organic materials having negative charges. Amounts of polysaccharides were greater in the Fairbanks soil from Alaska than in the soils from North Carolina or Iowa, and they were greater in the Tahquamenon River in Michigan than in the two rivers in Florida; this suggests that polysaccharide degradation is slower in cooler environments. For all of the organic preparations which were fractionated, the intensity of the yellow color increased as the charge on the organic anion increased. Highly colored, negatively charged organic material was found to be present in greater amounts in the subsurface spodic soil horizon of the Lakewood and Fairbanks soils than in the surface mollic horizon of the Macksburg soil. Infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis of four pooled fractions of the Fairbanks fulvic acid indicated increasing aromatic character with increasing negative charge. An increase in the carboxyl content with negative charge suggests the carboxyl group as the primary source of the negative charge.

An International Polar Year Adventure in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wartes, D.

2008-12-01

RAHI, the Rural Alaska Honors Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks began in 1983 after a series of meetings between the Alaska Federation of Natives and the University of Alaska, to discuss the retention rates of Alaska Native and rural students. RAHI is a six-week college-preparatory summer bridge program on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus for Alaska Native and rural high school juniors and seniors. The program's student body is approximately 94 percent Alaska Native. RAHI students take classes that earn them seven to ten college credits, thus giving them a head start on college. Courses include: writing, study skills, desk top publishing, Alaska Native dance or swimming, and a choice of biochemistry, math, business, or engineering. A program of rigorous academic activity combines with social, cultural, and recreational activities to make up the RAHI program of early preparation for college. Students are purposely stretched beyond their comfort levels academically and socially to prepare for the big step from home or village to a large culturally western urban campus. They are treated as honors students and are expected to meet all rigorous academic and social standards set by the program. All of this effort and activity support the principal goal of RAHI: promoting academic success for rural students in college. Over 26 years, 1,200 students have attended the program. Sixty percent of RAHI's alumni have entered four-year academic programs. Over 245 have earned a bachelor's degree, thirty-one have earned master's degrees, and seven have graduated with professional degrees (J.D., Pharm., or M.D.), along with 156 associate degrees and certificates. In looking at the RAHI cohort, removing those students who have not been in college long enough to obtain a degree, 27.3 percent of RAHI alums have received a bachelor's degree. An April 2006 report by the American Institutes for Research through the National Science Foundation found that: Rural Native students in the UA system who participated in RAHI are nearly twice as likely to earn a bachelor's degree, than those who did not attend RAHI. The past two summers, in celebration of the International Polar Year, in collaboration with Ilisagvik College, at the completion of the traditional RAHI program, ten RAHI students flew to Barrow for an additional two weeks of study. Five students participated in an archaeological dig and five students performed research with the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium scientists studying climate change. And another student was the Alaskan delegate to the Students on Ice, a 2-week ship-based adventure in northern Canada. In addition, ten students from Greenland visited the program, with plans to more fully participate next summer. This added dimension to the program has proved successful, allowing the students to compare and contrast between their own countries and indigenous perspectives. Global warming was an issue that was hotly debated, as its effects are so evident in the Polar Regions. In the Arctic, one's life is directly tied to the ice and snow. As the ice disappears and/or changes, the Indigenous people have to adapt. RAHI would like to share with you some of the results of this past summer's IPY activities.

Science plan for the Alaska SAR facility program. Phase 1: Data from the first European sensing satellite, ERS-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carsey, Frank D.

1989-01-01

Science objectives, opportunities and requirements are discussed for the utilization of data from the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on the European First Remote Sensing Satellite, to be flown by the European Space Agency in the early 1990s. The principal applications of the imaging data are in studies of geophysical processes taking place within the direct-reception area of the Alaska SAR Facility in Fairbanks, Alaska, essentially the area within 2000 km of the receiver. The primary research that will be supported by these data include studies of the oceanography and sea ice phenomena of Alaskan and adjacent polar waters and the geology, glaciology, hydrology, and ecology of the region. These studies focus on the area within the reception mask of ASF, and numerous connections are made to global processes and thus to the observation and understanding of global change. Processes within the station reception area both affect and are affected by global phenomena, in some cases quite critically. Requirements for data processing and archiving systems, prelaunch research, and image processing for geophysical product generation are discussed.

Calculating Total Electron Content under the presence of the Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Kiruna, Sweden.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, H.; Ehteshami, A.; Edgar, B.

2015-12-01

With the presence of the ionosphere and plasmasphere interacting with geomagnetic storms, scattering effects can be seen by the signals sent to and by GPS/GLONASS satellites. To quantify this dispersive effect, scientists look into what the culprit is that causes this signal bias on an atomic level. Results have shown that the concentration of oscillating electrons is directly proportional to the amount of bias the signal from a point on earth to a GPS satellite witnesses. This is called the Total Electron Content (TEC) of a specified path, measured in electrons per meters squared (. In this project, the process of collecting and analyzing TEC units was kept the same as the previous methods while keeping the cost below $3,000. Using a dual-frequency GNSS receiver from Javad, Triumph-2, the project team recorded a series of 24 hour interval data logs as the receiver stored incoming signals from any reachable satellite. Because of the dispersive media in the ionosphere, the signal witnesses a bend in its path causing a delay, called the Slant TEC (sTEC). Using libraries from GPStk and TEQC, we analyzed RINEX files to view the differential phase and differential pseudorange frequency to compute slant TEC units (sTECU). Using the obtained data, we analyzed the difference between the sTEC units collected in Houston, Texas to the ones collected in Fairbanks, Alaska. Afterwards, the project will continue on another balloon in Kiruna, Sweden at the Esrange Space Center. The receiver will be in flight this time on a 48 hour flight.

Anomalous celestial polarization caused by forest fire smoke: why do some insects become visually disoriented under smoky skies?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hegedüs, Ramón; Åkesson, Susanne; Horváth, Gábor

2007-05-01

The effects of forest fire smoke on sky polarization and animal orientation are practically unknown. Using full-sky imaging polarimetry, we therefore measured the celestial polarization pattern under a smoky sky in Fairbanks, Alaska, during the forest fire season in August 2005. It is quantitatively documented here that the celestial polarization, a sky attribute that is necessary for orientation of many polarization-sensitive animal species, above Fairbanks on 17 August 2005 was in several aspects anomalous due to the forest fire smoke: (i) The pattern of the degree of linear polarization p of the reddish smoky sky differed considerably from that of the corresponding clear blue sky. (ii) Due to the smoke, p of skylight was drastically reduced (pmax≤14%, paverage≤8%). (iii) Depending on wavelength and time, the Arago, Babinet, and Brewster neutral points of sky polarization had anomalous positions. We suggest that the disorientation of certain insects observed by Canadian researchers under smoky skies during the forest fire season in August 2003 in British Columbia was the consequence of the anomalous sky polarization caused by the forest fire smoke.

Geochemical evidence for the origin of late Quaternary loess in central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, D.R.; Budahn, J.R.

2006-01-01

Loess is extensive in central Alaska, but there are uncertainties about its source and the direction of paleo-winds that deposited it. Both northerly and southerly winds have been inferred. The most likely sources of loess are the Tanana River (south), the Nenana River (southeast), and the Yukon River (north). Late Quaternary loess in central Alaska has immobile trace-element compositions (Cr/Sc, Th/Ta, Th/ Sc, Th/U, Eu/Eu*, GdN/YbN) that indicate derivation mostly from the Tanana River. However, other ratios (As/Sb, Zr/Hf, LaN/YbN) and quantitative modeling indicate that the Yukon River was also a source. During the last glacial period, there may have been a longer residence time of the Siberian and Canadian high-pressure cells, along with a strengthened Aleutian low-pressure cell. This would have generated regional-scale northeasterly winds and explains derivation of loess from the Yukon River. However, superim-posed upon this synoptic-scale circulation, there may have been strong, southerly katabatic winds from expanded glaciers on the northern flank of the Alaska Range. These winds could have provided eolian silt from the Tanana River. Yukon River and Tanana River sediments are highly calcareous, whereas Fairbanks-area loess is not. This suggests that carbonate leaching in loess kept ahead of sedimentation and that late Quaternary loess in central Alaska was deposited relatively slowly. ?? 2006 NRC Canada.

On vegetation mapping in Alaska using LANDSAT imagery with primary concerns for method and purpose in satellite image-based vegetation and land-use mapping and the visual interpretation of imagery in photographic format

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, J. H. (Principal Investigator)

1976-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. A simulated color infrared LANDSAT image covering the western Seward Peninsula was used for identifying and mapping vegetation by direct visual examination. The 1:1,083,400 scale print used was prepared by a color additive process using positive transparencies from MSS bands 4, 5, and 7. Seven color classes were recognized. A vegetation map of 3200 sq km area just west of Fairbanks, Alaska was made. Five colors were recognized on the image and identified to vegetation types roughly equivalent to formations in the UNESCO classification: orange - broadleaf deciduous forest; gray - needleleaf evergreen forest; light violet - subarctic alpine tundra vegetation; violet - broadleaf deciduous shrub thicket; and dull violet - bog vegetation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kautsky, Mark; Nguyen, Jason; Darr, Paul S.

The Long-Term Surveillance and Maintenance Plan (LTSMP) for Amchitka details how the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) intends to fulfill its mission to maintain protection of human health and the environment at and around the sites on Amchitka Island. The LTSMP calls for monitoring to be performed every 5 years, at least in the initial phase of the project. The purpose of the monitoring is to develop a baseline of activity concentrations for selected radionuclides in biota, water, and soil, both on Amchitka and at the reference location on Adak Island, approximately 322 km (200 miles) northeast of Amchitka. Datamore » compiled by the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP, 2006) are being included as part of the baseline data set. The specific biological, water, and sediment samples collected during the 2011 sampling event were developed through close coordination with the primary stakeholders, including the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Amchitka is managed by the USFWS as part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Two plans were developed to address specific needs of the biological- and the terrestrial-monitoring programs. Results from these monitoring programs will help determine whether the environment is being impacted by radionuclide migration and uptake, and if subsistence and commercial-catch seafood is safe for human consumption. The RESRAD-BIOTA code is being used to evaluate ecological health relative to the radionuclide levels determined from this sampling event. The samples were sent to three laboratories for analysis. With the exception of the seawater samples, most of the samples were sent to the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. A smaller subset of rock-weed samples, Star reindeer lichen samples, and soil samples collected from beneath the lichen were sent to UAF for cesium-137 analysis. Marine sediment samples were also collected and sent to UAF for testing. The seawater samples were sent to the University of Miami Tritium Laboratory for enriched tritium analysis. Results from the seawater samples for tritium were received in September 2011. Results from the 2011 sampling are expected to be available on the LM web site in 2012. (authors)« less

Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Stem Concepts in Informal and Place-Based Western Educational Systems: Lessons from the North Slope, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholas-Figueroa, Linda

Upon regaining the right to direct education at the local level, the North Slope Borough (NSB) of Alaska incorporated Inupiat educational philosophies into the educational system. The NSB in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks established Ilisagvik College, the only tribal college in Alaska. Ilisagvik College seeks to broaden science, technology, engineering, and mathematical education on the North Slope. Incorporation of place-based and informal lessons with traditional ecological knowledge engages students in education. Ilisagvik hosted a 2-week climate change program from 2012 - 2015 for high school and middle school students that examined climate science and the effects of a warming climate on the local environment from a multitude of perspectives from scientists, Inupiat Elders, and instructor-led field trips. Pre-assessments and post-assessments using the Student Assessment of Learning Gains tool measured students' interests and conceptual understanding. Students developed and enhanced their understanding of science concepts and, at the end of the program, could articulate the impact of climatic changes on their local environment. Similarly, methods to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into research practices have been achieved, such as incorporating field trips and discussion with Elders on the importance of animal migration, whale feeding patterns, and the significance of sea-ice conditions, which are important community concerns.

Effect of mobile unidirectional air flow unit on microbial contamination of air in standard urologic procedures.

PubMed

Ferretti, Stefania; Pasquarella, Cesira; Fornia, Samanta; Saccani, Elisa; Signorelli, Carlo; Vitali, Pietro; Sansebastiano, Giuliano Ezio

2009-12-01

Infection is one of the most feared complications of surgery. New instrumentation is being developed to reduce deposition of bacteria. We investigated 45 major surgical procedures (21 radical nephrectomies [RN] and 24 radical retropubic prostatectomies [RRP]) in our urology department during 2007. In about one-half of the interventions, an ultraclean air flow mobile (UAF) unit was used. Bacterial sedimentation was evaluated by nitrocellulose membranes placed on the instrument tray and by settle plates positioned at four points in the operating room. In 27 operations, an additional membrane was located near the incision. Bacterial counts on the nitrocellulose membranes during RN were 230 colony-forming units (cfu)/m(2)/h with the UAF unit and 2,254 cfu/m(2)/h without the unit (p = 0.001). During RRP, the values were 288 cfu/m(2)/h and 3,126 cfu/m(2)/h respectively (p = 0.001). The membrane placed near the incision during RN showed a microbial count of 1,235 cfu/m(2)/h with the UAF unit and 5,093 cfu/m(2)/h without the unit (p = 0.002); during RRP, the values were 1,845 cfu/m(2)/h and 3,790 cfu/m(2)/h, respectively (difference not significant). Bacterial contamination detected by settle plates during RN showed a mean value of 2,273 cfu/m(2)/h when the UAF unit was used and 2,054 cfu/m(2)/h without the unit; during RRP, the values were 2,332 cfu/m(2)/h and 2,629 cfu/m(2)/h with and without the UAF unit, respectively (NS). No statistically significant differences were detected in the clinical data registered in patients operated on under standard conditions and while the UAF unit was functioning. The UAF appears able to reduce microbial contamination at the operating table, reaching a bacterial number obtained in ultraclean operating theatres.

U.S. Geological Survey experience with the residual absolutes method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worthington, E. William; Matzka, Jürgen

2017-10-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geomagnetism Program has developed and tested the residual method of absolutes, with the assistance of the Danish Technical University's (DTU) Geomagnetism Program. Three years of testing were performed at College Magnetic Observatory (CMO), Fairbanks, Alaska, to compare the residual method with the null method. Results show that the two methods compare very well with each other and both sets of baseline data were used to process the 2015 definitive data. The residual method will be implemented at the other USGS high-latitude geomagnetic observatories in the summer of 2017 and 2018.

Beverage consumption in an Alaska Native village: a mixed-methods study of behaviour, attitudes and access

PubMed Central

de Schweinitz, Peter; Wojcicki, Janet M.

2016-01-01

Background American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have the highest prevalence of obesity for any racial/ethnic group. Previous studies examining risk factors for obesity have identified excessive sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and inadequate water consumption as major risk factors for this population group. The historical scarcity of water in rural Alaska may explain consumption patterns including reliance on SSBs and other packaged drinks. Methods Our study was designed to assess SSB, water and other beverage consumption and attitudes towards consumption in Alaska Native children and adults residing in rural Alaska. During summer 2014, 2 focus groups were conducted employing community members in a small rural village more than 200 air miles west of Fairbanks, Alaska. Interviews were completed with shop owners, Early Head Start and Head Start program instructors (n=7). SSB and total beverage intakes were measured using a modified version of the BEVQ-15, (n=69). Results High rates of SSB consumption (defined as sweetened juice beverages, soda, sweet tea, energy drink or sports drinks) and low rates of water consumption were reported for all age groups in the village. All adolescents and 81% of children reported drinking SSBs at least once per week in the last month, and 48% of adolescents and 29% of younger children reported daily consumption. Fifty-two per cent of adults reported consuming SSBs at least once per week and 20% reported daily consumption. Twenty-five per cent of adolescents reported never drinking water in the past month, and 19% of younger children and 21% of adults did not consume water daily. Conclusion Alaska Native children and adults living in the Interior Alaska consume high amounts of SSBs including energy drinks and insufficient amounts of water. Interventions targeting beverage consumption are urgently needed for the Alaska Native population in rural Alaska. PMID:26928369

Balloon-Expandable Stent Graft for Treating Uretero-Iliac Artery Fistula

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guntau, Moritz, E-mail: guntau@med.uni-marburg.de; Hegele, Axel; Rheinheimer, Stephan

PurposeTo evaluate the safety, efficacy and outcome of percutaneous balloon-expandable covered stent graft placement for uretero-iliac artery fistula (UAF) treatment.MethodsThis retrospective study evaluated the single-center experience of percutaneous balloon-expandable covered stent graft placement (ADVANTA™, Atrium Hudson, NH, USA) in UAF. Data were obtained from a prospective institutional database. Patient follow-up included complications, symptoms recurrence and mortality rate.ResultsTen UAFs in eight patients (3 males; 5 females) with a mean age of 64.5 (35–77) years were identified. All patients had a history pelvic malignancy, extirpative surgery (n = 6), long-term ureteral stenting (n = 7) and pelvic radiation (n = 5). All procedures were completed successfully without complications.more » Thirty-day mortality rate was zero. At a median follow-up of 6 (1–60) months, one patient suffered recurrent hematuria requiring a secondary stent graft placement 26 months after the initial treatment. During follow-up, five patients died of the underlying disease (43, 66, 105, and 183 and 274 days after the last procedure).ConclusionPercutaneous balloon-expandable stent graft placement in UAF is a safe and effective treatment option. Implantation of stent grafts should be considered as treatment of choice in UAF.« less

Late Holocene ice wedges near Fairbanks, Alaska, USA: Environmental setting and history of growth

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, T.D.; Ager, T.A.; Robinson, S.W.

1983-01-01

Test trenches excavated into muskeg near Fairbanks in 1969 exposed a polygonal network of active ice wedges. The wedges occur in peat that has accumulated since about 3500 yr BP and have grown episodically as the permafrost table fluctuated in response to fires, other local site conditions and perhaps regional climatic changes. Radiocarbon dates suggest one or two episodes of ice-wedge growth between about 3500 and 2000 yr BP as woody peat accumulated at the site. Subsequent wedge truncation evidently followed a fire that charred the peat. Younger peat exhibits facies changes between sedge-rich components that filled troughs over the ice wedges and woody bryophytic deposits that formed beyond the troughs. A final episode of wedge development took place within the past few hundred years. Pollen data from the site indicate that boreal forest was present throughout the past 6000 yr, but that it underwent a gradual transition from a predominantly deciduous to a spruce-dominated assemblage. This change may reflect either local site conditions or a more general climatic shift to cooler, moister summers in late Holocene time. The history of ice-wedge growth shows that wedges can form and grow to more than 1 m apparent width under mean annual temperatures that probably are close to those of the Fairbanks area today (-3.5°C) and under vegetation cover similar to that of the interior Alaskan boreal forest. The commonly held belief that ice wedges develop only below mean annual air temperatures of -6 to -8°C in the zone of continuous permafrost is invalid.

Coastal Resilience and Adaptation:Working Together to go from Information to Action on Alaska's Coasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holman, A.; Poe, A.; Murphy, K.; Littell, J. S.; Pletnikoff, K.; Holen, D.

2016-12-01

The phrases "coastal resilience" and "climate adaptation" appear everywhere now—but how do they meet the needs of communities and natural resource managers on Alaska's coast? A regional consortium of The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, four of Alaska's Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), NOAA, University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Alaska Climate Science Center joined numerous local partners including several Tribes and Alaska Native Organizations to host workshops in five regions to find out.The project brought together audiences from Tribal and local government, State and Federal agencies, scientists and local experts to share the state of existing knowledge on current and anticipated environmental changes and impacts and discuss potential response actions. Targeting information and tools needed for decision making and resource management, the hundreds of workshop participants identified gaps in available data, information and knowledge that needs to be filled to help communities and managers better respond to climate change. Each of the workshops built upon the other and connected stakeholders and increase resiliency by bringing local decision makers together with the researchers who can fill their needs, consolidating and leveraging research being done in the region by many different parties (western and traditional) and ensuring those results get to those who need them, and creating an adaptive, collaborative process of identifying needs, conducting work, gathering the latest science from local to national sources, presenting results for evaluation and feedback, and using that information to drive future research and management investments. The resulting "toolbox" will help management agencies and others to better understand the dynamic changes Alaska is experiencing, their impacts on communities and habitats, as well as tools and information that can help managers and community leaders work better together to adapt to climate change.

Traditional living and cultural ways as protective factors against suicide: perceptions of Alaska Native university students.

PubMed

DeCou, Christopher R; Skewes, Monica C; López, Ellen D S

2013-01-01

Native peoples living in Alaska have one of the highest rates of suicide in the world. This represents a significant health disparity for indigenous populations living in Alaska. This research was part of a larger study that explored qualitatively the perceptions of Alaska Native university students from rural communities regarding suicide. This analysis explored the resilience that arose from participants' experiences of traditional ways, including subsistence activities. Previous research has indicated the importance of traditional ways in preventing suicide and strengthening communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 university students who had migrated to Fairbanks, Alaska, from rural Alaskan communities. An interview protocol was developed in collaboration with cultural and community advisors. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Participants were asked specific questions concerning the strengthening of traditional practices towards the prevention of suicide. Transcripts were analysed using the techniques of grounded theory. Participants identified several resilience factors against suicide, including traditional practices and subsistence activities, meaningful community involvement and an active lifestyle. Traditional practices and subsistence activities were perceived to create the context for important relationships, promote healthy living to prevent suicide, contrast with current challenges and transmit important cultural values. Participants considered the strengthening of these traditional ways as important in suicide prevention efforts. However, subsistence and traditional practices were viewed as a diminishing aspect of daily living in rural Alaska. Many college students from rural Alaska have been affected by suicide but are strong enough to cope with such tragic events. Subsistence living and traditional practices were perceived as important social and cultural processes with meaningful lifelong benefits for participants. Future research should continue to explore the ways in which traditional practices can contribute towards suicide prevention, as well as the far-reaching benefits of subsistence living.

Project Aether Aurora: STEM outreach near the arctic circle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longmier, B. W.; Bering, E. A.

2012-12-01

Project Aether is a program designed to immerse high-school through graduate students to field research in some of the fields of STEM. The program leaders launch high altitude weather balloons in collaboration with schools and students to teach physics concepts, experimental research skills, and to make space exploration accessible to students. A weather balloon lifts a specially designed payload package that is composed of HD cameras, GPS tracking devices, and other science equipment. The payload is constructed and attached to the balloon by the students with low-cost materials. The balloon and payload are launched with FAA clearance from a site chosen based on wind patterns and predicted landing locations. The balloon ascends over 2 hours to a maximum altitude of 100,000 feet where it bursts and allows the payload to slowly descend using a built-in parachute. The balloon's location is monitored during its flight by GPS-satellite relay. Most of the science and video data are recorded on SD cards using an Arduino digitizer. The payload is located using the GPS device. The science data are recovered from the payload and shared with the students. In April 2012, Project Aether leaders conducted a field campaign near Fairbanks Alaska, sending several student-built experiments to an altitude of 30km, underneath several strong auroral displays. Auroral physics experiments that can be done on ultra small balloons (5 cubic meters) include electric field and magnetic fluctuation observations, full spectrum and narrow band optical imaging, GPS monitoring of the total electron content of the ionosphere, x-ray detection and infrared and UV spectroscopy. The actual undergraduate student experiments will be reviewed and some data presented.; Balloon deployment underneath aurora, Fairbanks Alaska, 2012.

High-Latitude Wintertime Urban Pollution: Particulate Matter Composition and Temporal Trends in Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, W. R.; Nattinger, K.; Hooper, M.

2017-12-01

High latitude cities often experience severe pollution episodes during wintertime exacerbated by thermal inversion trapping of pollutant emissions. Fairbanks, Alaska is an extreme example of this problem, currently being classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a "serious" non-attainment area for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). For this reason, we have studied the chemical composition of PM2.5 at multiple EPA monitoring sites in the non-attainment area from 2006 to the present. The chemical composition is dominated by organic carbon with lesser amounts of black carbon and inorganic ionic species such as ammonium, sulfate, and nitrate. We find large spatial differences in composition and amount of PM2.5 that indicate a different mix of sources in residential areas as compared to the city center. Specifically, the difference in composition is consistent with increased wood smoke source in the residential areas. The extent to which organic matter could be secondary (formed through conversion of emitted gases) is also an area needing study. Ammonium sulfate is responsible for about a fifth to a quarter of the particles mass during the darkest months, possibly indicating a non-photochemical source of sulfate, but the chemical mechanism for this possible transformation is unclear. Therefore, we quantified the relationship between particulate sulfate concentrations and gas-phase sulfur dioxide concentrations along with particulate metals and inferred particulate acidity with the hopes that these data can assist in elucidation of the mechanism of particulate sulfate formation. We also analyze temporal trends in PM2.5 composition in an attempt to understand how the problem is changing over time and find most trends are small despite regulatory changes. Improving mechanistic understanding of particulate formation under cold and dark conditions could assist in reducing air-quality-related health effects.

Tephrochronolgical Studies of Late Neogene Sediments in Interior Alaska and the Yukon Territory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westgate, J. A.; Preece, S. J.; Froese, D. G.; Schweger, C. E.

2004-12-01

Our tephra studies of Late Neogene sediments in interior Alaska and Yukon are motivated by the need to provide a reliable time-stratigraphic framework for on-going palaeoenvironmental projects. Key sites are located in the Fairbanks, Chicken (Alaska) and Klondike (Yukon) goldfields, Old Crow Basin (Yukon), and the numerous bluffs along the Yukon River in Canada and eastern Alaska. Tephra beds are characterized by their field setting, petrography, geochemical composition of glass (majors and traces) and mineral phases (especially FeTi oxides), palaeomagnetic properties, and age (determined mostly by glass-fission-track methods). Two compositional groups are recognized. Type I beds have abundant bubble-wall glass shards and a small crop of crystals with pyroxene > hornblende. Its glass has a rhyolitic to dacitic composition with relatively high FeOt, Cs, Hf and low Al2O3, CaO, and Sr. REE profiles have a well-developed Eu anomaly with La/Yb < 13. Volcanics with this chemical signature are common throughout the Aleutian Alaska Peninsula arc (AAPA), which is, therefore, the presumed source of the type I distal beds. In contrast, type II beds have more abundant crystals (hornblende > > pyroxene) and the rhyolitic glass is mainly in the form of highly inflated pumice with high Al2O3, CaO, and Sr. REE profiles are steep with low heavy REE content along with a very weakly developed Eu anomaly, if present. The type II beds are unusual and have many of the characteristics of adakites, known to occur at Mount Drum and Mount Churchill in the Wrangell volcanic field (WVF), and at Hayes volcano at the northeastern end of the Alaska Peninsula arc. It is likely, therefore, that the source vents for the type II beds in interior Alaska and Yukon are located in or near the WVF. Twenty-five distinctive tephra beds have been recognized in the Gold Hill Loess at Fairbanks and a comparable number have been discovered in the Klondike goldfields, although few beds are common to both regions. Tephra beds related to large-magnitude explosive eruptions with inferred widespread distributions, given their location, thickness, and presumed source, respectively, include, from the WVF: White River Ash (1-2 ka), Sheep Creek tephra in Alaska (190 ka), Gold Run (700 ka), SP (870 ka), WP (1.0 Ma), Paradise Hill (1.5 Ma), Fort Selkirk (1.5 Ma), Little Timber (2.3 Ma), Lost Chicken (2.8 Ma), and Quartz Creek (3.0 Ma). Corresponding units from the AAPA include: Dawson tephra (24 ka), VT (80 ka), Old Crow (140 ka), Ester (800 ka), Mosquito Gulch (1.5 Ma), PA (2.0 Ma), and Dago Hill (3.2 Ma). Application of the tephrochronological method to the Late Neogene sediments of eastern Beringia has placed several important palaeoenvironmental events into a precise chronologic context. (1) Preglacial vegetation of Pinus and Picea, with rare Abies, Larix, Alnus, Betula, and Corylus existed in eastern Beringia as late as 2.8 Ma; (2) loess deposition in interior Alaska began ˜ 3.0 Ma; (3) permafrost was established in the area by 3.0 Ma; (4) the first continental glacier invaded Yukon between 3.0 to 2.6 Ma; and (5) the characteristic interglacial boreal forest, dominated by Picea, Abies, Betula, and Alnus, was established by 2.3 Ma.

Infrasonic array observations at I53US of the 2006 Augustine Volcano eruptions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, C.R.; Olson, J.V.; Szuberla, Curt A.L.; McNutt, Steve; Tytgat, Guy; Drob, Douglas P.

2006-01-01

The recent January 2006 Augustine eruptions, from the 11th to the 28th, have produced a series of 12 infrasonic signals that were observed at the I53US array at UAF. the eruption times for the signals were provided by the Alaska Volcanic Observatory at UAF using seismic sensors and a Chaparral microphone that are installed on Augustine Island. The bearing and distance of Augustine from I53US are, respectively, 207.8 degrees and 675 km. The analysis of the signals is done with a least-squares detector/estimator that calculates, from the 28 different sensor-pairs in the array, the mean of the cross-correlation maxima (MCCM), the horizontal trace-velocity and the azimuth of arrival of the signal using a sliding-window of 2000 data points. The data were bandpass filtered from 0.03 to 0.10 Hz. The data are digitized at a rate of 20 Hz. The average values of the signal parameters for all 12 Augustine signals are as follows: MCCM=0.85 (std 0.14), Trace-velocity=0.346 (std 0.016) km/sec, Azimuth=209 (std 2) deg. The celerity for each signal was calculated using the range 675 km and the individual travel times to I53US. The average celerity for all ten eruption signals was 0.27 (std 0.02) km/sec. Ray tracing studies, using mean values of the wind speed and temperature profiles (along the path) from NRL, have shown that there was propagation to I53US by both stratospheric and thermospheric ray paths from the volcano.

Long-term Effects of Hydrologic Manipulations on Pore Water Dissolved Organic Carbon in an Alaskan Rich Fen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rupp, D.; Kane, E. S.; Keller, J.; Turetsky, M. R.; Meingast, K. M.

2016-12-01

Boreal peatlands are experiencing rapid changes due to temperature and precipitation regime shifts in northern latitudes. In areas near Fairbanks, Alaska, thawing permafrost due to climatic changes alters peatland hydrology and thus the biogeochemical cycles within. Pore water chemistry reflects the biological and chemical processes occurring in boreal wetlands. The characterization of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) within pore water offers clues into the nature of microbially-driven biogeochemical shifts due to changing hydrology. There is mounting evidence that organic substances play an important role in oxidation-reduction (redox) reactivity of peat at northern latitudes, which is closely linked to carbon cycling. However, the redox dynamics of DOC are complex and have not been examined in depth in boreal peatlands. Here, we examine changes in organic substances and their influences on redox activity at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) site near Fairbanks, Alaska, where water table manipulation treatments have been in place since 2005 (control, raised water table, and lowered water table). With time, the altered hydrology has led to a shift in the plant community to favor sedge species in the raised water table treatment and more shrubs and non-aerenchymous plants in the lowered water table treatment. The litter from different plant functional types alters the character of the dissolved organic carbon, with more recalcitrant material containing lignin in the lowered water table plot due to the greater abundance of shrubs. A greater fraction of labile DOC in the raised treatment plot likely results from more easily decomposed sedge litter, root exudates at depth, and more frequently waterlogged conditions, which are antagonistic to aerobic microbial decomposition. We hypothesize that a greater fraction of phenolic carbon compounds supports higher redox activity. However, we note that not all "phenolic" compounds, as assayed by spectrophotometry, have the same redox activity. We report these results in the context of previous observations of higher methane fluxes from the raised water table plot. Taken together, these findings provide the mechanistic details needed to understand residual error in modeling efforts of anaerobic carbon evasion (methane and carbon dioxide) in boreal wetlands.

A Free and Open Source Web-based Data Catalog Evaluation Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, K.; Schweitzer, R.; Burger, E. F.

2015-12-01

For many years, the Unified Access Framework (UAF) project has worked to provide improved access to scientific data by leveraging widely used data standards and conventions. These standards include the Climate and Forecast (CF) metadata conventions, the Data Access Protocol (DAP) and various Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards such as WMS and WCS. The UAF has also worked to create a unified access point for scientific data access through THREDDS and ERDDAP catalogs. A significant effort was made by the UAF project to build a catalog-crawling tool that was designed to crawl remote catalogs, analyze their content and then build a clean catalog that 1) represented only CF compliant data; 2) provided a uniform set of access services and 3) where possible, aggregated data in time. That catalog is available at http://ferret.pmel.noaa.gov/geoide/geoIDECleanCatalog.html.Although this tool has proved immensely valuable in allowing the UAF project to create a high quality data catalog, the need for a catalog evaluation service or tool to operate on a more local level also exists. Many programs that generate data of interest to the public are recognizing the utility and power of using the THREDDS data server (TDS) to serve that data. However, for some groups that lack the resources to maintain dedicated IT personnel, it can be difficult to set up a properly configured TDS. The TDS catalog evaluating service that is under development and will be discussed in this presentation is an effort, through the UAF project, to bridge that gap. Based upon the power of the original UAF catalog cleaner, the web evaluator will have the ability to scan and crawl a local TDS catalog, evaluate the contents for compliance with CF standards, analyze the services offered, and identify datasets where possible temporal aggregation would benefit data access. The results of the catalog evaluator will guide the configuration of the dataset in TDS to ensure that it meets the standards as promoted by the UAF framework.

Preparing culturally responsive teachers of science, technology, engineering, and math using the Geophysical Institute Framework for Professional Development in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berry Bertram, Kathryn

2011-12-01

The Geophysical Institute (GI) Framework for Professional Development was designed to prepare culturally responsive teachers of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Professional development programs based on the framework are created for rural Alaskan teachers who instruct diverse classrooms that include indigenous students. This dissertation was written in response to the question, "Under what circumstances is the GI Framework for Professional Development effective in preparing culturally responsive teachers of science, technology, engineering, and math?" Research was conducted on two professional development programs based on the GI Framework: the Arctic Climate Modeling Program (ACMP) and the Science Teacher Education Program (STEP). Both programs were created by backward design to student learning goals aligned with Alaska standards and rooted in principles of indigenous ideology. Both were created with input from Alaska Native cultural knowledge bearers, Arctic scientists, education researchers, school administrators, and master teachers with extensive instructional experience. Both provide integrated instruction reflective of authentic Arctic research practices, and training in diverse methods shown to increase indigenous student STEM engagement. While based on the same framework, these programs were chosen for research because they offer distinctly different training venues for K-12 teachers. STEP offered two-week summer institutes on the UAF campus for more than 175 teachers from 33 Alaska school districts. By contrast, ACMP served 165 teachers from one rural Alaska school district along the Bering Strait. Due to challenges in making professional development opportunities accessible to all teachers in this geographically isolated district, ACMP offered a year-round mix of in-person, long-distance, online, and local training. Discussion centers on a comparison of the strategies used by each program to address GI Framework cornerstones, on methodologies used to conduct program research, and on findings obtained. Research indicates that in both situations the GI Framework for Professional Development was effective in preparing culturally responsive STEM teachers. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed in the conclusion.

U.S. Geological Survey experience with the residual absolutes method

USGS Publications Warehouse

Worthington, E. William; Matzka, Jurgen

2017-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geomagnetism Program has developed and tested the residual method of absolutes, with the assistance of the Danish Technical University's (DTU) Geomagnetism Program. Three years of testing were performed at College Magnetic Observatory (CMO), Fairbanks, Alaska, to compare the residual method with the null method. Results show that the two methods compare very well with each other and both sets of baseline data were used to process the 2015 definitive data. The residual method will be implemented at the other USGS high-latitude geomagnetic observatories in the summer of 2017 and 2018.

Malaspina Glacier, Alaska

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-02-26

This image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite covers an area of 55 by 40 kilometers (34 by 25 miles) over the southwest part of the Malaspina Glacier and Icy Bay in Alaska. The composite of infrared and visible bands results in the snow and ice appearing light blue, dense vegetation is yellow-orange and green, and less vegetated, gravelly areas are in orange. According to Dr. Dennis Trabant (U.S. Geological Survey, Fairbanks, Alaska), the Malaspina Glacier is thinning. Its terminal moraine protects it from contact with the open ocean; without the moraine, or if sea level rises sufficiently to reconnect the glacier with the ocean, the glacier would start calving and retreat significantly. ASTER data are being used to help monitor the size and movement of some 15,000 tidal and piedmont glaciers in Alaska. Evidence derived from ASTER and many other satellite and ground-based measurements suggests that only a few dozen Alaskan glaciers are advancing. The overwhelming majority of them are retreating. This ASTER image was acquired on June 8, 2001. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER will image Earth for the next six years to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03475

A system for monitoring impact of Denali National Park road traffic on wildlife

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Dale L.; Vogt, Kenneth D.; Warburton, Janet

1997-01-01

The Denali National Park and Preserve (DENA) is a 6.03 million acre reserve lying between Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska.  The park was established in 1917 as a wildlife refuge, and is managed to maintain the wilderness character.  With the highest mountain in North America, Mt. McKinley, and the easy availability of wildlife for viewing, the park is Alaska's most favored destination point.  From 1972 through 1984, visitation grew from 88, 615 to 394, 426 visitor days per year (GMP, 1986), and then increased by 50,000 per year to 596,000 visitors in 1988.  This demand for motorized access to the park, especially along the 92.5 mile-long park road, has resulted in controversy and claims of traffic disturbance to wildlife [(letter from Superintendent, DENA July 13, 1988) (Anchorage Daily News, May 14, 1995; May 26, 1995; February 5, 1996; June 18, 1996) Leo (1987); Lee Rue (1996)].

An approach to the real time risk evaluation system of boreal forest fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakau, K.; Fukuda, M.; Kimura, K.; Hayasaka, H.; Tani, H.; Kushida, K.

2005-12-01

Huge boreal forest fire may cause massive impacts not only on global warming gas emission but also local communities. Thus, it is important to control forest fire. We collected data about boreal forest fire as satellite imagery and fire observation simultaneously in Alaska and east Siberia in summer fire seasons for these three years. Fire observation data was collected from aircraft flying between Japan and Europe. Fire detection results were compared with observed data to evaluate the accuracy and earliness of automatic detection. NOAA and MODIS satellite images covering Alaska and East Siberia are collected. We are also developing fire expansion simulation model to forecast the possible fire expansion area. On the basis of fire expansion forecast, risk analysis of possible fire expansion for decision aid of fire-fighting activities will be analyzed. To identify the risk of boreal forest fire and public concern about forest fire, we collected local news paper in Fairbanks, AK and discuss the statistics of articles related to forest fire on the newspaper.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, M.L.

This paper very briefly summarizes progress in the demonstration of a small (up to 6 MWe), environmentally acceptable electric generating system fueled by indigenous fuels and waste materials to serve power distribution systems typical of Alaskan Native communities. Two detailed appendices supplement the report. The project is focused on two primary technologies: (1) atmospheric fluidized bed combustion (AFBC), and (2) coalbed methane and coal-fired diesel technologies. Two sites have been selected as possible locations for an AFBC demonstration, and bid proposals are under review. The transfer of a coal-fired diesel clean coal demonstration project from Maryland to Fairbanks, Alaska wasmore » approved, and the environmental assessment has been initiated. Federal support for a fuel cell using coalbed methane is also being pursued. The appendices included in the report provide: (1) the status of the conceptual design study for a 600-kWe coal-fired cogeneration plant in McGrath, Alaska; and (2) a global market assessment of coalbed methane, fluidized-bed combustion, and coal-fired diesel technologies in remote applications.« less

Recovery and archiving key Arctic Alaska vegetation map and plot data for the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Field Experiment (ABoVE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, D. A.; Breen, A. L.; Broderson, D.; Epstein, H. E.; Fisher, W.; Grunblatt, J.; Heinrichs, T.; Raynolds, M. K.; Walker, M. D.; Wirth, L.

2013-12-01

Abundant ground-based information will be needed to inform remote-sensing and modeling studies of NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE). A large body of plot and map data collected by the Alaska Geobotany Center (AGC) and collaborators from the Arctic regions of Alaska and the circumpolar Arctic over the past several decades is being archived and made accessible to scientists and the public via the Geographic Information Network of Alaska's (GINA's) 'Catalog' display and portal system. We are building two main types of data archives: Vegetation Plot Archive: For the plot information we use a Turboveg database to construct the Alaska portion of the international Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA) http://www.geobotany.uaf.edu/ava/. High quality plot data and non-digital legacy datasets in danger of being lost have highest priority for entry into the archive. A key aspect of the database is the PanArctic Species List (PASL-1), developed specifically for the AVA to provide a standard of species nomenclature for the entire Arctic biome. A wide variety of reports, documents, and ancillary data are linked to each plot's geographic location. Geoecological Map Archive: This database includes maps and remote sensing products and links to other relevant data associated with the maps, mainly those produced by the Alaska Geobotany Center. Map data include GIS shape files of vegetation, land-cover, soils, landforms and other categorical variables and digital raster data of elevation, multispectral satellite-derived data, and data products and metadata associated with these. The map archive will contain all the information that is currently in the hierarchical Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas (T-AGA) in Alaska http://www.arcticatlas.org, plus several additions that are in the process of development and will be combined with GINA's already substantial holdings of spatial data from northern Alaska. The Geoecological Atlas Portal uses GINA's Catalog tool to develop a web interface to view and access the plot and map data. The mapping portal allows visualization of GIS data, sample-point locations and imagery and access to the map data. Catalog facilitates the discovery and dissemination of science-based information products in support of analysis and decision-making concerned with development and climate change and is currently used by GINA in several similar archive/distribution portals.

Exploring tidewater glacier retreat using past and current observations at Columbia Glacier, Alaska. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neel, S.; Pfeffer, W. T.; Howat, I. M.; Conway, H.; Columbia Glacier Consortium

2010-12-01

Since fulfilling Austin Post’s prediction of impending retreat in the late 1970s, Columbia Glacier has repeatedly surprised both casual and careful observers with its ability for rapid change. Over the last three decades, Columbia Glacier has lost approximately 18 km of its original 66 km length, while thinning by approximately 50% at the present terminus. The total ice volume lost to the Gulf of Alaska Estimates upwards of 120 km3 constrain the total ice volume lost to the Gulf of Alaska. Recently, the terminus supported a ~1.5 km long floating tongue for over than a year, contradicting the common assumption that the mechanical properties of temperate ice prohibit flotation over sustained time intervals. The rich history of study offers an opportunity to better understand tidewater glacier retreat, and a valuable analog to the dynamic instability underway at several ice sheet outlet glaciers. Current research aims to improve processing resolution of existing aerial photographic data, while complimenting the 30-year photogrammetric record with a suite of field observations. Recent instrumentation includes: oblique time lapse and still imagery, semi-permanent GPS, airborne radar, mass balance, passive seismology and LiDAR. This presentation will focus on innovative methods developed in recent field seasons, sharing insight each has provided into the retreat process . 1The Columbia Glacier Consortium consists of: Fabian Walter (SIO), Kenichi Matsuoka (NPI), Ben Smith (UW), Ethan Welty (CU-Boulder), Chris Larsen (UAF), Dave Finnegan (CRREL), Dan McNamara (USGS), Yushin Ahn (OSU), Julie Markus (OSU), Adam LeWinter (EIS).

Yup'ik culture and context in Southwest Alaska: community member perspectives of tradition, social change, and prevention.

PubMed

Ayunerak, Paula; Alstrom, Deborah; Moses, Charles; Charlie, James; Rasmus, Stacy M

2014-09-01

This paper provides an introduction to key aspects of Yup'ik Inuit culture and context from both historical and contemporary community member perspectives. Its purpose is to provide a framework for understanding the development and implementation of a prevention initiative centered on youth in two communities in Southwest Alaska as part of collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Institutes of Health. This paper is written from the perspective of elders and local prevention workers from each of the two prevention communities. The co-authors discuss their culture and their community from their own perspectives, drawing from direct experience and from ancestral knowledge gained through learning and living the Yuuyaraq or the Yup'ik way of life. The authors of this paper identity key aspects of traditional Yup'ik culture that once contributed to the adaptability and survivability of their ancestors, particularly through times of hardship and social disruption. These key processes and practices represent dimensions of culture in a Yup'ik context that contribute to personal and collective growth, protection and wellbeing. Intervention development in Yup'ik communities requires bridging historical cultural frames with contemporary contexts and shifting focus from reviving cultural activities to repairing and revitalizing cultural systems that structure community.

International Volcanological Field School: Introduction to Geohazard Research and Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izbekov, P. E.; Kravchunovskaya, E. A.; Eichelberger, J. C.; Gordeev, E.; Novik, Y. O.; Chebrov, V. N.

2012-12-01

The Kurile-Kamchatka-Aleutian- Alaska portion of the Pacific Rim of Fire spans nearly 5,400 km. It is home for more than 110 active volcanoes, which produce 4-6 significant explosive eruptions per year. It is also the source of some of the largest tsunami-generating earthquakes in the history of mankind. Volcanic ash clouds and tsunami waves generated in this area travel for thousands of kilometers defying political boundaries, thus making the international cooperation crucial for mitigating geohazards in the Northern Pacifica. In 2003, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the Vitus Bering Kamchatka State University, with strong support from the Kamchatka Branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have established the International Volcanological Field School. This field camp serves as an introduction to volcanology and covers fundamental aspects of geohazard research and monitoring. Offered at both sides of the Russia-US border, the School attracts students from various disciplines and cultures, providing a direct access to the best examples of explosive volcanism at Katmai National Park in Alaska and at Mutnovsky & Gorely volcanoes in Kamchatka. It complements our efforts to build a strong geoscience community in the Northern Pacifica and serves as an important tool to attract brightest young scientists to geohazard research and monitoring.

Yup’ik Culture and Context in Southwest Alaska: Community Member Perspectives of Tradition, Social Change, and Prevention

PubMed Central

Ayunerak, Paula; Alstrom, Deborah; Moses, Charles; Charlie, James

2014-01-01

This paper provides an introduction to key aspects of Yup’ik Inuit culture and context from both historical and contemporary community member perspectives. Its purpose is to provide a framework for understanding the development and implementation of a prevention initiative centered on youth in two communities in Southwest Alaska as part of collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Institutes of Health. This paper is written from the perspective of elders and local prevention workers from each of the two prevention communities. The co-authors discuss their culture and their community from their own perspectives, drawing from direct experience and from ancestral knowledge gained through learning and living the Yuuyaraq or the Yup’ik way of life. The authors of this paper identity key aspects of traditional Yup’ik culture that once contributed to the adaptability and survivability of their ancestors, particularly through times of hardship and social disruption. These key processes and practices represent dimensions of culture in a Yup’ik context that contribute to personal and collective growth, protection and wellbeing. Intervention development in Yup’ik communities requires bridging historical cultural frames with contemporary contexts and shifting focus from reviving cultural activities to repairing and revitalizing cultural systems that structure community. PMID:24771075

Regeneration alternatives for upland white spruce after burning and logging in interior Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Densmore, R.V.; Juday, G.P.; Zasada, J.C.

1999-01-01

Site-preparation and regeneration methods for white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) were tested near Fairbanks, Alaska, on two upland sites which had been burned in a wildfire and salvage logged. After 5 and 10 years, white spruce regeneration did not differ among the four scarification methods but tended to be lower without scarification. Survival of container-grown planted seedlings stabilized after 3 years at 93% with scarification and at 76% without scarification. Broadcast seeding was also successful, with one or more seedlings on 80% of the scarified 6-m2 subplots and on 60% of the unscarified subplots after 12 years. Natural regeneration after 12 years exceeded expectations, with seedlings on 50% of the 6-m2 subplots 150 m from a seed source and on 28% of the subplots 230 m from a seed source. After 5 years, 37% of the scarified unsheltered seed spots and 52% of the scarified seed spots with cone shelters had one or more seedlings, but only 16% of the unscarified seed spots had seedlings, with and without funnel shelters. Growth rates for all seedlings were higher than on similar unburned sites. The results show positive effects of burning in interior Alaska, and suggest planting seedlings, broadcast seeding, and natural seedfall, alone or in combination, as viable options for similar sites.

Traditional living and cultural ways as protective factors against suicide: perceptions of Alaska Native university students

PubMed Central

DeCou, Christopher R.; Skewes, Monica C.; López, Ellen D. S.

2013-01-01

Introduction Native peoples living in Alaska have one of the highest rates of suicide in the world. This represents a significant health disparity for indigenous populations living in Alaska. This research was part of a larger study that explored qualitatively the perceptions of Alaska Native university students from rural communities regarding suicide. This analysis explored the resilience that arose from participants’ experiences of traditional ways, including subsistence activities. Previous research has indicated the importance of traditional ways in preventing suicide and strengthening communities. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 university students who had migrated to Fairbanks, Alaska, from rural Alaskan communities. An interview protocol was developed in collaboration with cultural and community advisors. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Participants were asked specific questions concerning the strengthening of traditional practices towards the prevention of suicide. Transcripts were analysed using the techniques of grounded theory. Findings Participants identified several resilience factors against suicide, including traditional practices and subsistence activities, meaningful community involvement and an active lifestyle. Traditional practices and subsistence activities were perceived to create the context for important relationships, promote healthy living to prevent suicide, contrast with current challenges and transmit important cultural values. Participants considered the strengthening of these traditional ways as important in suicide prevention efforts. However, subsistence and traditional practices were viewed as a diminishing aspect of daily living in rural Alaska. Conclusions Many college students from rural Alaska have been affected by suicide but are strong enough to cope with such tragic events. Subsistence living and traditional practices were perceived as important social and cultural processes with meaningful lifelong benefits for participants. Future research should continue to explore the ways in which traditional practices can contribute towards suicide prevention, as well as the far-reaching benefits of subsistence living. PMID:23984288

Forging a new legacy of trust in research with Alaska Native college students using CBPR.

PubMed

Lopez, Ellen D S; Sharma, Dinghy Kristine B; Mekiana, Deborah; Ctibor, Alaina

2012-01-01

Disparities in the rates of matriculation and graduation are of concern to Alaska Native (AN) students and the universities committed to their academic success. Efforts to reduce attrition require a keen understanding of the factors that impact quality of life (QOL) at college. Yet, a long-standing legacy of mistrust towards research poses challenges to conducting inquiry among AN students. We introduced a partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbank's Rural Student Services (RSS) and the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) within which we conducted the "What makes life good?" study aimed towards developing a QOL measure for AN students. Equally important was building a legacy of research trust among AN partners. We describe Phase I of a 2-phase study that employed a sequential mixed methods approach. Discussed are facilitators, challenges and lessons learned while striving to adhere to the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Phase I included formative focus groups and QOL measurement development. The research involved the interplay among activities that were co-developed with the goal of enhancing trust and research capacity. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that data collection and analyses were student driven. All partners resided at the same university. However, trust and collaboration could not be assumed. Working within a collaborative framework, our partnership achieved the aim of developing a culturally informed QOL measure, while also creating an empowering experience for all partners who became co-investigators in a process that might normally be regarded with mistrust.

IHY-IPY conference report from Polar Gateways Arctic Circle Sunrise 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, John; Kauristie, Kirsti; Weatherwax, Allan; Thompson, Barbara; Sheehan, Glenn; Smith, Roger; Sandahl, Ingrid

Polar, heliophysical, and planetary science topics related to the International Heliophysical and Polar Years 2007-2009 were addressed during this unique circumpolar conference hosted January 23-29, 2008 at the new Barrow Arctic Research Center of the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium in Barrow, Alaska. Science presentations spanned the solar system from the polar Sun and heliospheric environment to Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Kuiper Belt, and the solar wind termination shock now crossed by both Voyager spacecraft. Many of the science presentations were made remotely via video conference or teleconference from Sweden, Norway, Russia, Canada, Antarctica, and the United States, spanning up to thirteen time zones (Alaska to Russia) at various times during the conference. U.S. remote contributions came from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Arizona, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Convening during the first week of 2008 Arctic sunrise at Barrow, this conference served as a prelude that year to international Sun-Earth Day celebrations for IHY, while also commemorating Barrow scientific and native cultural support for the first International Polar Year 1882-1883. Extensive educational outreach activities were conducted with the local Barrow and Alaska North Slope communities and through the NASA Digital Learning Network live from the "top of the world" at Barrow. The conference proceedings are Internet accessible via the home page at http://polargateways2008.org/.

Paleoclimatic significance of chemical weathering in loess-derived paleosols of subarctic central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, D.R.; Ager, T.A.; Skipp, G.; Beann, J.; Budahn, J.; McGeehin, J.P.

2008-01-01

Chemical weathering in soils has not been studied extensively in high-latitude regions. Loess sequences with modern soils and paleosols are present in much of subarctic Alaska, and allow an assessment of present and past chemical weathering. Five sections were studied in detail in the Fairbanks, Alaska, area. Paleosols likely date to mid-Pleistocene interglacials, the last interglacial, and early-to-mid-Wisconsin interstadiale. Ratios of mobile (Na, Ca, Mg, Si) to immobile (Ti or Zr) elements indicate that modern soils and most interstadial and interglacial paleosols are characterized by significant chemical weathering. Na2O/TiO2 is lower in modern soils and most paleosols compared to parent loess, indicating depletion of plagioclase. In the clay fraction, smectite is present in Tanana and Yukon River source sediments, but is absent or poorly expressed in modern soils and paleosols, indicating depletion of this mineral also. Loss of both plagioclase and smectite is well expressed in soils and paleosols as lower SiO 2/TiO2. Carbonates are present in the river source sediments, but based on CaO/TiO2, they are depleted in soils and most paleosols (with one exception in the early-to-mid-Wisconsin period). Thus, most soil-forming intervals during past interglacial and interstadial periods in Alaska had climatic regimes that were at least as favorable to mineral weathering as today, and suggest boreal forest or acidic tundra vegetation. ?? 2008 Regents of the University of Colorado.

Long-term Results of Endovascular Stent Graft Placement of Ureteroarterial Fistula

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Okada, Takuya, E-mail: okabone@gmail.com; Yamaguchi, Masato, E-mail: masato03310402@yahoo.co.jp; Muradi, Akhmadu, E-mail: muradiakhmadu@gmail.com

2013-08-01

PurposeTo evaluate the safety, efficacy, and long-term results of endovascular stent graft placement for ureteroarterial fistula (UAF).MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed stent graft placement for UAF performed at our institution from 2004 to 2012. Fistula location was assessed by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and angiography, and freedom from hematuria recurrence and mortality rates were estimated.ResultsStent graft placement for 11 UAFs was performed (4 men, mean age 72.8 {+-} 11.6 years). Some risk factors were present, including long-term ureteral stenting in 10 (91 %), pelvic surgery in 8 (73 %), and pelvic radiation in 5 (45 %). Contrast-enhanced CT and/or angiography revealed fistulamore » or encasement of the artery in 6 cases (55 %). In the remaining 5 (45 %), angiography revealed no abnormality, and the suspected fistula site was at the crossing area between urinary tract and artery. All procedures were successful. However, one patient died of urosepsis 37 days after the procedure. At a mean follow-up of 548 (range 35-1,386) days, 4 patients (36 %) had recurrent hematuria, and two of them underwent additional treatment with secondary stent graft placement and surgical reconstruction. The hematuria recurrence-free rates at 1 and 2 years were 76.2 and 40.6 %, respectively. The freedom from UAF-related and overall mortality rates at 2 years were 85.7 and 54.9 %, respectively.ConclusionEndovascular stent graft placement for UAF is a safe and effective method to manage acute events. However, the hematuria recurrence rate remains high. A further study of long-term results in larger number of patients is necessary.« less

Agro-climate Projections for a Warming Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lader, R.; Walsh, J. E.; Bhatt, U. S.; Bieniek, P.

2017-12-01

In the context of greenhouse warming, agro-meteorological indices suggest widespread disruption to current food supply chains during the coming decades. Much of the western United States is projected to have more dry days, and the southern states are likely to experience greater plant heat stress. Considering these difficulties, it could become necessary for more northerly locations, including Alaska, to increase agricultural production to support local communities and offset supply shortages. This study employs multiple dynamically downscaled regional climate model simulations from the CMIP5 to investigate projected changes to agro-climate conditions across Alaska. The metric used here, the start-of-field operations index (SFO), identifies the date during which the sum of daily average temperature, starting from January 1st and excluding negative values, exceeds 200 ˚C. Using the current trajectory of greenhouse radiative forcing, RCP 8.5, this study indicates a doubling to 71,960 km2 of Alaska land area that meets the required thermal accumulation for crop production when comparing a historical period (1981-2010) to the future (2071-2100). The SFO shows a correlation coefficient of 0.91 with the independently produced green-up index for Fairbanks from 1981-2010. Among the land areas that currently reach the necessary thermal accumulation, there is a projected increase in growing season length (63-82 days), earlier date of last spring frost (28-48 days), and later date of first autumn frost (24-47 days) across the five USDA Census of Agriculture areas for Alaska. Both an average statewide decrease of annual frost days (71 fewer), and an increase in days with extreme warmth (28 more) are also projected.

Mapping known and potential mineral occurrences and host rocks in the Bonnifield Mining District using minimal cloud- and snow-cover ASTER data: Chapter E in Recent U.S. Geological Survey studies in the Tintina Gold Province, Alaska, United States, and Yukon, Canada--results of a 5-year project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hubbard, Bernard E.; Dusel-Bacon, Cynthia; Rowan, Lawrence C.; Eppinger, Robert G.; Gough, Larry P.; Day, Warren C.

2007-01-01

On July 8, 2003, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor acquired satellite imagery of a 60-kilometer-wide swath covering a portion of the Bonnifield mining district within the southernmost part of the Tintina Gold Province, Alaska, under unusually favorable conditions of minimal cloud and snow cover. Although rocks from more than eight different lithotectonic terranes are exposed within the extended swath of data, we focus on volcanogenic massive sulfides (VMS) and porphyry deposits within the Yukon-Tanana terrane (YTT), the largest Mesozoic accretionary terrane exposed between the Denali fault system to the south of Fairbanks and the Tintina fault system to the north of Fairbanks. Comparison of thermal-infrared region (TIR) decorrelation stretch data to available geologic maps indicates that rocks from the YTT contain a wide range of rock types ranging in composition from mafic metavolcanic rocks to felsic rock types such as metarhyolites, pelitic schists, and quartzites. The nine-band ASTER visible-near-infrared region--short-wave infrared region (VNIR-SWIR) reflectance data and spectral matched-filter processing were used to map hydrothermal alteration patterns associated with VMS and porphyry deposit types. In particular, smectite, kaolinite, opaline silica, jarosite and (or) other ferric iron minerals defined narrow (less than 250-meter diameter) zonal patterns around Red Mountain and other potential VMS targets. Using ASTER we identified some of the known mineral deposits in the region, as well as mineralogically similar targets that may represent potential undiscovered deposits. Some known deposits were not identified and may have been obscured by vegetation or snow cover or were too small to be resolved.

Treatment of ureteroarterial fistula with an endoureteral stent graft.

PubMed

Horikawa, Masahiro; Saito, Hiroya; Hokotate, Hirofumi; Mori, Tatsuya

2012-09-01

A patient with a history of total cystectomy for bladder cancer, cutaneous ureterostomy, irradiation, and long-term indwelling urinary catheters presented with an aortoureteral fistula (UAF), which was treated with an endoureteral stent graft. The described ureteral approach using stent grafts may be considered for the management of UAFs when more traditional approaches are unavailable. Copyright © 2012 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring Science Applications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Aboard UNOLS Ships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, R.; Lachenmeier, T.; Hatfield, M. C.

2014-12-01

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has been expanding the use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for science support from a variety of ships for several years. The ease and safety of flying from research vessels offers the science community lower cost access to overhead surveys of marine mammals without impact on sensitive populations, monitoring of AUV operations and collection of transmitted data, extensive surveys of sea ice during formation, melt, and sea temperatures through multiple seasons. As FAA expands access to the Arctic airspace over the Chukchi, Beaufort, and Bering Seas, the opportunities to employ UAS in science applications will become easier to exploit. This presentation describes the changes coming through new FAA rules, through the Alaska FAA Test Site, the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex which includes Oregon and Hawaii, and even Iceland. Airspace access advances associated with recent operations including the NASA-sponsored MIZOPEX, whale detection, and forming sea ice work in October will be presented, as well as a glider UAS connected to very high altitude balloons collecting atmospheric data. Development of safety procedures for use of UAS on UNOLS ships will be discussed.

Morphology and Viability of Pleistocene Microbiota from the CRREL Permafrost Tunnel Near Fox, Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B.

2000-01-01

The U. S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory maintains the CRREL Permafrost Tunnel at Fox, Alaska (-10 miles north of Fairbanks.) The active microbial ecosystems and the cryopreserved anabiotic viable microorganisms and dead microbial remains and biomarkers frozen within the permafrost and ice of the CRREL Permafrost Tunnel are of direct relevance to Astrobiology. Microbial extremophiles from permafrost and ice provide information concerning where and how should we search for evidence of life elsewhere in the Cosmos. The permafrost and ice wedges of the Fox tunnel preserves a magnificent of record of Pliocene, Pleistocene and Holocene life on Earth spanning more than 2.5 million years. This record includes frozen fossil bacteria, archaea, algae, mosses, higher plants, insects and mammals. In this paper we present the preliminary results of studies of the morphology, ultramicrostructure and elemental distributions of Fox tunnel microbiota as determined in-situ by the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) and the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) investigations. The long-term viability of cryopreserved microbiota and potential implications to Astrobiology will be discussed.

Old Crow tephra: A new late Pleistocene stratigraphic marker across north-central Alaska and western Yukon Territory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Westgate, J.A.; Hamilton, T.D.; Gorton, M.P.

1983-01-01

Old Crow tephra is the first extensive Pleistocene tephra unit to be documented in the northwestern part of North America. It has a calc-alkaline dacitic composition with abundant pyroxene, plagioclase, and FeTi oxides, and minor hornblende, biotite, apatite, and zircon. Thin, clear, bubble-wall fragments are the dominant type of glass shard. This tephra can be recognized by its glass and phenocryst compositions, as determined by X-ray fluorescence, microprobe, and instrumental neutron activation techniques. It has an age between the limits of 60,000 and 120,000 yr, set by 14C and fission-track measurements, respectively. Old Crow tephra has been recognized in the Koyukuk Basin and Fairbanks region of Alaska, and in the Old Crow Lowlands of the northern Yukon Territory, some 600 km to the east-northeast. The source vent is unknown, but these occurrences, considered in relation to the distant locations of potential Quaternary volcanic sources, demonstrate the widespread distribution of this tephra and underscore its importance as a regional stratigraphic marker. ?? 1983.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Webley, Peter W.; Atkinson, D.; Collins, Richard L.

On 11 January 2006, Mount Augustine volcano in southern Alaska began erupting after 20-year repose. The Anchorage Forecast Office of the National Weather Service (NWS) issued an advisory on 28 January for Kodiak City. On 31 January, Alaska Airlines cancelled all flights to and from Anchorage after multiple advisories from the NWS for Anchorage and the surrounding region. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) had reported the onset of the continuous eruption. AVO monitors the approximately 100 active volcanoes in the Northern Pacific. Ash clouds from these volcanoes can cause serious damage to an aircraft and pose a serious threat tomore » the local communities, and to transcontinental air traffic throughout the Arctic and sub-Arctic region. Within AVO, a dispersion model has been developed to track the dispersion of volcanic ash clouds. The model, Puff, was used operational by AVO during the Augustine eruptive period. Here, we examine the dispersion of a volcanic ash cloud from Mount Augustine across Alaska from 29 January through the 2 February 2006. We present the synoptic meteorology, the Puff predictions, and measurements from aerosol samplers, laser radar (or lidar) systems, and satellites. UAF aerosol samplers revealed the presence of volcanic aerosols at the surface at sites where Puff predicted the ash clouds movement. Remote sensing satellite data showed the development of the ash cloud in close proximity to the volcano and a sulfur-dioxide cloud further from the volcano consistent with the Puff predictions. Lidars showed the presence of volcanic aerosol with consistent characteristics aloft over Alaska and were capable of detecting the aerosol, even in the presence of scattered clouds and where the cloud is too thin/disperse to be detected by remote sensing satellite data. The lidar measurements revealed the different trajectories of ash consistent with the Puff predictions. Dispersion models provide a forecast of volcanic ash cloud movement that might be undetectable by any other means but are still a significant hazard. Validation is the key to assessing the accuracy of any future predictions. The study highlights the use of multiple and complementary observations used in detecting the trajectory ash cloud, both at the surface and aloft within the atmosphere.« less

Polar Gateways Arctic Circle Sunrise 2008 Conference at the Top of the World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, J. F.; Kauristie, K.; Weatherwax, A. T.; Sheehan, G. W.; Smith, R. W.; Cline, T. D.; Lewis, E. M.; Haines-Stiles, G.

2008-12-01

The Polar Gateways conference was hosted during January 23-29, 2008, the first week of polar sunrise at Barrow, Alaska, at the new Barrow Arctic Research Center of the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC). The dawn week of polar day, the highly variable low temperatures, and the ice-covered shore tundra and adjacent sea ice conditions provided an appropriate locale for a conference dedicated in the spirit of the International Polar and Heliophysical Years 2007-2009 to the educational exploration of polar and icy world science of Earth and the solar system. The many scientific, educational, and cultural interactions with the local community of four thousand residents, sixty percent native Inupiat Eskimo, further provided an unforgettable experience of what life might be someday be like on other remote polar and icy worlds to be explored and eventually inhabited. Over one hundred active participants, more than half participating remotely, contributed science presentations and educational activities during this unique circumpolar and very "green" conference. Most remote contributions came via videoconference from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) at Kiruna, Sweden, the EISCAT Svalbard Radar Facility at Spitzbergen, Norway, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Arizona. A few contributors participated via teleconference, including one from the Polar Geophysical Institute at Apatity in Russia. These active contributions spanned up to thirteen time zones (Alaska to Russia) at various times during the conference. Primary videoconferencing support between Barrow and other sites was ably provided by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, and local operators at each remote site collectively made this conference possible. Science presentations spanned the solar system from the polar Sun and heliospheric environment to Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Kuiper Belt, and the solar wind termination shock now crossed by both Voyager spacecraft. Barrow participants experienced look and feel of icy worlds like Europa by going "on the ice" during snowmobile expeditions to the near-shore sea ice and Point Barrow. Extensive educational outreach activities were conducted with the local Barrow township and North Slope Borough communities, partly through several interviews with local host Earl Finkler on Barrow's KBRW Radio, and through the NASA Digital Learning Network (DLN) "live from the top of the world" at Barrow. The Goddard robotic rover "Nanuq of the North" became a local celebrity. The complete science program and photo library, eventually also including video recordings of all main presentations, will be available at the new polargateways2008.gsfc.nasa.gov web site (old version: polargateways2008.org) with links to educational materials from the conference already accessible at sunearthday.nasa.gov/polarsunrise.

Polar Gateways Arctic Circle Sunrise 2008 Conference at the Top of the World

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, John F.; Kauristie, Kirsti; Weatherwax, Allan T.; Sandahl, Ingrid; Ostgaard, Nikolai; Sheehan, Glenn W.; Smith, Roger W.; Lewis, Elaine M.; Cline, Troy D.; Haines-Stiles, Geoff

2008-01-01

The Polar Gateways conference was hosted during January 23-29, 2008, the first week of polar sunrise at Barrow, Alaska, at the new Barrow Arctic Research Center of the Barrow Arctic Science consortium (BASC). The dawn week of polar day, the highly variable low temperatures, and the ice-covered shore tundra and adjacent sea ice conditions provided an appropriate locale for a conference dedicated in the spirit of the International Polar and Heliophysical Years 2007-2009 to the educational exploration of polar and icy world science of Earth and the solar system. The many scientific, educational, and cultural interactions with the local community of four thousand residents, sixty percent native Inupiat Eskimo, further provided an unforgettable experience of what life might be someday be like on other remote polar and icy worlds to be explored and eventually inhabited. Over one hundred active participants, more than half participating remotely, contributed science presentations and educational activities during this unique circumpolar and very "green" conference. Most remote contributions came via videoconference from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) at Kisuna, Sweden, the EISCAT Svalbard Radar Facility at Spitzbergen, Norway, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Arizona. A few contributors participated via teleconference, including one from the Polar Geophysical Institute at Apatity in Russia. These active contributions spanned up to thirteen time zones (Alaska to Russia) at various tirnes during the conference. Primary videoconferencing support between Barrow and other sites was ably provided by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, and local operators at each remote site collectively made this conference possible. Science presentations spanned the solar system from the polar Sun and heliospheric environment to Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Kuiper Belt, and the solar wind termination shock now crossed by both Voyager spacecraft. Barrow participants experienced look and feel of icy worlds like Europa by going "on the ice" during snowmobile expeditions to the near-shore sea ice and Point Barrow. Extensive educational outreach activities were conducted with the local Barrow township and North Slope Borough communities, partly through several interviews with local host Earl Finkler on Barrow's KBRW Radio, and through the NASA Digital Learning Network (DLN) "live from the top of the world" at Barrow. The Goddard robotic rover "Nunuq of the North" became a local celebrity. The complete science program and photo library, eventually also including video recordings of all main presentations, will be available at the new polargateways2008.gsfc.nasa.gov web site (old version: polargateways2008.org) with links to educational materials from the conference already accessible at sunearthday.nasa.gov/polarsunrise.

Bridge Structure, Foundation and Approach Embankment Performance for the October-November 2002 Earthquake Sequence on the Denali Fault, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinson, T. S.; Hulsey, L.; Ma, J.; Connor, B.; Brooks, T. E.

2002-12-01

More than two dozen major bridges were subjected to severe ground motions during the October-November 2002 Earthquake Sequence on the Denali Fault, Alaska. The bridges represented a number of conventional designs constructed over the past three to four decades. The objective of the field investigation presented herein was to determine the extent of the damage, if any, to the bridge structures, foundations and approach embankments. This was accomplished by direct inspection of the bridges by the authors (or employees of their organizations) along the Richardson, Alaska, Parks, and Denali Highways, the Tok Cutoff, and the railroad bridges for the railroad alignment between Trapper Creek and Fairbanks. More specifically, the members of the investigation team (represented by the authors) conducted more than three days of field inspections of bridges within the zone of severe ground shaking during the M6.7 and M7.9 Denali fault events. The primary conclusion noted was that while a substantial number of bridges were subjected to intense shaking they all performed very well and were not damaged to the extent that remedial repairs to the bridge structure were necessary. There were occurrences of lateral spreading/liquefaction related damage to the approach embankments and slight separation of the approach embankment from the abutment foundation systems. Overall, considering the severity of ground shaking, much greater damage to the bridge structures, foundations and approach embankments would be predicted. Had the earthquakes occurred during winter when the ground was frozen and the ductility of the structures was substantially reduced events comparable to the October-November 2002 Earthquake Sequence on the Denali Fault, Alaska could have resulted in significant damage to bridges. This reconnaissance was supported by the National Science Foundation, Alaska Dept. of Transportation and Public Facilities, and the Alaska Railroad Corporation.

Forging a new legacy of trust in research with Alaska Native college students using CBPR

PubMed Central

Lopez, Ellen D.S.; Sharma, Dinghy Kristine B.; Mekiana, Deborah; Ctibor, Alaina

2012-01-01

Objectives Disparities in the rates of matriculation and graduation are of concern to Alaska Native (AN) students and the universities committed to their academic success. Efforts to reduce attrition require a keen understanding of the factors that impact quality of life (QOL) at college. Yet, a long-standing legacy of mistrust towards research poses challenges to conducting inquiry among AN students. We introduced a partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbank's Rural Student Services (RSS) and the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) within which we conducted the “What makes life good?” study aimed towards developing a QOL measure for AN students. Equally important was building a legacy of research trust among AN partners. Study design We describe Phase I of a 2-phase study that employed a sequential mixed methods approach. Discussed are facilitators, challenges and lessons learned while striving to adhere to the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Methods Phase I included formative focus groups and QOL measurement development. The research involved the interplay among activities that were co-developed with the goal of enhancing trust and research capacity. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that data collection and analyses were student driven. Conclusions All partners resided at the same university. However, trust and collaboration could not be assumed. Working within a collaborative framework, our partnership achieved the aim of developing a culturally informed QOL measure, while also creating an empowering experience for all partners who became co-investigators in a process that might normally be regarded with mistrust. PMID:23019564

Identification of geostructures of continental crust, particularly as they relate to mineral-resource evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gryc, G. (Principal Investigator); Lathram, E. H.

1972-01-01

The authors have identified the following significant results. As a precursor to the ERTS-1 investigation, the spatial relationship of geostructures seen on Nimbus IDCS photographs to the distribution of mineralized areas in Alaska and western Canada was analyzed to determine the possible metallogenic significance of the geostructures. In Canada, mercury and porphyry molybdenum deposits are closely associated with strong northwest-trending fault systems; the development of mineralized regions seems related to major crustal zones or fractures trending southwestward across the Cordillera from the Precambrian shield. In Alaska, comparison of the northeast- and northwest-trending set of possible crustal structures shown on the Nimbus photo, with the distribution of known mineral deposits suggests a similar relationship. The mineralized region of massive sulfides in Prince William Sound and upper Copper River areas and of porphyry coppers in the Nabesna area forms a broad northeast-trending belt possibly related to the Minto Arch on the Shield. The belt of metalliferous deposits in the western Alaska Range follows a comparable northeast trend. Mercury deposits, suggested by many to be fault-controlled, together with most tin and tungsten deposits, occupy a northeast-trending belt between the Bristol Bay-Mackenzie Bay linear and extensions of a linear along the lower Yukon River. This belt intersects the northwest-trending Canadian belt of similar deposits in the Fairbanks area.

Revision of Time-Independent Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Maps for Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wesson, Robert L.; Boyd, Oliver S.; Mueller, Charles S.; Bufe, Charles G.; Frankel, Arthur D.; Petersen, Mark D.

2007-01-01

We present here time-independent probabilistic seismic hazard maps of Alaska and the Aleutians for peak ground acceleration (PGA) and 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 second spectral acceleration at probability levels of 2 percent in 50 years (annual probability of 0.000404), 5 percent in 50 years (annual probability of 0.001026) and 10 percent in 50 years (annual probability of 0.0021). These maps represent a revision of existing maps based on newly obtained data and assumptions reflecting best current judgments about methodology and approach. These maps have been prepared following the procedures and assumptions made in the preparation of the 2002 National Seismic Hazard Maps for the lower 48 States. A significant improvement relative to the 2002 methodology is the ability to include variable slip rate along a fault where appropriate. These maps incorporate new data, the responses to comments received at workshops held in Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska, in May, 2005, and comments received after draft maps were posted on the National Seismic Hazard Mapping Web Site. These maps will be proposed for adoption in future revisions to the International Building Code. In this documentation we describe the maps and in particular explain and justify changes that have been made relative to the 1999 maps. We are also preparing a series of experimental maps of time-dependent hazard that will be described in future documents.

Thermal Characterization of Purified Glucose Oxidase from A Newly Isolated Aspergillus Niger UAF-1

PubMed Central

Anjum Zia, Muhammad; Khalil-ur-Rahman; K. Saeed, Muhammad; Andaleeb, Fozia; I. Rajoka, Muhammad; A. Sheikh, Munir; A. Khan, Iftikhar; I. Khan, Azeem

2007-01-01

An intracellular glucose oxidase was isolated from the mycelium extract of a locally isolated strain of Aspergillus niger UAF-1. The enzyme was purified to a yield of 28.43% and specific activity of 135 U mg−1 through ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme showed high affinity for D-glucose with a Km value of 2.56 mM. The enzyme exhibited optimum catalytic activity at pH 5.5. Temperature optimum for glucose oxidase, catalyzed D-glucose oxidation was 40°C. The enzyme showed a high thermostability having a half-life 30 min, enthalpy of denaturation 99.66 kJ mol−1 and free energy of denaturation 103.63 kJ mol−1. These characteristics suggest the use of glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger UAF-1 as an analytical reagent and in the design of biosensors for clinical, biochemical and diagnostic assays. PMID:18193107

Antimony ore in the Fairbanks district, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Killeen, Pemberton Lewis; Mertie, John B.

1951-01-01

Antimony-bearing ores in the Fairbanks district, Alaska, are found principally in two areas, the extremities of which are at points 10 miles west and 23 miles northeast of Fairbanks; and one of two minor areas lies along this same trend 30 miles farther to the northeast. These areas are probably only local manifestations of mineralization that affected a much broader area and formed antimony-bearing deposits in neighboring districts, the closest of which is 50 miles away. The ores were exposed largely as a result of lode gold mining, but at two periods in the past, high prices for antimony ore warranted an independent production and about 2500 tons of stibnite ore was shipped. The sulfide deposits occupy the same fractures along which a gold-quartz mineralization of greater economic importance occurred; and both are probably genetically related to igneous rocks which intrude the schistose country rock. The sulfide is in part contemporaneous with some late-stage quartz in which it occurs as disseminated crystals; and in part the latest filling in the mineralized zones where it forms kidney-shaped masses of essentially solid sulfide. One extremely long mass must have contained nearly 100 tons of ore, but the average of the larger kidneys is closer to several tons. Much of the ore is stibnite, with quartz as a minor impurity, and assays show the tenor to vary from 40 to 65 percent antimony. Sulphantimonites are less abundant but likewise occur as disseminated crystals and as kidney-shaped bodies. Antimony oxides appear on the weathered surface and along fractures within the sulfide ore. Deposits containing either stibnite or sulphantimonite are known at more than 50 localities, but only eighteen have produced ore and the bulk of this came from the mines. The geology of the deposit, and the nature, extent, and period of the workings are covered in the detailed descriptions of individual occurrences. Several geologic and economic factors, which greatly affect prospecting and mining for stibnite ore in the area, are outlined. The principal available ore and reserves are considered to be ores earlier mined but never shipped, ore minable from near-surface deposits, and ores recoverable as a by-product of future gold mining. The outlook for stibnite production in the district is very uncertain. Apparently the greater portion of stibnite ore has already been recovered and present operations will strip the two principal areas of the district. This conclusion is based on the scanty discoveries since the last war and the fact that the areas are so pock-marked with prospects that there is little likelihood that any other large near-surface bodies remain to be discovered. Future prospecting would essentially be limited to attempts to seek the continuation of lodes previously having high yields of stibnite.

Preliminary hydraulic analysis and implications for restoration of Noyes Slough, Fairbanks, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burrows, Robert L.; Langley, Dustin E.; Evetts, David M.

2000-01-01

The present-day channels of the Chena River and Noyes Slough in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, were formed as sloughs of the Tanana River, and part of the flow of the Tanana River occupied these waterways. Flow in these channels was reduced after the completion of Moose Creek Dike in 1945, and flow in the Chena River was affected by regulation from the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project, which was completed in 1980. In 1981, flow in the Chena River was regulated for the first time by Moose Creek Dam, located about 20 miles upstream from Fairbanks. Constructed as part of the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project, the dam was designed to reduce maximum flows to 12,000 cubic feet per second in downtown Fairbanks. Cross-section measurements made near the entrance to Noyes Slough show that the channel bed of the Chena River has been downcutting, thereby reducing the magnitude and duration of flow in the slough. Consequently the slough slowly is drying up. The slough provides habitat for wildlife such as ducks, beaver, and muskrat and is a fishery for anadromous and other resident species. Beavers have built 10 dams in the slough. Declining flow in the slough may endanger the remaining habitat. Residents of the community wish to restore flow in Noyes Slough to create a clean, flowing waterway during normal summer flows. The desire is to enhance the slough as a fishery and habitat for other wildlife and for recreational boating. During this study, existing and new data were compiled to determine past and present hydraulic interaction between the Chena River and Noyes Slough. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HECRAS) computer program was used to construct a model to use in evaluating alternatives for increasing flow in the slough. Under present conditions, the Chena must flow at about 2,400 cubic feet per second or more for flow to enter Noyes Slough. In an average year, water flows in Noyes Slough for 106 days during the open-water season, and maximum flow is about 1,050 cubic feet per second. The model was used to test a single method of increasing flow in Noyes Slough. A modified channel 40 feet wide and about 2 feet deeper within the existing slough channel was simulated by changing the cross-section geometry in the HECRAS model. The resulting model showed that flow in such a modified slough channel would begin at a flow of about 830 cubic feet per second in the Chena River and would increase to a maximum flow of about 1,440 cubic feet per second. In an average year, flow would continue for 158 days during the open-water season. Theoretically, enlarging the slough channel by lowering its bed could increase flow, but other solutions are possible. Possible obstacles to excavating the channel, such as bridges and utility crossings, and the destruction of desirable features such as beaver dams were not considered in the study. Further engineering and economic analyses would be needed to assess the cost of excavation and future maintenance of the modified channel. A computer-modeling program such as HECRAS may provide a means for testing other solutions.

7. Contextual view of Fairbanks Company, looking north along Division ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. Contextual view of Fairbanks Company, looking north along Division Street, showing relationship of factory to surrounding buildings and railroad - Fairbanks Company, 202 Division Street, Rome, Floyd County, GA

Optical observations of the AMPTE artificial comet and magnetotail barium releases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallinan, T. J.; Stenbaek-Nielsen, H.; Brown, N.

1985-01-01

The first AMPTE artificial comet was observed with a low light level television camera operated aboard the NASA CV990 flying out of Moffett Field, California. The comet head, neutral cloud, and comet tail were all observed for four minutes with an unifiltered camera. Brief observations at T + 4 minutes through a 4554A Ba(+) filter confirmed the identification of the structures. The ion cloud expanded along with the neutral cloud at a rate of 2.3 km/sec (diameter) until it reached a final diameter of approx. 170 km at approx. T + 90 s. It also drifted with the neutral cloud until approx. 165 s. By T + 190 s it had reached a steady state velocity of 5.4 km/sec southward. A barium release in the magnetotail was observed from the CV990 in California, Eagle, Alaska, and Fairbanks, Alaska. Over a twenty-five minute period, the center of the barium streak drifted southward (approx. 500 m/sec), upward (24 km/sec) and eastward (approx 1 km/sec) in a nonrotating reference frame. An all-sky TV at Eagle showed a single auroral arc in the far North during this period.

A Stochastic Multi-Attribute Assessment of Energy Options for Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Read, L.; Madani, K.; Mokhtari, S.; Hanks, C. L.; Sheets, B.

2012-12-01

Many competing projects have been proposed to address Interior Alaska's high cost of energy—both for electricity production and for heating. Public and private stakeholders are considering the costs associated with these competing projects which vary in fuel source, subsidy requirements, proximity, and other factors. As a result, the current projects under consideration involve a complex cost structure of potential subsidies and reliance on present and future market prices, introducing a significant amount of uncertainty associated with each selection. Multi-criteria multi-decision making (MCMDM) problems of this nature can benefit from game theory and systems engineering methods, which account for behavior and preferences of stakeholders in the analysis to produce feasible and relevant solutions. This work uses a stochastic MCMDM framework to evaluate the trade-offs of each proposed project based on a complete cost analysis, environmental impact, and long-term sustainability. Uncertainty in the model is quantified via a Monte Carlo analysis, which helps characterize the sensitivity and risk associated with each project. Based on performance measures and criteria outlined by the stakeholders, a decision matrix will inform policy on selecting a project that is both efficient and preferred by the constituents.

Reconnaissance guidelines for gold exploration in Central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Light, T.D.; Moll, S.H.; Bie, S.W.; Lee, G.K.

1993-01-01

Distribution of more than 300 gold-bearing samples from the Livengood (Tolovana) and parts of the Fairbanks and Rampart mining districts in central Alaska, USA, indicate that the concentration of gold in placers is spatially related both to structural features and to Late Cretaceous and (or) Tertiary felsic plutons. The regional consistency of these spatial relationships is demonstrated by proximity analysis using a Geographic Information System (GIS), and suggests a genetic association between faults, felsic plutons, and gold occurrences. The local presence of gold within several of the plutons indicates that these are the source of some of the gold. In addition, some gold occurs proximal to faults where plutons are not present, suggesting that some of the gold was also derived from the country rock. We envision a model whereby weakly mineralized solutions, thermally driven by latent plutonic heat, were enriched by circulation through clastic units that may have had a naturally elevated gold background. The resultant enriched solutions were channeled and reconcentrated along or adjacent to large-scale fault systems. Future exploration to define individual target areas should be directed toward areas where Late Cretaceous and (or) Tertiary felsic plutons occur near major faults. ?? 1993.

Monitoring lingering oil from the Exxon Valdez spill on Gulf of Alaska armored beaches and mussel beds sixteen years post-spill

USGS Publications Warehouse

Irvine, G.V.; Mann, D.H.; Short, J.W.

2008-01-01

Final Rept. ; Prepared in Cooperation With Alaska Univ., Fairbanks. Inst. of Arctic Biology. Sponsored By National Marine Fisheries Service, Juneau, Ak. AlaskaFisheries Science Center. ; Stranded Exxon Valdez Oil Has Persisted for 16 Years At Boulder-Armored Beach Sites Along National Park Coastlines Bordering the Gulf of Alaska. These Sites Are Up to 640 Km From the Spill Origin and Were Contaminated By Oil Mousse, a Viscous Water-in-Oil Emulsion. Although Surface Oil Has Continued to Decline, Subsurface Oiling Persists in Patches. Especially Striking Is the General Lack of Weathering of Stranded Oil on Armored Beaches Over the Last 16 Years. At Three of the Four Sites Where Oil Was Sampled in 2005, the Oil Was Compositionally Similar to 11-Day Old Exxon Valdez Oil, Even After 16 Years. The Formation of Mousse Allowed Less-Weathered Oil to Be Transported Long Distances. The Sequestration of the Oil Beneath a Boulder Armor, Coupled With the Stability of the Boulder Armoring (Investigated By Examining Movement of Marked Boulders), Had Contributed to the Lengthy Persistence of This Stranded Oil. Opportunistic Sampling of Several Previously Studied Oiled Mussel Beds Indicates Continued Contamination of At Least One of the Sites By Not Very Weathered Exxon Valdez Oil. Long-Term Persistence of Oil in These Habitats Should Cause Reconsideration of Response Activities After Spills, and May Influence the Environmental Sensitivity Indices Applied to These Habitats. 

Canyon Creek: A late Pleistocene vertebrate locality in interior Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weber, F.R.; Hamilton, T.D.; Hopkins, D.M.; Repenning, C.A.; Haas, H.

1981-01-01

The Canyon Creek vertebrate-fossil locality is an extensive road cut near Fairbanks that exposes sediments that range in age from early Wisconsin to late Holocene. Tanana River gravel at the base of the section evidently formed during the Delta Glaciation of the north-central Alaska Range. Younger layers and lenses of fluvial sand are interbedded with arkosic gravel from Canyon Creek that contains tephra as well as fossil bones of an interstadial fauna about 40,000 years old. Solifluction deposits containing ventifacts, wedge casts, and rodent burrows formed during a subsequent period of periglacial activity that took place during the maximum phase of Donnelly Glaciation about 25,000-17,000 years ago. Overlying sheets of eolian sand are separated by a 9500-year-old paleosol that may correlate with a phase of early Holocene spruce expansion through central Alaska. The Pleistocene fauna from Canyon Creek consists of rodents (indicated by burrows), Mammuthus primigenius (woolly mammoth), Equus lambei (Yukon wild ass), Camelops hesternus (western camel), Bison sp. cf. B. crassicornis (large-horned bison), Ovis sp. cf. O. dalli (mountain sheep), Canis sp. cf. C. lupus (wolf), Lepus sp. cf. L. othus or L. arcticus (tundra hare), and Rangifer sp. (caribou). This assemblage suggests an open landscape in which trees and tall shrubs were either absent or confined to sheltered and moist sites. Camelops evidently was present in eastern Beringia during the middle Wisconsin interstadial interval but may have disappeared during the following glacial episode. The stratigraphic section at Canyon Creek appears to demonstrate that the Delta Glaciation of the north-central Alaska Range is at least in part of early Wisconsin age and was separated from the succeeding Donnelly Glaciation by an interstadial rather than interglacial episode. ?? 1981.

Canyon Creek: A late Pleistocene vertebrate locality in interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Florence R.; Hamilton, Thomas D.; Hopkins, David M.; Repenning, Charles A.; Haas, Herbert

1981-09-01

The Canyon Creek vertebrate-fossil locality is an extensive road cut near Fairbanks that exposes sediments that range in age from early Wisconsin to late Holocene. Tanana River gravel at the base of the section evidently formed during the Delta Glaciation of the north-central Alaska Range. Younger layers and lenses of fluvial sand are interbedded with arkosic gravel from Canyon Creek that contains tephra as well as fossil bones of an interstadial fauna about 40,000 years old. Solifluction deposits containing ventifacts, wedge casts, and rodent burrows formed during a subsequent period of periglacial activity that took place during the maximum phase of Donnelly Glaciation about 25,000-17,000 years ago. Overlying sheets of eolian sand are separated by a 9500-year-old paleosol that may correlate with a phase of early Holocene spruce expansion through central Alaska. The Pleistocene fauna from Canyon Creek consists of rodents (indicated by burrows), Mammuthus primigenius (woolly mammoth), Equus lambei (Yukon wild ass), Camelops hesternus (western camel), Bison sp. cf. B. crassicornis (large-horned bison), Ovis sp. cf. O. dalli (mountain sheep), Canis sp. cf. C. lupus (wolf), Lepus sp. cf. L. othus or L. arcticus (tundra hare), and Rangifer sp. (caribou). This assemblage suggests an open landscape in which trees and tall shrubs were either absent or confined to sheltered and moist sites. Camelops evidently was present in eastern Beringia during the middle Wisconsin interstadial interval but may have disappeared during the following glacial episode. The stratigraphic section at Canyon Creek appears to demonstrate that the Delta Glaciation of the north-central Alaska Range is at least in part of early Wisconsin age and was separated from the succeeding Donnelly Glaciation by an interstadial rather than interglacial episode.

Vegetation Change in Interior Alaska Over the Last Four Decades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huhman, H.; Dewitz, J.; Cristobal, J.; Prakash, A.

2017-12-01

The Arctic has become a generally warmer place over the past decades leading to earlier snowmelt, permafrost degradation and changing plant communities. One area in particular, vegetation change, is responding relatively rapidly to climate change, impacting the surrounding environment with changes to forest fire regime, forest type, forest resiliency, habitat availability for subsistence flora and fauna, hydrology, among others. To quantify changes in vegetation in the interior Alaska boreal forest over the last four decades, this study uses the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) decision-tree based classification methods, using both C5 and ERDAS Imagine software, to classify Landsat Surface Reflectance Images into the following NLCD-consistent vegetation classes: planted, herbaceous, shrubland, and forest (deciduous, evergreen and mixed). The results of this process are a total of four vegetation cover maps, that are freely accessible to the public, one for each decade in the 1980's, 1990's, 2000's, and a current map for 2017. These maps focus on Fairbanks, Alaska and the surrounding area covering approximately 36,140 square miles. The maps are validated with over 4,000 ground truth points collected through organizations such as the Landfire Project and the Long Term Ecological Research Network, as well as vegetation and soil spectra collected from the study area concurrent with the Landsat satellite over-passes with a Spectral Evolution PSR+ 3500 spectro-radiometer (0.35 - 2.5 μm). We anticipate these maps to be viewed by a wide user-community and may aid in preparing the residents of Alaska for changes in their subsistence food sources and will contribute to the scientific community in understanding the variety of changes that can occur in response to changing vegetation.

Comparison of the UAF Ionosphere Model with Incoherent-Scatter Radar Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAllister, J.; Maurits, S.; Kulchitsky, A.; Watkins, B.

2004-12-01

The UAF Eulerian Parallel Polar Ionosphere Model (UAF EPPIM) is a first-principles three-dimensional time-dependent representation of the northern polar ionosphere (>50 degrees north latitude). The model routinely generates short-term (~2 hours) ionospheric forecasts in real-time. It may also be run in post-processing/batch mode for specific time periods, including long-term (multi-year) simulations. The model code has been extensively validated (~100k comparisons/model year) against ionosonde foF2 data during quiet and moderate solar activity in 2002-2004 with reasonable fidelity (typical relative RMS 10-20% for summer daytime, 30-50% winter nighttime). However, ionosonde data is frequently not available during geomagnetic disturbances. The objective of the work reported here is to compare model outputs with available incoherent-scatter radar data during the storm period of October-November 2003. Model accuracy is examined for this period and compared to model performance during geomagnetically quiet and moderate circumstances. Possible improvements are suggested which are likely to boost model fidelity during storm conditions.

Ultra-wide-field autofluorescence imaging in non-traumatic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

PubMed Central

Witmer, M T; Cho, M; Favarone, G; Paul Chan, R V; D'Amico, D J; Kiss, S

2012-01-01

Purpose Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) affects the function of the retina before and after surgical repair. We investigated ultra-wide-field autofluorescence (UAF) abnormalities in patients with acute RRD to improve our understanding of the functional changes in the retina before and after surgery. Methods In this retrospective study, we present the UAF imaging findings of 16 patients with acute, non-traumatic RRD. Imaging was obtained with the Optos 200 Tx (Optos) in 14 eyes preoperatively and in 12 eyes postoperatively. Twelve eyes had RRDs that involved the macula (group A), whereas four eyes had macula-sparing RRDs (group B). Results All patients (100%) with bullous retinal detachments demonstrated hypofluorescence over the area of retinal detachment. A hyperfluorescent leading edge (HLE) to the retinal detachment was observed preoperatively in 100% of eyes in group A and 75% of eyes in group B. Preoperative UAF through the fovea of group A eyes was normal (30%), hypofluorescent (50%) or hyperfluorescent (20%). In all patients with a HLE preoperatively, the HLE resolved by the 1-month postoperative visit. A residual line of demarcation remained in 8 of the 12 eyes (67%). In group A eyes, postoperative granular autofluorescent changes were present in four of the nine (44%) eyes, and were associated with worse preoperative (P=0.04) and postoperative (P=0.09) visual acuity. Conclusion UAF imaging reveals abnormalities in RRDs that allow excellent demarcation of the extent of the retinal detachment and assist in preoperative characterization of the detachment and postoperative counselling. PMID:22722489

UAF: a generic OPC unified architecture framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pessemier, Wim; Deconinck, Geert; Raskin, Gert; Saey, Philippe; Van Winckel, Hans

2012-09-01

As an emerging Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) specically designed for industrial automation and process control, the OPC Unied Architecture specication should be regarded as an attractive candidate for controlling scientic instrumentation. Even though an industry-backed standard such as OPC UA can oer substantial added value to these projects, its inherent complexity poses an important obstacle for adopting the technology. Building OPC UA applications requires considerable eort, even when taking advantage of a COTS Software Development Kit (SDK). The OPC Unied Architecture Framework (UAF) attempts to reduce this burden by introducing an abstraction layer between the SDK and the application code in order to achieve a better separation of the technical and the functional concerns. True to its industrial origin, the primary requirement of the framework is to maintain interoperability by staying close to the standard specications, and by expecting the minimum compliance from other OPC UA servers and clients. UAF can therefore be regarded as a software framework to quickly and comfortably develop and deploy OPC UA-based applications, while remaining compatible to third party OPC UA-compliant toolkits, servers (such as PLCs) and clients (such as SCADA software). In the rst phase, as covered by this paper, only the client-side of UAF has been tackled in order to transparently handle discovery, session management, subscriptions, monitored items etc. We describe the design principles and internal architecture of our open-source software project, the rst results of the framework running at the Mercator Telescope, and we give a preview of the planned server-side implementation.

Dicarboxylic acids, oxocarboxylic acids and α-dicarbonyls in fine aerosols over central Alaska: Implications for sources and atmospheric processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshmukh, Dhananjay K.; Mozammel Haque, Md.; Kawamura, Kimitaka; Kim, Yongwon

2018-04-01

The presence of water-soluble dicarboxylic acids in atmospheric aerosols has a significant influence on the regional radiative forcing through direct aerosol effect and cloud formation process. Fine aerosol (PM2.5) samples collected in central Alaska (Fairbanks: 64.51°N and 147.51°W) during summer of 2009 were measured for water-soluble diacids (C2-C12), oxoacids (C2-C9) and α-dicarbonyls (C2-C3) as well as elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC) and water-soluble OC (WSOC) to assess their sources and formation processes. We found the predominance of oxalic acid (C2) followed by malonic (C3) and succinic acid (C4) in Alaskan aerosols. Higher C3/C4 diacid ratios (ave. 1.2) in Alaskan aerosols than those reported for fresh aerosols emitted from fossil fuel combustion (ave. 0.35) and biomass burning (0.51-0.66) suggest that organic aerosols in central Alaska were photochemically processed. The relatively high correlations of major diacids and related compounds with levoglucosan (r = 0.80-0.99) than those with 2-methylglyceric acid (r = 0.59-0.98) suggest that they were significantly produced from biomass burning emission. Strong correlations of C2 with normal-chain saturated diacids (C3-C9: r = 0.80-0.98), glyoxylic acid (ωC2: r = 0.95) and methylglyoxal (MeGly: r = 0.88), together with strong correlations of solar radiation with ratio of C2 to C2-C12 diacids (r = 0.83), ωC2 (r = 0.80) and MeGly (r = 0.82) suggest that oxalic acid in PM2.5 aerosol was produced by the photooxidation of higher homologous diacids, glyoxylic acid and methylglyoxal in the atmosphere of central Alaska. These results reveal that photochemical processing of organic precursors mainly produced from biomass burning control the water-soluble organic chemical composition of fine aerosols in central Alaska.

Third International Volcanological Field School in Kamchatka and Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melnikov, D.; Eichelberger, J.; Gordeev, E.; Malcolm, J.; Shipman, J.; Izbekov, P.

2005-12-01

The Kamchatka State University, Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FEB RAS (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia) and University of Alaska Fairbanks have developed an international field school focused on explosive volcanism of the North Pacific. The concept of the field school envisages joint field studies by young Russian scientists and their peers from the United States and Japan. Beyond providing first-hand experience with some of Earth's most remarkable volcanic features, the intent is to foster greater interest in language study, cultures, and ultimately in international research collaborations. The students receive both theoretical and practical knowledge of active volcanic systems, as well experience in working productively in a harsh environment. Each year, the class is offered in both Alaska and Kamchatka. The Alaska session is held in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Katmai National Park, product of the greatest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. A highlight in 2005 was the discovery of a new 70-m crater atop Trident Volcano. Also this year, we added the Great Tolbachik Eruption of 1975-76 to the itinerary of the Kamchatka school. Day trips were conducted to summit craters of New Tolbachik volcanoes and Plosky Tolbachik, Tolbachik lava flows; fumarole fields of Mutnovsky volcano, and a geothermal area and 60 MWe power plant. Students who attended both the Alaska and Kamchatka sessions could ponder the implications of great lateral separation of active vents - 10 km at Katmai and 30 km at Tolbachik - with multiple magmas and non-eruptive caldera collapse at the associated stratocones. During the evenings and on days of bad weather, the school faculty conducted lectures on various topics of volcanology in either Russian or English, with translation. The field school is a strong stimulus for growth of young volcanologists and cooperation among Russia, USA and Japan, leading naturally to longer student exchange visits and to joint research projects.

6. Contextual view of Fairbanks Company, looking south along Division ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

6. Contextual view of Fairbanks Company, looking south along Division Street, showing relationship of factory to surrounding area, 213, 215, & 217 Division Street appear on right side of street - Fairbanks Company, 202 Division Street, Rome, Floyd County, GA

Geology and origin of epigenetic lode gold deposits, Tintina Gold Province, Alaska and Yukon: Chapter A in Recent U.S. Geological Survey studies in the Tintina Gold Province, Alaska, United States, and Yukon, Canada--results of a 5-year project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldfarb, Richard J.; Marsh, Erin E.; Hart, Craig J.R.; Mair, John L.; Miller, Marti L.; Johnson, Craig; Gough, Larry P.; Day, Warren C.

2007-01-01

-rich and 18O-rich crustal fluids, most commonly of low salinity. The older group of ores includes the low-grade intrusion-related gold systems at Fort Knox near Fairbanks and those in Yukon, with fluids exsolved from fractionating melts at depths of 3 to 9 kilometers and forming a zoned sequence of auriferous mineralization styles extending outward to the surrounding metasedimentary country rocks. The causative plutons are products of potassic mafic magmas generated in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle that interacted with overlying lower to middle crust to generate the more felsic ore-related intrusions. In addition, the older ores include spatially associated, high-grade, shear-zonerelated orogenic gold deposits formed at the same depths from upward-migrating metamorphic fluids; the Pogo deposit is a relatively deep-seated example of such. The younger gold ores, restricted to southwestern Alaska, formed in unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks of the Kuskokwim basin within 1 to 2 kilometers of the surface. Most of these deposits formed via fluid exsolution from shallowly emplaced, highly evolved igneous complexes generated mainly as mantle melts. However, the giant Donlin Creek orogenic gold deposit is a product of either metamorphic devolatilization deep in the basin or of a gold-bearing fluid released from a flysch-melt igneous body.

Monitoring start of season in Alaska with GLOBE, AVHRR, and MODIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robin, Jessica; Dubayah, Ralph; Sparrow, Elena; Levine, Elissa

2008-03-01

This work evaluates whether continuity between Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is achievable for monitoring phenological changes in Alaska. This work also evaluates whether NDVI can detect changes in start of the growing season (SOS) in this region. Six quadratic regression models with NDVI as a function of accumulated growing degree days (AGDD) were developed from 2001 through 2004 AVHRR and MODIS NDVI data sets for urban, mixed, and forested land covers. Model parameters determined NDVI values for start of the observational period as well as peak and length of the growing season. NDVI values for start of the growing season were determined from the model equations and field observations of SOS made by GLOBE students and researchers at University of Alaska Fairbanks. AGDD was computed from daily air temperature. AVHRR and MODIS models were significantly different from one another with differences in the start of the observational season as well as start, peak, and length of the growing season. Furthermore, AGDD for SOS was significantly lower during the 1990s than the 1980s. NDVI values at SOS did not detect this change. There are limitations with using NDVI to monitor phenological changes in these regions because of snow, the large extent of conifers, and clouds, which restrict the composite period. In addition, differing processing and spectral characteristics restrict continuity between AVHRR and MODIS NDVI data sets.

Gummi-Bears On Fire! Bringing Students and Scientists Together at the Alaska Summer Research Academy (ASRA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drake, J.; Schamel, D.; Fisher, P.; Terschak, J. A.; Stelling, P.; Almberg, L.; Phillips, E.; Forner, M.; Gregory, D.

2002-12-01

When a gummi-bear is introduced into hot potassium chlorate there is a powerful reaction. This is analogous to the response we have seen to the Alaska Summer Research Academy (ASRA). ASRA is a residential science research camp supported by the College of Science, Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The hallmark of ASRA is the opportunity for small groups of 4 or fewer students, ages 10-17, to conduct scientific research and participate in engineering design projects with university faculty and researchers as mentors. Participating scientists, engineers, faculty, graduate students, and K-12 teachers from a variety of disciplines design individual research units and guide the students through designing and constructing a project, collecting data, and synthesizing results. The week-long camp culminates with the students from each project making a formal presentation to the camp and public. In its second year ASRA is already a huge success, quadrupling in size from 21 students in 2001 to 89 students in 2002. Due to a high percentage of returning students, we anticipate there will be a waiting list next year. This presentation contains perspectives from administrators, instructors, staff, and students. Based on our experience we feel there is a large potential demand for education and public outreach (EPO) in university settings. We believe the quality and depth of the ASRA experience directly contributes to the success of a worthwhile EPO program. ASRA will be portrayed as a useful model for EPO at other institutions.

Vegetation and climate controls on potential CO2, DOC and DON production in northern latitude soils

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neff, J.C.; Hooper, D.U.

2002-01-01

Climatic change may influence decomposition dynamics in arctic and boreal ecosystems, affecting both atmospheric CO2 levels, and the flux of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) to aquatic systems. In this study, we investigated landscape-scale controls on potential production of these compounds using a one-year laboratory incubation at two temperatures (10?? and 30??C). We measured the release of CO2, DOC and DON from tundra soils collected from a variety of vegetation types and climatic regimes: tussock tundra at four sites along a latitudinal gradient from the interior to the north slope of Alaska, and soils from additional vegetation types at two of those sites (upland spruce at Fairbanks, and wet sedge and shrub tundra at Toolik Lake in northern Alaska). Vegetation type strongly influenced carbon fluxes. The highest CO2 and DOC release at the high incubation temperature occurred in the soils of shrub tundra communities. Tussock tundra soils exhibited the next highest DOC fluxes followed by spruce and wet sedge tundra soils, respectively. Of the fluxes, CO2 showed the greatest sensitivity to incubation temperatures and vegetation type, followed by DOC. DON fluxes were less variable. Total CO2 and total DOC release were positively correlated, with DOC fluxes approximately 10% of total CO2 fluxes. The ratio of CO2 production to DOC release varied significantly across vegetation types with Tussock soils producing an average of four times as much CO2 per unit DOC released compared to Spruce soils from the Fairbanks site. Sites in this study released 80-370 mg CO2-C g soil C-1 and 5-46 mg DOC g soil C-1 at high temperatures. The magnitude of these fluxes indicates that arctic carbon pools contain a large proportion of labile carbon that could be easily decomposed given optimal conditions. The size of this labile pool ranged between 9 and 41% of soil carbon on a g soil C basis, with most variation related to vegetation type rather than climate.

Alaska Volcano Observatory Seismic Network Data Availability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixon, J. P.; Haney, M. M.; McNutt, S. R.; Power, J. A.; Prejean, S. G.; Searcy, C. K.; Stihler, S. D.; West, M. E.

2009-12-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) established in 1988 as a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, monitors active volcanoes in Alaska. Thirty-three volcanoes are currently monitored by a seismograph network consisting of 193 stations, of which 40 are three-component stations. The current state of AVO’s seismic network, and data processing and availability are summarized in the annual AVO seismological bulletin, Catalog of Earthquake Hypocenters at Alaska Volcanoes, published as a USGS Data Series (most recent at http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/467). Despite a rich seismic data set for 12 VEI 2 or greater eruptions, and over 80,000 located earthquakes in the last 21 years, the volcanic seismicity in the Aleutian Arc remains understudied. Initially, AVO seismic data were only provided via a data supplement as part of the annual bulletin, or upon request. Over the last few years, AVO has made seismic data more available with the objective of increasing volcano seismic research on the Aleutian Arc. The complete AVO earthquake catalog data are now available through the annual AVO bulletin and have been submitted monthly to the on-line Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) composite catalog since 2008. Segmented waveform data for all catalog earthquakes are available upon request and efforts are underway to make this archive web accessible as well. Continuous data were first archived using a tape backup, but the availability of low cost digital storage media made a waveform backup of continuous data a reality. Currently the continuous AVO waveform data can be found in several forms. Since late 2002, AVO has burned all continuous waveform data to DVDs, as well as storing these data in Antelope databases at the Geophysical Institute. Beginning in 2005, data have been available through a Winston Wave Server housed at the USGS in Anchorage. AVO waveform data were added to the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center (IRIS-DMC) beginning in 2008 and now includes continuous waveform data from all available AVO seismograph stations in real time. Data coverage is available through the DMC’s Metadata Aggregator.

1980 Weather summary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Peter M.

The weather in the United States during 1980 was bad. A 3-month heat wave in the southwest caused about $20 billion in ruined crops, an increase in power consumption, and damage to roads and highways. Nationwide, the heat killed 1320 people. Floods caused more than $1 billion in losses. Hurricane Allen caused about $500 million in property losses and took two lives.The highest temperature reading during 1980, 51°C (124°F), was reached five times. Locations were at Bull Head, Arizona; Death Valley, California; and three times at Baker, California. Preliminary figures also show that the lowest temperature for the year was recorded at Tok weather station, 150 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. There the mercury plummeted to -56°C (-68°F). In the lower 48 states the minimum thermometer reading was -44°C at Wisdom, Montana.

Effect of ultrasound-assisted freezing on the physico-chemical properties and volatile compounds of red radish.

PubMed

Xu, Bao-Guo; Zhang, Min; Bhandari, Bhesh; Cheng, Xin-Feng; Islam, Md Nahidul

2015-11-01

Power ultrasound, which can enhance nucleation rate and crystal growth rate, can also affect the physico-chemical properties of immersion frozen products. In this study, the influence of slow freezing (SF), immersion freezing (IF) and ultrasound-assisted freezing (UAF) on physico-chemical properties and volatile compounds of red radish was investigated. Results showed that ultrasound application significantly improved the freezing rate; the freezing time of ultrasound application at 0.26 W/cm(2) was shorten by 14% and 90%, compared to IF and SF, respectively. UAF products showed significant (p<0.05) reduction in drip loss and phytonutrients (anthocyanins, vitamin C and phenolics) loss. Compared to SF products, IF and UAF products showed better textural preservation and higher calcium content. The radish tissues exhibited better cellular structures under ultrasonic power intensities of 0.17 and 0.26 W/cm(2) with less cell separation and disruption. Volatile compound data revealed that radish aromatic profile was also affected in the freezing process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A selective USP1-UAF1 inhibitor links deubiquitination to DNA damage responses

PubMed Central

Liang, Qin; Dexheimer, Thomas S; Zhang, Ping; Rosenthal, Andrew S; Villamil, Mark A; You, Changjun; Zhang, Qiuting; Chen, Junjun; Ott, Christine A; Sun, Hongmao; Luci, Diane K; Yuan, Bifeng; Simeonov, Anton; Jadhav, Ajit; Xiao, Hui; Wang, Yinsheng; Maloney, David J; Zhuang, Zhihao

2014-01-01

Protein ubiquitination and deubiquitination are central to the control of a large number of cellular pathways and signaling networks in eukaryotes. Although the essential roles of ubiquitination have been established in the eukaryotic DNA damage response, the deubiquitination process remains poorly defined. Chemical probes that perturb the activity of deubiquitinases (DUBs) are needed to characterize the cellular function of deubiquitination. Here we report ML323 (2), a highly potent inhibitor of the USP1-UAF1 deubiquitinase complex with excellent selectivity against human DUBs, deSUMOylase, deneddylase and unrelated proteases. Using ML323, we interrogated deubiquitination in the cellular response to UV- and cisplatin-induced DNA damage and revealed new insights into the requirement of deubiquitination in the DNA translesion synthesis and Fanconi anemia pathways. Moreover, ML323 potentiates cisplatin cytotoxicity in non-small cell lung cancer and osteosarcoma cells. Our findings point to USP1-UAF1 as a key regulator of the DNA damage response and a target for overcoming resistance to the platinum-based anticancer drugs. PMID:24531842

The catalogCleaner: Separating the Sheep from the Goats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, K.; Hankin, S. C.; Schweitzer, R.; Koyuk, H.

2012-12-01

The Global Earth Observation Integrated Data Environment (GEO-IDE) is NOAA's effort to successfully integrate data and information with partners in the national US-Global Earth Observation System (US-GEO) and the international Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). As part of the GEO-IDE, the Unified Access Framework (UAF) is working to build momentum towards the goal of increased data integration and interoperability. The UAF project is moving towards this goal with an approach that includes leveraging well known and widely used standards and focusing initially on well understood data types, such as gridded data from climate models. This phased approach serves to engage data providers and users and also has a high probability of demonstrable successes. The UAF project shares the widely held conviction that the use of data standards is a key ingredient necessary to achieve interoperability. Many community-based consensus standards fail, though, due to poor compliance. Compliance problems emerge for many reasons: because the standards evolve through versions, because documentation is ambiguous or because individual data providers find the standard inadequate as-is to meet their special needs. In addition, minimalist use of standards will lead to a compliant service, but one which is of low quality. For example, serving five hundred individual files from a single climate model might be compliant, but enhancing the service so that those files are all aggregated together into one virtual dataset and available through a single access URL provides a much more useful service. The UAF project began showcasing the advantages of providing compliant data by manually building a master catalog generated from hand-picked THREDDS servers. With an understanding that educating data managers to provide standards compliant data and metadata can take years, the UAF project wanted to continue increasing the volume of data served through the master catalog as much as possible. However, it quickly became obvious, through the sheer volume of data servers available, that the manual process of building a master catalog was not scalable. Thus, the idea for the catalogCleaner tool was born. The goal of this tool is to automatically crawl a remote OPeNDAP or THREDDS server, and from the information in the server build a "clean" catalog of data that will be: a) served through uniform access services; b) have CF compliant metadata; c) directly link the data to common visualization tools thereby allowing users to immediately begin exploring actual data. In addition, the UAF-generated clean catalog can then be used to drive data discovery tools such as Geoportal, GI-CAT, etc. This presentation will further explore the motivation of creating this tool, the implementation of this tool, as well as the myriad of challenges and difficulties there were encountered along the way.

IMPROVING SCIENCE EDUCATION AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN RURAL ALASKA:The Synergistic Connection between Educational Outreach Efforts in the Copper Valley, Alaska.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solie, D. J.; McCarthy, S.

2004-12-01

The objective of the High frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) Education Outreach is to enhance the science education opportunities in the Copper Valley region in Alaska. In the process, we also educate local residents about HAARP and its research. Funded jointly by US Air Force and Navy, HAARP is located at Gakona Alaska, a very rural region of central Alaska with a predominantly Native population. The main instrument at HAARP is a vertically directed, phased array RF transmitter which is primarily an ionospheric research tool, however, its geophysical research applications range from terrestrial to near-space. Research is conducted at HAARP in collaboration with scientists and institutions world-wide. The HAARP Education Outreach Program, run through the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute has been active for over six years and in that time has become an integral part of science education in the Copper Valley for residents of all ages. HAARP education outreach efforts are through direct involvement in local schools in the Copper River School District (CRSD) and the Prince William Sound Community College (PWSCC), as well as public lectures and workshops, and intern and student research programs. These outreach efforts require cooperation and coordination between the CRSD, PWSCC, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Physics Department and the NSF sponsored Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) and HAARP researchers. The HAARP Outreach program also works with other organizations promoting science education in the region, such as the National Park Service (Wrangell- St. Elias National Park) and the Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment (WISE) a newly formed regional non-profit organization. We work closely with teachers in the schools, adapting to their needs and the particular scientific topic they are covering at the time. Because of time and logistic constraints, outreach visits to schools are episodic, occurring roughly four times a year. Even though the in-class time per year is not large, our experience suggests that a long term, multi-year connection enhances learning by the students. We coordinate with HAARP research campaigns so as to utilize the availability of top scientists for public lectures. We do not limit our scope to only ionospheric physics, but try to meet the demands and needs of the region as they arise. Less than two weeks after the November, 2002 Denali Fault Earthquake, we traveled to the villages most strongly effected by the quake and presented basic preliminary information about the quake (Sources: Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Alaska State Geological Survey & USGS). As a teachable moment it was unparalleled, but it was also an example of where even preliminary information on an event can truly help to calm people.

Technical-Information Products for a National Volcano Early Warning System

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guffanti, Marianne; Brantley, Steven R.; Cervelli, Peter F.; Nye, Christopher J.; Serafino, George N.; Siebert, Lee; Venezky, Dina Y.; Wald, Lisa

2007-01-01

Introduction Technical outreach - distinct from general-interest and K-12 educational outreach - for volcanic hazards is aimed at providing usable scientific information about potential or ongoing volcanic activity to public officials, businesses, and individuals in support of their response, preparedness, and mitigation efforts. Within the context of a National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) (Ewert et al., 2005), technical outreach is a critical process, transferring the benefits of enhanced monitoring and hazards research to key constituents who have to initiate actions or make policy decisions to lessen the hazardous impact of volcanic activity. This report discusses recommendations of the Technical-Information Products Working Group convened in 2006 as part of the NVEWS planning process. The basic charge to the Working Group was to identify a web-based, volcanological 'product line' for NVEWS to meet the specific hazard-information needs of technical users. Members of the Working Group were: *Marianne Guffanti (Chair), USGS, Reston VA *Steve Brantley, USGS, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory HI *Peter Cervelli, USGS, Alaska Volcano Observatory, Anchorage AK *Chris Nye, Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory, Fairbanks AK *George Serafino, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Camp Springs MD *Lee Siebert, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC *Dina Venezky, USGS, Volcano Hazards Team, Menlo Park CA *Lisa Wald, USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, Golden CO

Long-term monitoring of airborne pollen in Alaska and the Yukon: Possible implications for global change

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, J.H.

Airborne pollen and spores have been sampled since 1978 in Fairbanks and 1982 Anchorage and other Alaska-Yukon locations for medical and ecological purposes. Comparative analyses of pre- and post-1986 data subsets reveal that after 1986 (1) pollen is in the air earlier, (2) the multiyear average of degree-days promoting pollen onset is little changed while (3) annual variation in degree-days at onset is greater, (4) pollen and spore annual productions are considerably higher, and (5) there is more year-to-year variation in pollen production. These changes probably reflect directional changes in certain weather variables, and there is some indication that theymore » are of global change significance, i.e., related to increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases. Correlations with pollen data suggest that weather variables of high influence are temperatures during specific periods following pollen dispersal in the preceding year and the average temperature in April of the current year. Annual variations in pollen dispersal might be roughly linked to the 11 year sunspot cycle through air temperature mediators. Weather in 1990, apparent pollen production cycles under endogenous control, and the impending sunspot maximum portend a very severe pollen season in 199 existing but unfunded sampling projects.« less

Pollen, vegetation, and climate relationships along the Dalton Highway, Alaska, USA: a basis for holocene paleoecological and paleoclimatic studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Short, S.K.; Andrews, J.T.; Webber, P.J.

The Dalton Highway extends from Fairbanks, in the interior of Alaska, to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Over this 600-km transect, July temperatures vary from 17 to 5/sup 0/C. Studies of vegetation along the Dalton Highway identified nine major zones. During the vegetation survey moss polsters were collected within the survey quadrats. Two hundred and nineteen individual moss polsters document regional variations in the modern pollen spectra along this vegetation/climate transect. Treeline is distinguished by a change from dominance by spruce and shrub (especially alder) pollen to the south to herb and shrub (especially willow) pollen dominance tomore » the north; a shift from high modern pollen concentration values to very low values is also noted. Discriminant analysis indicated that the vegetation zones are also defined by different pollen assemblages, suggesting that former changes in vegetation during the Holocene, as recorded in peat deposits, could be interpreted from pollen diagrams. Transfer functions were developed to examine the statistical association between the modern pollen rain and several climatic parameters. The correlation between pollen taxa and mean July temperature was r = 0.84. The most important taxa in the equation are Picea, Alnus, Pinus, Sphagnum, and Betula. 59 references, 7 figures, 4 tables.« less

Additions to the avifauna of St Matthew Island, Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, James A.; Matsuoka, Steven M.; Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Litzow, Michael A.; Dementyev, Maksim N.

2004-01-01

St. Matthew Island (60°24' N, 172°42' W) is located in the north-central Bering Sea and is renowned for its distinctive Beringian flora and fauna. Because of its central position between the coasts of Russia and Alaska, St. Matthew Island and its nearby satellites, Hall and Pinnacle islands, support a mixture of Palearctic and Nearctic avifaunas. Of special interest to North American ornithologists are the numerous Eurasian bird species that visit the islands each spring and fall. Winker et al. (2002) published the first comprehensive summary of bird records for the 125 species detected on St. Matthew Island from 1899 to 1997. Because of its remote location, however, St. Matthew Island is seldom visited, and the island's avifauna remains poorly described.As part of an island-wide systematic survey for Rock Sandpipers (Calidris ptilocnemis) and McKay's Buntings (Plectrophenax hyperboreus), our crew of five ornithologists was present on St. Matthew Island from 25 May to 9 July 2003. In this paper we provide information for 11 bird species seen for the first time on St. Matthew Island. Phylogenetic sequence and nomenclature follow the American Ornithologists' Union (1998, 2000) and Banks et al. (2002, 2003, 2004). An annotated species list with details of observation is on file at the University of Alaska Museum, Fairbank.

Altered Perspectives: Immersive Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipman, J. S.; Webley, P. W.

2016-12-01

Immersive environments provide an exciting experiential technology to visualize the natural world. Given the increasing accessibility of 360o cameras and virtual reality headsets we are now able to visualize artistic principles and scientific concepts in a fully immersive environment. The technology has become popular for photographers as well as designers, industry, educational groups, and museums. Here we show a sci-art perspective on the use of optics and light in the capture and manipulation of 360o images and video of geologic phenomena and cultural heritage sites in Alaska, England, and France. Additionally, we will generate intentionally altered perspectives to lend a surrealistic quality to the landscapes. Locations include the Catacombs of Paris, the Palace of Versailles, and the Northern Lights over Fairbanks, Alaska. Some 360o view cameras now use small portable dual lens technology extending beyond the 180o fish eye lens previously used, providing better coverage and image quality. Virtual reality headsets range in level of sophistication and cost, with the most affordable versions using smart phones and Google Cardboard viewers. The equipment used in this presentation includes a Ricoh Theta S spherical imaging camera. Here we will demonstrate the use of 360o imaging with attendees being able to be part of the immersive environment and experience our locations as if they were visiting themselves.

Hydrologic Observatory Data Telemetry Network in an Extreme Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irving, K.; Kane, D.

2007-12-01

A network of hydrological research data stations on the North Slope of Alaska using radio telemetry to gather data in "near real time" will be described. The network consists of approximately 25 research stations, 10 repeater stations, and 3 Internet-connected base stations (though data is also collected at repeater stations and research stations may also function as repeaters). With this operational network, radio link redundancy is sufficient to reach any research station from any base station. The data network is driven in "pull" mode using software running on computers in Fairbanks, and emphasis is placed on reliably collecting and storing data as found on the remote data loggers. Work is underway to deploy dynamic routing software on the controlling computers, at which point the network will be capable of automatically working around problems which may include icing on antennas, satellite sun outages, animal damage, and many others.

Permafrost Active Layer Seismic Interferometry Experiment (PALSIE).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abbott, Robert; Knox, Hunter Anne; James, Stephanie

2016-01-01

We present findings from a novel field experiment conducted at Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska that was designed to monitor changes in active layer thickness in real time. Results are derived primarily from seismic data streaming from seven Nanometric Trillium Posthole seismometers directly buried in the upper section of the permafrost. The data were evaluated using two analysis methods: Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) and ambient noise seismic interferometry. Results from the HVSR conclusively illustrated the method's effectiveness at determining the active layer's thickness with a single station. Investigations with the multi-station method (ambient noise seismic interferometry)more » are continuing at the University of Florida and have not yet conclusively determined active layer thickness changes. Further work continues with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to determine if the ground based measurements can constrain satellite imagery, which provide measurements on a much larger spatial scale.« less

Catalog of earthquake hypocenters at Alaskan volcanoes: January 1 through December 31, 2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dixon, James P.; Stihler, Scott D.; Power, John A.; Tytgat, Guy; Moran, Seth C.; Sanchez, John J.; McNutt, Stephen R.; Estes, Steve; Paskievitch, John

2004-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, has maintained seismic monitoring networks at historically active volcanoes in Alaska since 1988. The primary objectives of this program are the near real time seismic monitoring of active, potentially hazardous, Alaskan volcanoes and the investigation of seismic processes associated with active volcanism. This catalog presents the calculated earthquake hypocenter and phase arrival data, and changes in the seismic monitoring program for the period January 1 through December 31, 2003.The AVO seismograph network was used to monitor the seismic activity at twenty-seven volcanoes within Alaska in 2003. These include Mount Wrangell, Mount Spurr, Redoubt Volcano, Iliamna Volcano, Augustine Volcano, Katmai volcanic cluster (Snowy Mountain, Mount Griggs, Mount Katmai, Novarupta, Trident Volcano, Mount Mageik, Mount Martin), Aniakchak Crater, Mount Veniaminof, Pavlof Volcano, Mount Dutton, Isanotski Peaks, Shishaldin Volcano, Fisher Caldera, Westdahl Peak, Akutan Peak, Makushin Volcano, Okmok Caldera, Great Sitkin Volcano, Kanaga Volcano, Tanaga Volcano, and Mount Gareloi. Monitoring highlights in 2003 include: continuing elevated seismicity at Mount Veniaminof in January-April (volcanic unrest began in August 2002), volcanogenic seismic swarms at Shishaldin Volcano throughout the year, and low-level tremor at Okmok Caldera throughout the year. Instrumentation and data acquisition highlights in 2003 were the installation of subnetworks on Tanaga and Gareloi Islands, the installation of broadband installations on Akutan Volcano and Okmok Caldera, and the establishment of telemetry for the Okmok Caldera subnetwork. AVO located 3911 earthquakes in 2003.This catalog includes: (1) a description of instruments deployed in the field and their locations; (2) a description of earthquake detection, recording, analysis, and data archival systems; (3) a description of velocity models used for earthquake locations; (4) a summary of earthquakes located in 2003; and (5) an accompanying UNIX tar-file with a summary of earthquake origin times, hypocenters, magnitudes, phase arrival times, and location quality statistics; daily station usage statistics; and all HYPOELLIPSE files used to determine the earthquake locations in 2003.

Interpretations of Complete Bouguer Gravity Anomalies from the GRAV-D Project in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diehl, T. M.; Preaux, S. A.; Childers, V. A.

2010-12-01

The GRAV-D (Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum) Project of the U.S. National Geodetic Survey plans to collect airborne gravity data across the entire U.S. and its holdings over the next decade. The goal of the project is to create a gravimetric geoid model to use as the vertical datum for the U.S. by 2021. Airborne gravity survey work began more than two years ago, with Alaska as a high priority for new data collection. Data collection there is underway and will be ongoing for several more years, but two roughly 400 km x 400 km surveys have been completed: in 2008 (centered over Cook Inlet near Anchorage) and in 2009 (centered over the Interior, to the north of the Alaska Range and west of Fairbanks). The gravity data for both surveys was collected with a MicroG LaCoste TAGS system but each survey utilized a different aircraft and survey layout. The 2008 survey was flown at 35,000 ft with the NOAA Cessna Citation jet, with 10 km data line spacing and 60 km cross lines spacing. The 2009 survey was flown at 12,500 ft with the Naval Research Lab King Air (RC-12) turboprop, with 7.5 km data line spacing and 37.5 cross line spacing. The 2008 data reveal the > 20 km resolution gravity effects of all the near-trench features (from accretionary prism to volcanic arc) for a 400 km stretch of the active plate boundary. In comparison, the 2009 gravity data allow a slightly better resolution (> 15 km) view of the distal deformation to the north of the Alaska Range. The free-air gravity disturbances for each survey were computed and then complete (terrain-corrected) Bouguer gravity anomalies were calculated with Gauss-Legendre Quadrature integration (von Frese, et al., 1999) using standard density assumptions. Topography used to calculate the corrections came from the freely-available GTOPO30 (USGS, online) and bathymetry from the Smith and Sandwell (1997) altimetry-derived data. Interpretations of the complete Bouguer gravity anomalies will be made in the context of the tectonic activity in southern Alaska.

Empirically constrained estimates of Alaskan regional Net Ecosystem Exchange of CO2, 2012-2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Commane, R.; Lindaas, J.; Benmergui, J. S.; Luus, K. A.; Chang, R. Y. W.; Miller, S. M.; Henderson, J.; Karion, A.; Miller, J. B.; Sweeney, C.; Miller, C. E.; Lin, J. C.; Oechel, W. C.; Zona, D.; Euskirchen, E. S.; Iwata, H.; Ueyama, M.; Harazono, Y.; Veraverbeke, S.; Randerson, J. T.; Daube, B. C.; Pittman, J. V.; Wofsy, S. C.

2015-12-01

We present data-driven estimates of the regional net ecosystem exchange of CO2 across Alaska for three years (2012-2014) derived from CARVE (Carbon in the Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment) aircraft measurements. Integrating optimized estimates of annual NEE, we find that the Alaskan region was a small sink of CO2 during 2012 and 2014, but a significant source of CO2 in 2013, even before including emissions from the large forest fire season during 2013. We investigate the drivers of this interannual variability, and the larger spring and fall emissions of CO2 in 2013. To determine the optimized fluxes, we couple the Polar Weather Research and Forecasting (PWRF) model with the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model, to produce footprints of surface influence that we convolve with a remote-sensing driven model of NEE across Alaska, the Polar Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (Polar-VPRM). For each month we calculate a spatially explicit additive flux (ΔF) by minimizing the difference between the measured profiles of the aircraft CO2 data and the modeled profiles, using a framework that combines a uniform correction at regional scales and a Bayesian inversion of residuals at smaller scales. A rigorous estimate of total uncertainty (including atmospheric transport, measurement error, etc.) was made with a combination of maximum likelihood estimation and Monte Carlo error propagation. Our optimized fluxes are consistent with other measurements on multiple spatial scales, including CO2 mixing ratios from the CARVE Tower near Fairbanks and eddy covariance flux towers in both boreal and tundra ecosystems across Alaska. For times outside the aircraft observations (Dec-April) we use the un-optimized polar-VPRM, which has shown good agreement with both tall towers and eddy flux data outside the growing season. This approach allows us to robustly estimate the annual CO2 budget for Alaska and investigate the drivers of both the seasonal cycle and the interannual variability of CO2 for the region.

NASA Airborne Campaigns Focus on Climate Impacts in the Arctic

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This red plane is a DHC-3 Otter, the plane flown in NASA's Operation IceBridge-Alaska surveys of mountain glaciers in Alaska. Credit: Chris Larsen, University of Alaska-Fairbanks Over the past few decades, average global temperatures have been on the rise, and this warming is happening two to three times faster in the Arctic. As the region’s summer comes to a close, NASA is hard at work studying how rising temperatures are affecting the Arctic. NASA researchers this summer and fall are carrying out three Alaska-based airborne research campaigns aimed at measuring greenhouse gas concentrations near Earth’s surface, monitoring Alaskan glaciers, and collecting data on Arctic sea ice and clouds. Observations from these NASA campaigns will give researchers a better understanding of how the Arctic is responding to rising temperatures. The Arctic Radiation – IceBridge Sea and Ice Experiment, or ARISE, is a new NASA airborne campaign to collect data on thinning sea ice and measure cloud and atmospheric properties in the Arctic. The campaign was designed to address questions about the relationship between retreating sea ice and the Arctic climate. Arctic sea ice reflects sunlight away from Earth, moderating warming in the region. Loss of sea ice means more heat from the sun is absorbed by the ocean surface, adding to Arctic warming. In addition, the larger amount of open water leads to more moisture in the air, which affects the formation of clouds that have their own effect on warming, either enhancing or reducing it. Read more: www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Apatite fission-track evidence of widespread Eocene heating and exhumation in the Yukon-Tanana Upland, interior Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dusel-Bacon, C.; Murphy, J.M.

2001-01-01

We present an apatite fission-track (AFT) study of five plutonic rocks and seven metamorphic rocks across 310 km of the Yukon-Tanana Upland in east-central Alaska. Samples yielding ???40 Ma AFT ages and mean confined track lengths > 14 ??m with low standard deviations cooled rapidly from >120??C to 40 Ma suggest partial annealing and, therefore, lower maximum temperatures (???90-105??C). A few samples with single-grain ages of ???20 Ma apparently remained above ???50??C after initial cooling. Although the present geothermal gradient in the western Yukon-Tanana Upland is ???32??C/km, it could have been as high as 45??C/km during a widespread Eocene intraplate magmatic episode. Prior to rapid exhumation, samples with ???40 Ma AFT ages were >3.8-2.7 km deep and samples with >50 Ma AFT ages were >3.3-2.0 km deep. We calculate a 440-320 m/Ma minimum rate for exhumation of all samples during rapid cooling. Our AFT data, and data from rocks north of Fairbanks and from the Eielson deep test hole, indicate up to 3 km of post-40 Ma vertical displacement along known and inferred northeast-trending high-angle faults. The predominance of 40-50 Ma AFT ages throughout the Yukon-Tanana Upland indicates that, prior to the post-40 Ma relative uplift along some northeast-trending faults, rapid regional cooling and exhumation closely followed the Eocene extensional magmatism. We propose that Eocene magmatism and exhumation were somehow related to plate movements that produced regional-scale oroclinal rotation, northward translation of outboard terranes, major dextral strike-slip faulting, and subduction of an oceanic spreading ridge along the southern margin of Alaska.

Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sukumar Bandopadhyay; Charles Chamberlin; Robert Chaney

2008-12-31

The Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory was created by the University of Alaska Fairbanks in response to a congressionally mandated funding opportunity through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), specifically to encourage research partnerships between the university, the Alaskan energy industry, and the DOE. The enabling legislation permitted research in a broad variety of topics particularly of interest to Alaska, including providing more efficient and economical electrical power generation in rural villages, as well as research in coal, oil, and gas. The contract was managed as a cooperative research agreement, with active project monitoring and management from the DOE. Inmore » the eight years of this partnership, approximately 30 projects were funded and completed. These projects, which were selected using an industry panel of Alaskan energy industry engineers and managers, cover a wide range of topics, such as diesel engine efficiency, fuel cells, coal combustion, methane gas hydrates, heavy oil recovery, and water issues associated with ice road construction in the oil fields of the North Slope. Each project was managed as a separate DOE contract, and the final technical report for each completed project is included with this final report. The intent of this process was to address the energy research needs of Alaska and to develop research capability at the university. As such, the intent from the beginning of this process was to encourage development of partnerships and skills that would permit a transition to direct competitive funding opportunities managed from funding sources. This project has succeeded at both the individual project level and at the institutional development level, as many of the researchers at the university are currently submitting proposals to funding agencies, with some success.« less

Lost in Loess: Paleomagnetic investigation into loess and tephra deposits in interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semler, L.; Arnold, K. E.; Williams, D.; Morton, J.; Layer, P. W.; Stone, D. B.; Beget, J.; Schaefer, J.

2003-12-01

As a part of a NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, loess and tephra samples were collected at a road cut near Tok, Alaska, to determine if the site was suitable for paleoclimate reconstruction of the Pleistocene. Oriented cubes and cores were obtained from a section of loess just below the Sheep Creek tephra dated at 190 +/- 20 ka, through the Tetlin tephra (1.2 meters below the Sheep Creek tephra) dated at 630 +/- 50 ka to two meters below the Tetlin tephra. The accumulated amount of loess between dated tephra layers suggests a span of more than one million years for the whole section assuming a constant sedimentation rate for the loess. The samples were measured for natural remanent magnetization (NRM) and magnetic susceptibility before magnetic cleaning techniques (Alternating Field Demagnetization and Thermal Demagnetization) were employed. Samples were analyzed using a cryogenic magnetometer. The demagnetizations show stable magnetic vectors and demonstrate that loess is a reliable paleomagnetic recorder. At Tok, we found that the entire section is of normal polarity and shows no sign of the 780 ka Brunhes-Matuyama polarity reversal, which was expected to be 42 cm below the Tetlin tephra. Absence of the reversal may be due to discontinuities or other changes in the sedimentation rate in the loess, a problem with the sampling methods, or incorrect ages of the tephras. Based on our studies, we feel that changing rates of loess deposition or other unseen discontinuities are the reason the reversal was not found. Because of the uncertainty of the depositional history of the Tok loess, this section is not useful for obtaining a continuous record of ancient climate.

Molecular composition of sugars in atmospheric particulate matter from interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haque, Md. Mozammel; Kawamura, Kimitaka; Kim, Yongwon

2015-04-01

Sugars can account for 0.5-8% of carbon in atmospheric particulate matter, affecting the earth climate, air quality and public health. Total of 33 total suspended particle (TSP) samples were collected from Fairbanks, Alaska in June 2008 to June 2009 using a low volume air sampler. Here, we report the molecular characteristics of anhydro-sugars (levoglucosan, galactosan and mannosan), primary saccharides (xylose, fructose, glucose, sucrose and trehalose) and sugar alcohols (erythritol, arabitol, mannitol and inositol). The average contribution of sugars to the organic carbon (OC) was also determined to be 0.92%. Sugar compounds were measured using solvent extraction/TMS-derivatization technique followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) determination. The concentrations of total quantified sugar compounds ranged from 2.3 to 453 ng m-3 (average 145 ng m-3). The highest concentration was recorded for levoglucosan in summer, with a maximum concentration of 790 ng m-3 (average 108 ng m-3). Levoglucosan, which is specifically formed by a pyrolysis of cellulose, has been used as an excellent tracer of biomass burning. The highest level of levoglucosan indicates a significant contribution of biomass burning in ambient aerosols. Galactosan (average 20 ng m-3) and mannosan (average 27 ng m-3), which are also formed through the pyrolysis of cellulose/hemicelluloses, were identified in all samples. The average concentrations of arabitol, mannitol, glucose and sucrose were also found 14.7, 14.6, 14.1 and 16.8 ng m-3, respectively. They have been proposed as tracers for resuspension of surface soil and unpaved road dust, which contain biological materials including fungi and bacteria. These results suggest that there is some impact of bioaerosols on climate over Interior Alaska. We will also measure water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and inorganic ions for all samples.

Integrating STEM Place-Based, Culturally Responsive and Citizen Science Learning in Exploring the Impacts and Feedbacks of a Changing Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Spellman, K. V.; Fabbri, C.; Comiso, J. C.; Chase, M.; Fochesatto, G. J.; Butcher, C. E.; Jones, D.; Bacsujlaky, M.; Yoshikawa, K.; Gho, C. L.; Wegner, K.

2016-12-01

To build capacity in navigating challenges associated with a changing climate, learning in Arctic communities must not only increase STEM and climate change literacy, but also generate new knowledge as the rapid changes occur. Among the new NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Education projects, Arctic and Earth SIGNs (STEM Integrating GLOBE and NASA assets) is providing opportunities for K-12 pre-service and in-service teachers, their students, and lifelong learners to engage in citizen science using the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) methods and culturally responsive learning to help address climate change challenges within their unique community, and contribute to hypothesis driven research. This project will weave traditional knowledge and western science, and use ground observations and satellite data and best teaching practices in STEM learning, supported through a NASA cooperative agreement and collaborative partnerships. Implementation will begin in rural Alaska and grow within Alaska and throughout the United States to reach underserved and STEM underrepresented populations, through face-to-face and on-line teaching and learning as well as building partnerships among educators, scientists, local and indigenous experts, institutions, agencies, and learning communities. Partners include research and teaching institutions at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Association of Interior Native Educators, the North Slope Borough School District and other school districts, the Kenaitze Tribe Environmental Education program, NASA science education and research programs as well as those of NOAA and NSF, the GLOBE Implementation Office, the 4-H program and others. The program resources and model will be shared and disseminated within the United States and globally through partners for local, national and worldwide use in STEM climate change education and citizen empowerment.

Seismic component of the STEEP project, Alaska: Results of the first field season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, R. A.; Estes, S.; Stachnik, J.; Lafevers, M.; Roush, J.; Sanches, R.; Fuerst, E.; Sandru, J.; Ruppert, N.; Pavlis, G.; Bauer, M.

2005-12-01

STEEP (SainT Elias Erosion/tectonics Project) is a five year, multi-disciplinary study that addresses evolution of the highest coastal mountain range on Earth - the St. Elias Mountains of southern Alaska and northwestern Canada. The overall goal of the project is to develop a comprehensive model for the St. Elias orogen that accounts for the interaction of regional plate tectonic processes, structural development, and rapid erosion. The seismic component of this project includes passive seismic experiment utilizing the IRIS PASSCAL Program instruments. The total project consists of 22 new, telemetered, digital broad band seismic stations, most accessible by helicopter only. There are 12 existing short period stations in the area. Eight new stations were installed in the coastal region in June 2005. Freewave IP radios provide the telemetry to the newly installed VSAT at the Bering Glacier camp site. The challenge was to find ice-free locations, on bedrock, large enough to install equipment and still have a helicopter landing zone nearby. The stations consist of Quanterra Q330 digitizers with baler, a STS-2 seismometer installed in a vault, a Freewave IP radio, a Scala 900 Mhz antenna, twenty 100 AH rechargeable batteries with a 2400AH backup Celair primary battery, and three solar panels mounted on hut. The acquired data is recorded in real time at the Alaska Earthquake Information Center located in Fairbanks and is incorporated into the standard data processing procedures. High quality data allows for more reliable automatic earthquake detections in the region with lower magnitude threshold. In addition to tectonic earthquakes, glacial events that occur within the vast ice fields of the region are also regularly detected. Broadband instruments complement regional broadband network for more reliable calculations of the regional moment tensors.

ARIM-1: The Atmospheric Refractive Index Measurements Sounding Rocket Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruiz, B. Ian (Editor)

1995-01-01

A conceptual design study of the ARIM-1 sounding rocket mission, whose goal is to study atmospheric turbulence in the tropopause region of the atmosphere, is presented. The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who were enrolled in a Space Systems Engineering course. The implementation of the ARIM-1 mission will be carried out by students participating in the Alaska Student Rocket Program (ASRP), with a projected launch date of August 1997. The ARIM-1 vehicle is a single stage sounding rocket with a 3:1 ogive nose cone, a payload diameter of 8 in., a motor diameter of 7.6 in., and an overall height of 17.0 ft including the four fins. Emphasis is placed on standardization of payload support systems. The thermosonde payload will measure the atmospheric turbulence by direct measurement of the temperature difference over a distance of one meter using two 3.45-micron 'hot-wire' probes. The recovery system consists of a 6 ft. diameter ribless guide surface drogue chute and a 33 ft. diameter main cross parachute designed to recover a payload of 31 pounds and slow its descent rate to 5 m/s through an altitude of 15 km. This document discusses the science objectives, mission analysis, payload mechanical configuration and structural design, recovery system, payload electronics, ground station, testing plans, and mission implementation.

Identification, definition and mapping of terrestrial ecosystems in interior Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, J. H. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. A reconstituted, simulated color-infrared print, enlarged to a scale of 1:250,000, was used to make a vegetation map of a 3,110 sq km area just west of Fairbanks, Alaska. Information was traced from the print which comprised the southeastern part of ERTS-1 scene 1033-21011. A 1:1,000,000 scale color-infrared transparency of this scene, obtained from NASA, was used along side the print as an aid in recognizing colors, color intensities and blends, and mosaics of different colors. Color units on the transparency and print were identified according to vegetation types using NASA air photos, U.S. Forest Service air photos, and experience of the investigator. Five more or less pure colors were identified and associated with vegetation types. These colors were designated according to their appearances on the print: (1) orange for forest vegetation dominated by broad-leaved trees: (2) gray for forest vegetation dominated by needle-leaved trees; (3) violet for scrub vegetation; (4) light violet denoting herbaceous tundra vegetation; and (5) dull violet for muskeg vegetation. This study has shown, through close examinations of the NASA transparency, that much more detailed vegetation landscape, or ecosystem maps could be produced, if only spectral signatures could be consistently and reliably recognized and transferred to a map of suitable scale.

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of biologically pretreated abattoir wastewaters in an upflow anaerobic filter.

PubMed

Gannoun, H; Bouallagui, H; Okbi, A; Sayadi, S; Hamdi, M

2009-10-15

The hydrolysis pretreatment of abattoir wastewaters (AW), rich in organic suspended solids (fats and protein) was studied in static and stirred batch reactors without aeration in the presence of natural microbial population acclimated in a storage tank of AW. Microbial analysis showed that the major populations which contribute to the pretreatment of AW belong to the genera Bacillus. Contrary to the static pretreatment, the stirred conditions favoured the hydrolysis and solubilization of 80% of suspended matter into soluble pollution. The pretreated AW, in continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2 days, was fed to an upflow anaerobic filter (UAF) at an HRT of 2 days. The performance of anaerobic digestion of biologically pretreated AW was examined under mesophilic (37 degrees C) and thermophilic (55 degrees C) conditions. The shifting from a mesophilic to a thermophilic environment in the UAF was carried out with a short start-up of thermophilic condition. The UAF ran at organic loading rates (OLRs) ranging from 0.9 to 6g COD/Ld in mesophilic conditions and at OLRs from 0.9 to 9 g COD/Ld in thermophilic conditions. COD removal efficiencies of 80-90% were achieved for OLRs up to 4.5 g COD/Ld in mesophilic conditions, while the highest OLRs i.e. 9 g COD/Ld led to efficiencies of 70-72% in thermophilic conditions. The biogas yield in thermophilic conditions was about 0.32-0.45 L biogas/g of COD removed for OLRs up to 4.5 g COD/Ld. For similar OLR, the UAF in mesophilic conditions showed lower percentage of methanization. Mesophilic anaerobic digestion has been shown to destroy pathogens partially, whereas the thermophilic process was more efficient in the removal of indicator microorganisms and pathogenic bacteria at different organic loading rates.

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, P. Kent Fairbanks, Photographer August, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, P. Kent Fairbanks, Photographer August, 1968 WEST (FRONT) ELEVATION. - Spring City Area Study, Public School, Fourth & E Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, P. Kent Fairbanks, Photographer August, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, P. Kent Fairbanks, Photographer August, 1968 SOUTH (FRONT) ELEVATION. - Spring City Area Study, Bishop's Storehouse, Fourth & E Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT

Degradation and Local Survival of Permafrost Through the Last Interglaciation in Interior Alaska and Yukon Territory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reyes, A. V.; Froese, D. G.; Jensen, B. J.

2006-12-01

Permafrost in northern North America is warming, and recent modeling efforts have predicted the widespread disappearance of permafrost through much of the northern hemisphere over the next century. However, little is known of the impacts of past sustained warm intervals on permafrost dynamics, antiquity, and distribution due to difficulties in establishing reliable chronologies. Permafrost thus remains the last element of the Arctic cryosphere for which there is poor understanding of its adaptability to past warmer-than-present climate. Here we present observations from three sites in the region of interior Alaska and Yukon Territory that remained ice-free during Plio-Pleistocene glaciations, which collectively demonstrate the variable nature of the response of permafrost to warming during the last interglaciation. Chronology for all sites is based on identification of Old Crow tephra (OCt; 140±10 ka) by glass major element composition. Throughout the study region, OCt is consistently associated with organic-rich sediments that represent the last interglaciation on the basis of pollen, insect, and macrofossil assemblages. At the Palisades site on the Yukon River, 250 km west of Fairbanks, OCt is 1.5-3.5 m below thick (>1m) organic-rich silts and peats that are locally rich in beaver-chewed wood and large wood stumps, some of which are in growth position. In contrast, placer mining at Thistle Creek in central Yukon Territory exposes a dramatic thaw unconformity that is presumably related to local, but incomplete, permafrost degradation during the last interglaciation. In upslope positions at Thistle Creek, OCt is incorporated into a steeply dipping, 30 cm thick, organic-rich silt horizon that truncates at least one intact, relict ice wedge. The steeply dipping organic- rich horizon grades downslope into organic-rich silt with dense accumulations of wood fragments, including tree stems up to 2 m long. Evidence for similar permafrost degradation during the last interglaciation is present at Ch'ijee's Bluff in northern Yukon Territory. At multiple sites along the bluff, OCt underlies a 10-20 cm thick organic-rich silt horizon that grades laterally into wedge-shaped accumulations of deformed organic-rich silt and woody debris, including large stumps and tree stems. These wedge-shaped accumulations consistently truncate OCt and represent melting and subsequent infilling of ice wedge networks. The exposures at these three sites, separated by nearly 1000 km, illustrate the variable response of permafrost to climate warming during the last interglaciation that probably reflects the importance of local site factors (ie. aspect, slope, vegetation cover) in determining the extent of permafrost degradation. Significantly, relict ice below OCt indicates that permafrost survived peak warmth of the last interglaciation at Thistle Creek, despite the dramatic melting suggested by the steeply dipping thaw unconformity. It is commonly assumed that permafrost disappeared from interior Alaska during the last interglaciation and that peak warmth was likely 3°C higher than present, based on the apparent absence of massive ice bodies underlying OCt in the Fairbanks region. Our observations suggest that reports of the death of permafrost in interior Alaska and Yukon during the last interglaciation may be greatly exaggerated, and that deep permafrost is likely to persist in the discontinuous permafrost zone, at least locally, despite future global warming.

Strategic plan for the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

Located in McLean, VA, the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC), is the Federal Highway Administrations (FHWA) core facility for research, development, and technology within the broader transportation research community. This document d...

RadNet Air Data From Fairbanks, AK

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page presents radiation air monitoring and air filter analysis data for Fairbanks, AL from EPA's RadNet system. RadNet is a nationwide network of monitoring stations that measure radiation in air, drinking water and precipitation.

Impact-related microspherules in Late Pleistocene Alaskan and Yukon “muck” deposits signify recurrent episodes of catastrophic emplacement

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagstrum, Jonathan T.; Firestone, Richard B.; West, Allen; Weaver, James C.; Bunch, Ted E.

2017-01-01

Large quantities of impact-related microspherules have been found in fine-grained sediments retained within seven out of nine, radiocarbon-dated, Late Pleistocene mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and bison (Bison priscus) skull fragments. The well-preserved fossils were recovered from frozen “muck” deposits (organic-rich silt) exposed within the Fairbanks and Klondike mining districts of Alaska, USA, and the Yukon Territory, Canada. In addition, elevated platinum abundances were found in sediment analysed from three out of four fossil skulls. In view of this new evidence, the mucks and their well-preserved but highly disrupted and damaged vertebrate and botanical remains are reinterpreted in part as blast deposits that resulted from several episodes of airbursts and ground/ice impacts within the northern hemisphere during Late Pleistocene time (~46–11 ka B.P.). Such a scenario might be explained by encounters with cometary debris in Earth-crossing orbits (Taurid Complex) that was generated by fragmentation of a large short-period comet within the inner Solar System.

SeisFlows-Flexible waveform inversion software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modrak, Ryan T.; Borisov, Dmitry; Lefebvre, Matthieu; Tromp, Jeroen

2018-06-01

SeisFlows is an open source Python package that provides a customizable waveform inversion workflow and framework for research in oil and gas exploration, earthquake tomography, medical imaging, and other areas. New methods can be rapidly prototyped in SeisFlows by inheriting from default inversion or migration classes, and code can be tested on 2D examples before application to more expensive 3D problems. Wave simulations must be performed using an external software package such as SPECFEM3D. The ability to interface with external solvers lends flexibility, and the choice of SPECFEM3D as a default option provides optional GPU acceleration and other useful capabilities. Through support for massively parallel solvers and interfaces for high-performance computing (HPC) systems, inversions with thousands of seismic traces and billions of model parameters can be performed. So far, SeisFlows has run on clusters managed by the Department of Defense, Chevron Corp., Total S.A., Princeton University, and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Detecting unfrozen sediments below thermokarst lakes with surface nuclear magnetic resonance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parsekian, Andrew D.; Grosse, Guido; Walbrecker, Jan O.; Müller-Petke, Mike; Keating, Kristina; Liu, Lin; Jones, Benjamin M.; Knight, Rosemary

2013-01-01

A talik is a layer or body of unfrozen ground that occurs in permafrost due to an anomaly in thermal, hydrological, or hydrochemical conditions. Information about talik geometry is important for understanding regional surface water and groundwater interactions as well as sublacustrine methane production in thermokarst lakes. Due to the direct measurement of unfrozen water content, surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a promising geophysical method for noninvasively estimating talik dimensions. We made surface NMR measurements on thermokarst lakes and terrestrial permafrost near Fairbanks, Alaska, and confirmed our results using limited direct measurements. At an 8 m deep lake, we observed thaw bulb at least 22 m below the surface; at a 1.4 m deep lake, we detected a talik extending between 5 and 6 m below the surface. Our study demonstrates the value that surface NMR may have in the cryosphere for studies of thermokarst lake hydrology and their related role in the carbon cycle.

Estimating River Surface Elevation From ArcticDEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Chunli; Durand, Michael; Howat, Ian M.; Altenau, Elizabeth H.; Pavelsky, Tamlin M.

2018-04-01

ArcticDEM is a collection of 2-m resolution, repeat digital surface models created from stereoscopic satellite imagery. To demonstrate the potential of ArcticDEM for measuring river stages and discharges, we estimate river surface heights along a reach of Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska, by the precise detection of river shorelines and mapping of shorelines to land surface elevation. The river height profiles over a 15-km reach agree with in situ measurements to a standard deviation less than 30 cm. The time series of ArcticDEM-derived river heights agree with the U.S. Geological Survey gage measurements with a standard deviation of 32 cm. Using the rating curve for that gage, we obtain discharges with a validation accuracy (root-mean-square error) of 234 m3/s (23% of the mean discharge). Our results demonstrate that ArcticDEM can accurately measure spatial and temporal variations of river surfaces, providing a new and powerful data set for hydrologic analysis.

International conference on the role of the polar regions in global change: Proceedings. Volume 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weller, G.; Wilson, C.L.; Severin, B.A.B.

1991-12-01

The International Conference on the Role of the Polar Regions in Global Change took place on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks on June 11--15, 1990. The goal of the conference was to define and summarize the state of knowledge on the role of the polar regions in global change, and to identify gaps in knowledge. To this purpose experts in a wide variety of relevant disciplines were invited to present papers and hold panel discussions. While there are numerous conferences on global change, this conference dealt specifically with the polar regions which occupy key positions in themore » global system. These two volumes of conference proceedings include papers on (1) detection and monitoring of change; (2) climate variability and climate forcing; (3) ocean, sea ice, and atmosphere interactions and processes; and (4) effects on biota and biological feedbacks; (5) ice sheet, glacier and permafrost responses and feedbacks, (6) paleoenvironmental studies; and, (7) aerosol and trace gases.« less

Alaskan Exemplary Program The Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI) A Quarter Century of Success of Educating, Nurturing, and Retaining Alaska Native and Rural Students An International Polar Year Adventure in Barrow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wartes, D.; Owens, G.

2007-12-01

RAHI, the Rural Alaska Honors Institute, began in 1983 after a series of meetings between the Alaska Federation of Natives and the University of Alaska, to discuss the retention rates of Alaska Native and rural students. RAHI is a six-week college-preparatory summer bridge program on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus for Alaska Native and rural high school juniors and seniors. The student body is approximately 94 percent Alaska Native. RAHI students take classes that earn them seven to ten college credits, thus giving them a head start on college. Courses include: writing, study skills, desk top publishing, Alaska Native dance or swimming, and a choice of geoscience, biochemistry, math, business, rural development, or engineering. A program of rigorous academic activity combines with social, cultural, and recreational activities to make up the RAHI program of early preparation for college. Students are purposely stretched beyond their comfort levels academically and socially to prepare for the big step from home or village to a large culturally western urban campus. They are treated as honors students and are expected to meet all rigorous academic and social standards set by the program. All of this effort and activity support the principal goal of RAHI: promoting academic success for rural students in college. Over 25 years, 1,200 students have attended the program. Sixty percent of the RAHI alumni have entered four-year academic programs. Over 230 have earned a bachelors degree, twenty-nine have earned masters degrees, and seven have graduated with professional degrees (J.D., Ph.D., or M.D.), along with 110 associate degrees and certificates. In looking at the RAHI cohort, removing those students who have not been in college long enough to obtain a degree, 27.3 percent of RAHI alums have received a bachelors degree. An April 2006 report by the American Institutes for Research through the National Science Foundation found that: Rural Native students in the UA system who participated in RAHI are nearly twice as likely to earn a bachelors degree, than those who did not attend RAHI. This summer, in celebration of the International Polar Year, in collaboration with Ilisagvik College, at the completion of the traditional RAHI program, ten RAHI students flew to Barrow for an additional two weeks of study. Five students participated in an archaeological dig and five students performed research with the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium scientists studying climate change. In addition, ten students from Greenland visited the program, with plans to more fully participate next summer. This added dimension to the program has proved successful, allowing the students to compare and contrast between their own countries and indigenous perspectives. Global warming was an issue that was hotly debated, as its effects are so evident in the Polar Regions. In the Arctic, life is directly tied to the ice and snow. As the ice disappears and/or changes, the Indigenous people have to adapt. RAHI would like to share with you some of the results of this past summers IPY activities.

International Volcanological Field School in Kamchatka and Alaska: Experiencing Language, Culture, Environment, and Active Volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichelberger, J. C.; Gordeev, E.; Ivanov, B.; Izbekov, P.; Kasahara, M.; Melnikov, D.; Selyangin, O.; Vesna, Y.

2003-12-01

The Kamchatka State University of Education, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Hokkaido University are developing an international field school focused on explosive volcanism of the North Pacific. An experimental first session was held on Mutnovsky and Gorely Volcanoes in Kamchatka during August 2003. Objectives of the school are to:(1) Acquaint students with the chemical and physical processes of explosive volcanism, through first-hand experience with some of the most spectacular volcanic features on Earth; (2) Expose students to different concepts and approaches to volcanology; (3) Expand students' ability to function in a harsh environment and to bridge barriers in language and culture; (4) Build long-lasting collaborations in research among students and in teaching and research among faculty in the North Pacific region. Both undergraduate and graduate students from Russia, the United States, and Japan participated. The school was based at a mountain hut situated between Gorely and Mutnovsky Volcanoes and accessible by all-terrain truck. Day trips were conducted to summit craters of both volcanoes, flank lava flows, fumarole fields, ignimbrite exposures, and a geothermal area and power plant. During the evenings and on days of bad weather, the school faculty conducted lectures on various topics of volcanology in either Russian or English, with translation. Although subjects were taught at the undergraduate level, lectures led to further discussion with more advanced students. Graduate students participated by describing their research activities to the undergraduates. A final session at a geophysical field station permitted demonstration of instrumentation and presentations requiring sophisticated graphics in more comfortable surroundings. Plans are underway to make this school an annual offering for academic credit in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Alaska and in Kamchatka. The course will be targeted at undergraduates with a strong interest in and aptitude for the physical sciences, not necessarily volcanology. It will also serve as an entry point for students wishing to make extended exchange visits to the Russian Far East or Alaska, and to graduate students in volcanology wishing to undertake thesis research in North Pacific volcanism. The school represents the first educational effort of the newly established Japan Kamchatka Alaska Subduction Project (JKASP), which seeks to bring scientists of our three nations together in the study of one shared geophysical province, the Kuril-Kamchatka-Aleutian Arcs.

Catalog of earthquake hypocenters at Alaskan volcanoes: January 1 through December 31, 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dixon, James P.; Stihler, Scott D.; Power, John A.; Tytgat, Guy; Estes, Steve; McNutt, Stephen R.

2006-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, has maintained seismic monitoring networks at historically active volcanoes in Alaska since 1988 (Figure 1). The primary objectives of the seismic program are the real-time seismic monitoring of active, potentially hazardous, Alaskan volcanoes and the investigation of seismic processes associated with active volcanism. This catalog presents calculated earthquake hypocenters and seismic phase arrival data, and details changes in the seismic monitoring program for the period January 1 through December 31, 2005.The AVO seismograph network was used to monitor the seismic activity at thirty-two volcanoes within Alaska in 2005 (Figure 1). The network was augmented by two new subnetworks to monitor the Semisopochnoi Island volcanoes and Little Sitkin Volcano. Seismicity at these volcanoes was still being studied at the end of 2005 and has not yet been added to the list of permanently monitored volcanoes in the AVO weekly update. Following an extended period of monitoring to determine the background seismicity at the Mount Peulik, Ukinrek Maars, and Korovin Volcano, formal monitoring of these volcanoes began in 2005. AVO located 9,012 earthquakes in 2005.Monitoring highlights in 2005 include: (1) seismicity at Mount Spurr remaining above background, starting in February 2004, through the end of the year and into 2006; (2) an increase in seismicity at Augustine Volcano starting in May 2005, and continuing through the end of the year into 2006; (3) volcanic tremor and seismicity related to low-level strombolian activity at Mount Veniaminof in January to March and September; and (4) a seismic swarm at Tanaga Volcano in October and November.This catalog includes: (1) descriptions and locations of seismic instrumentation deployed in the field in 2005; (2) a description of earthquake detection, recording, analysis, and data archival systems; (3) a description of seismic velocity models used for earthquake locations; (4) a summary of earthquakes located in 2005; and (5) an accompanying UNIX tar-file with a summary of earthquake origin times, hypocenters, magnitudes, phase arrival times, and location quality statistics; daily station usage statistics; and all HYPOELLIPSE files used to determine the earthquake locations in 2005.

23. POWER ROOM INTERIOR, DETAIL OF FAIRBANKSMORSE DIESEL ENGINE, DIRECTLY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

23. POWER ROOM INTERIOR, DETAIL OF FAIRBANKS-MORSE DIESEL ENGINE, DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO FAIRBANKS-MORSE 30 KW DC GENERATOR, 125 VOLTS, 240 AMPS, 800 RPM. INSTALLED 1930. - Death Valley Ranch, Power House, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA

The Drivers of the CH4 Seasonal Cycle in the Arctic and What Long-Term Observations of CH4 Imply About Trends in Arctic CH4 Fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweeney, C.; Karion, A.; Bruhwiler, L.; Miller, J. B.; Wofsy, S. C.; Miller, C. E.; Chang, R. Y.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Daube, B.; Pittman, J. V.; Dinardo, S. J.

2012-12-01

The large seasonal change in the atmospheric column for CH4 in the Arctic is driven by two dominant processes: transport of CH4 from low latitudes and surface emissions throughout the Arctic region. The NOAA ESRL Carbon Cycle Group Aircraft Program along with the NASA funded Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) have initiated an effort to better understand the factors controlling the seasonal changes in the mole fraction of CH4 in the Arctic with a multi-scale aircraft observing network in Alaska. The backbone of this network is multi-species flask sampling from 500 to 8000 masl that has been conducted every two weeks for the last 10 years over Poker Flat, AK. In addition regular profiles at the interior Alaska site at Poker Flat, NOAA has teamed up with the United States Coast Guard to make profiling flights with continuous observations of CO2, CO, CH4 and Ozone between Kodiak and Barrow every 2 weeks. More recently, CARVE has significantly added to this observational network with targeted flights focused on exploring the variability of CO2, CH4 and CO in the boundary layer both in the interior and the North Slope regions of Alaska. Taken together with the profiling of HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO), ground sites at Barrow and a new CARVE interior Alaska surface site just north of Fairbanks, AK, we now have the ability to investigate the full evolution of the seasonal cycle in the Arctic using both the multi-scale sampling offered by the different aircraft platforms as well as the multi-species sampling offered by in-situ and flask sampling. The flasks also provide a valuable tie-point between different platforms so that spatial and temporal gradients can be properly interpreted. In the context of the seasonal cycle observed by the aircraft platforms we will look at long term ground observations over the last 20 years to assess changes in Arctic CH4 emissions which have occurred as a result of 0.6C/decade changes in mean surface temperatures.

Gold in placer deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yeend, Warren; Shawe, Daniel R.; Wier, Kenneth L.

1989-01-01

Man most likely first obtained gold from placer deposits, more than 6,000 years ago. Placers account for more than two-thirds of the total world gold supply, and roughly half of that mined in the States of California, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.Placer deposits result from weathering and release of gold from lode deposits, transportation of the gold, and concentration of the gold dominantly in stream gravels. Unless preserved by burial, a placer subsequently may be eroded, and either dispersed or reconcentrated.California has produced more than 40 million troy ounces of gold from placers, both modern and fossil (Tertiary). The source of the great bulk of the gold is numerous quartz veins and mineralized zones of the Mother Lode and related systems in the western Sierra Nevada region. The gold-bearing lodes were emplaced in Carboniferous and Jurassic metamorphic rocks intruded by small bodies of Jurassic and Cretaceous igneous rocks. Mineralization occurred probably in Late Cretaceous time. Significant amounts of placer gold also were mined along the Salmon and Trinity Rivers in northern California. Source of the gold is lode deposits in Paleozoic and Mesozoic metamorphic rocks that were intruded by Mesozoic igneous rocks.Alaska has produced roughly 21 million ounces of gold from placer deposits. Most (about 13 million ounces) has come from the interior region, including 7,600,000 ounces from the Fairbanks district and 1,300,000 ounces from the Iditarod district. Lode sources are believed to be mostly quartz veins in Precambrian or Paleozoic metamorphic rocks intruded by small igneous bodies near Fairbanks, and shear zones in Tertiary(?) quartz monzonite stocks at Iditarod. The Seward Peninsula has produced more than 6 million ounces of placer gold, including about 4,000,000 ounces from the Nome district. Most of the gold was derived from raised beach deposits. Source of the gold probably is Tertiary-mineralized faults and joints in metamorphic rocks of late Precambrian age.The Helena-Last Chance district, Montana, produced nearly 1 million ounces of gold from placers that were derived from lode deposits in the contact zones of the Cretaceous Boulder batholith granitic rocks intruded into upper Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The Virginia City-Alder Gulch district, Montana, produced more than 2,600,000 ounces of gold, nearly all from placer deposits derived from quartz veins of uncertain age in Archean gneisses and schists. The Boise basin district, Idaho, produced about 2,300,000 ounces of gold, mostly derived from quartz veins in quartz monzonite of the Cretaceous Idaho batholith.

Assessment of Fish Habitat, Water Quality, and Selected Contaminants in Streambed Sediments in Noyes Slough, Fairbanks, Alaska, 2001-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kennedy, Ben W.; Whitman, Matthew S.; Burrows, Robert L.; Richmond, Sharon A.

2004-01-01

During 2001-2002, the U.S. Geological Survey sampled streambed sediment at 23 sites, measured water quality at 26 sites, and assessed fish habitat for the entire length of Noyes Slough, a 5.5-mile slough of the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska. These studies were undertaken to document the environmental condition of the slough and to provide information to the public for consideration in plans to improve environmental conditions of the waterway. The availability of physical habitat for fish in the slough does not appear to be limited, although some beaver dams and shallow water may restrict movement, particularly during low flow. Elevated water temperatures in summer and low dissolved-oxygen concentrations are the principle factors adversely affecting water quality in Noyes Slough. Increased flow mitigated poor water-quality conditions and reduced the number of possible fish barriers. Flow appears to be the most prominent mechanism shaping water quality and fish habitat in Noyes Slough. Streambed sediment samples collected at 23 sites in 2001 were analyzed for 24 trace elements. Arsenic, lead, and zinc were the only trace elements detected in concentrations that exceed probable effect levels for the protection of aquatic life. The background concentration for arsenic in Noyes Slough is naturally elevated because of significant concentrations of arsenic in local bedrock and ground water. Sources of the zinc and lead contamination are uncertain, however both lead and zinc are common urban contaminants. Streambed-sediment samples from 12 sites in 2002 were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs). The concentration of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate of 2,600 micrograms per kilogram (?g/kg) for one sample from the site above Aurora Drive approached the aquatic-life criterion of 2,650 ?g/kg. Low concentrations of p-cresol, chrysene, and fluoranthene were detected in most of the sediment samples. The presence of these compounds in Noyes Slough sediment was expected because cresols are emitted to the atmosphere in the exhaust from motor vehicles and chrysene and fluoranthene are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage, or other organic substances. Low-level concentrations of DDT or its degradation products DDD and DDE were detected in all samples collected during 2002. However, total DDT (DDT+DDD+DDE) concentrations are less than the effects range median aquatic-life criterion of 46.1 ?g/kg. In general, total DDT concentrations were less than 10 ?g/kg, except for samples from two sites that have estimated concentrations of about 14 and 20 ?g/kg.

Core Angular Momentum and the IERS Sub-Centers Activity for Monitoring Global Geophysical Fluids. Part 1; Core Angular Momentum and Earth Rotation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Xia-Dong; Chao, Benjamin (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

The part of the grant was to use recordings of seismic waves travelling through the earth's core (PKP waves) to study the inner core rotation and constraints on possible density anomalies in the fluid core. The shapes and relative arrival times of such waves associated with a common source were used to reduce the uncertainties in source location and excitation and the effect of unknown mantle structure. The major effort of the project is to assemble historical seismograms with long observing base lines. We have found original paper records of SSI earthquakes at COL between 1951 and 1966 in a warehouse of the U.S. Geological Survey office in Golden, Colorado, extending the previous measurements at COL by Song and Richards [1996] further back 15 years. Also in Alaska, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks Geophysical Institute (UAFGI) has been operating the Alaskan Seismic Network with over 100 stations since the late 1960s. Virtually complete archives of seismograms are still available at UAFGI. Unfortunately, most of the archives are in microchip form (develocorders), for which the use of waveforms is impossible. Paper seismograms (helicorders) are available for a limited number of stations, and digital recordings of analog signals started around 1989. Of the paper records obtained, stations at Gilmore Dome (GLM, very close to COL), Yukon (FYU), McKinley (MCK), and Sheep Creek Mountain (SCM) have the most complete continuous recordings.

High-resolution records detect human-caused changes to the boreal forest wildfire regime in interior Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gaglioti, Benjamin V.; Mann, Daniel H.; Jones, Benjamin M.; Wooller, Matthew J.; Finney, Bruce P.

2016-01-01

Stand-replacing wildfires are a keystone disturbance in the boreal forest, and they are becoming more common as the climate warms. Paleo-fire archives from the wildland–urban interface can quantify the prehistoric fire regime and assess how both human land-use and climate change impact ecosystem dynamics. Here, we use a combination of a sedimentary charcoal record preserved in varved lake sediments (annually layered) and fire scars in living trees to document changes in local fire return intervals (FRIs) and regional fire activity over the last 500 years. Ace Lake is within the boreal forest, located near the town of Fairbanks in interior Alaska, which was settled by gold miners in AD 1902. In the 400 years before settlement, fires occurred near the lake on average every 58 years. After settlement, fires became much more frequent (average every 18  years), and background charcoal flux rates rose to four times their preindustrial levels, indicating a region-wide increase in burning. Despite this surge in burning, the preindustrial boreal forest ecosystem and permafrost in the watershed have remained intact. Although fire suppression has reduced charcoal influx since the 1950s, an aging fuel load experiencing increasingly warm summers may pose management problems for this and other boreal sites that have similar land-use and fire histories. The large human-caused fire events that we identify can be used to test how increasingly common megafires may alter ecosystem dynamics in the future.

Barrow real-time sea ice mass balance data: ingestion, processing, dissemination and archival of multi-sensor data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimes, J.; Mahoney, A. R.; Heinrichs, T. A.; Eicken, H.

2012-12-01

Sensor data can be highly variable in nature and also varied depending on the physical quantity being observed, sensor hardware and sampling parameters. The sea ice mass balance site (MBS) operated in Barrow by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (http://seaice.alaska.edu/gi/observatories/barrow_sealevel) is a multisensor platform consisting of a thermistor string, air and water temperature sensors, acoustic altimeters above and below the ice and a humidity sensor. Each sensor has a unique specification and configuration. The data from multiple sensors are combined to generate sea ice data products. For example, ice thickness is calculated from the positions of the upper and lower ice surfaces, which are determined using data from downward-looking and upward-looking acoustic altimeters above and below the ice, respectively. As a data clearinghouse, the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) processes real time data from many sources, including the Barrow MBS. Doing so requires a system that is easy to use, yet also offers the flexibility to handle data from multisensor observing platforms. In the case of the Barrow MBS, the metadata system needs to accommodate the addition of new and retirement of old sensors from year to year as well as instrument configuration changes caused by, for example, spring melt or inquisitive polar bears. We also require ease of use for both administrators and end users. Here we present the data and processing steps of using sensor data system powered by the NoSQL storage engine, MongoDB. The system has been developed to ingest, process, disseminate and archive data from the Barrow MBS. Storing sensor data in a generalized format, from many different sources, is a challenging task, especially for traditional SQL databases with a set schema. MongoDB is a NoSQL (not only SQL) database that does not require a fixed schema. There are several advantages using this model over the traditional relational database management system (RDBMS) model databases. The lack of a required schema allows flexibility in how the data can be ingested into the database. For example, MongoDB imposes no restrictions on field names. For researchers using the system, this means that the name they have chosen for the sensor is carried through the database, any processing, and to the final output helping to preserve data integrity. Also, MongoDB allows the data to be pushed to it dynamically meaning that field attributes can be defined at the point of ingestion. This allows any sensor data to be ingested as a document and for this functionality to be transferred to the user interface, allowing greater adaptability to different use-case scenarios. In presenting the MondoDB data system being developed for the Barrow MBS, we demonstrate the versatility of this approach and its suitability as the foundation of a Barrow node of the Arctic Observing Network. Authors Jason Grimes - Geographic Information Network of Alaska - jason@gina.alaska.edu Andy Mahony - Geophysical Institute - mahoney@gi.alaska.edu Hajo Eiken - Geophysical Institute - Hajo.Eicken@gi.alaska.edu Tom Heinrichs - Geographic Information Network of Alaska - Tom.Heinrichs@alaska.edu

75 FR 17316 - Prevailing Rate Systems; Nonappropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-06

...) Fairbanks North Star Juneau Kenai Peninsula Ketchikan Gateway Kodiak Island Sitka Southeast Fairbanks Valdez...: Hawaii (counties): Hawaii Kauai Maui Pacific Islands: Midway Islands Johnston Atoll American Samoa IDAHO... Lake Survey Area Illinois: Lake Area of Application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Cook Rock Island...

75 FR 49351 - Prevailing Rate Systems; Nonappropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-13

... area plus: Illinois: Cook Rock Island Vermilion Iowa: Johnson Michigan: Dickinson Marquette Wisconsin...) Fairbanks North Star Juneau Kenai Peninsula Ketchikan Gateway Kodiak Island Sitka Southeast Fairbanks Valdez... Islands: Midway Islands Johnston Atoll American Samoa IDAHO Ada[dash]Elmore Survey Area Idaho: Ada Elmore...

Fairbanks North Star borough rural roads upgrade inventory and cost estimation software user guide : version I.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-04-01

The Rural Road Upgrade Inventory and Cost Estimation Software is designed by the AUTC : research team to help the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) estimate the cost of upgrading : rural roads located in the Borough's Service Areas. The Software pe...

75 FR 11905 - Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-12

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R7-R-2009-N282; 70133-1265-0000-U4] Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed land exchange Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge final...

75 FR 76294 - Radio Broadcasting Services; Fairbanks, AK

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-08

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 73 [DA 10-2211; MB Docket No. 10-81; RM-11600] Radio Broadcasting Services; Fairbanks, AK AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY... Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73 Radio, Radio broadcasting. 0 For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the...

Integrating World Views, Knowledge and Venues in Climate Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Chase, M. J.; Demientieff, S.; Brunacini, J.; Pfirman, S. L.

2015-12-01

The Reaching Arctic Communities Facing Climate Change Project integrates traditional and western knowledge and observations in climate science to facilitate dialog and learning among Alaska Native adults about climate change and its impacts on the environment and on Alaskan communities. In one of the models we have tested, the informal education took place at a 4-day camp by the Tanana River in Fairbanks, Alaska. Participants included Alaska Native elders, leaders, educators and natural resource managers, community members and university scientists. Results of pre/post camp surveys showed increased awareness of scientific and technical language used in climate science, improved ability to locate resources, tools, and strategies for learning about climate change, enhanced capacity to communicate climate change in a relevant way to their audiences and communities, confirmed the value of elders in helping them understand, respond and adapt to climate change, and that the camp setting facilitated an in-depth discussion and sharing of knowledge. The camp also enhanced the awareness about weather, climate and the environment of the camp facilitators who also noticed a shift in their own thinking and behavior. After the camp one participant who is an educator shared some of the hands-on tools developed by Polar Learning and Responding Climate Change Education Partnership project and used at the camp, with her 6th grade students, with the other teachers in her school and also at a state conference. Another shared what she learned with her family and friends as well as at a conference sponsored by her faith community where she was an invited speaker. Another camp was scheduled for this past summer but was cancelled due to some unforeseen weather/climate related events. A camp is planned for early summer in 2016; however other models of reaching the adult Native populations in a similar culturally responsive manner as the camps will also be explored and tested.

Discerning spatial and temporal LAI and clear-sky FAPAR variability during summer at the Toolik Lake vegetation monitoring grid (North Slope, Alaska)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heim, B.; Beamish, A. L.; Walker, D. A.; Epstein, H. E.; Sachs, T.; Chabrillat, S.; Buchhorn, M.; Prakash, A.

2016-12-01

Ground data for the validation of satellite-derived terrestrial Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) at high latitudes are sparse. Also for regional model evaluation (e.g. climate models, land surface models, permafrost models), we lack accurate ranges of terrestrial ground data and face the problem of a large mismatch in scale. Within the German research programs `Regional Climate Change' (REKLIM) and the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP), we conducted a study on ground data representativeness for vegetation-related variables within a monitoring grid at the Toolik Lake Long-Term Ecological Research station; the Toolik Lake station lies in the Kuparuk River watershed on the North Slope of the Brooks Mountain Range in Alaska. The Toolik Lake grid covers an area of 1 km2 containing Eight five grid points spaced 100 meters apart. Moist acidic tussock tundra is the most dominant vegetation type within the grid. Eight five permanent 1 m2 plots were also established to be representative of the individual gridpoints. Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks have undertaken assessments at these plots, including Leaf Area Index (LAI) and field spectrometry to derive the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). During summer 2016, we conducted field spectrometry and LAI measurements at selected plots during early, peak and late summer. We experimentally measured LAI on more spatially extensive Elementary Sampling Units (ESUs) to investigate the spatial representativeness of the permanent 1 m2 plots and to map ESUs for various tundra types. LAI measurements are potentially influenced by landscape-inherent microtopography, sparse vascular plant cover, and dead woody matter. From field spectrometer measurements, we derived a clear-sky mid-day Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR). We will present the first data analyses comparing FAPAR and LAI, and maps of biophysically-focused ESUs for evaluation of the use of remote sensing data to estimate these ecosystem properties.

75 FR 29582 - Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-26

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R7-R-2010-N082; 70133-1265-0000-U4] Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability: record of decision. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...

75 FR 17763 - Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-07

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R7-R-2009-N260; 70133-1265-0000-S3] Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION... statement; request for comment. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will be...

Microbial monitoring by molecular tools of an upflow anaerobic filter treating abattoir wastewaters.

PubMed

Gannoun, Hana; Khelifi, Eltaief; Omri, Ilhem; Jabari, Linda; Fardeau, Marie-Laure; Bouallagui, Hassib; Godon, Jean-Jacques; Hamdi, Moktar

2013-08-01

The performance of anaerobic digestion of abattoir wastewaters (AW) in an upflow anaerobic filter (UAF) was investigated under mesophilic (37°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions. The effects of increasing temperature on the performance of the UAF and on the dynamics of the microbial community of the anaerobic sludge were studied. The results showed that chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 90% was achieved for organic loading rates (OLRs) up to 4.5g CODL(-1)d(-1) in mesophilic conditions, while in thermophilic conditions, the highest OLRs of 9 g CODL(-1)d(-1) led to the efficiency of 72%. The use of molecular and microbiological methods to recover microbial populations involved in this process showed that fermentative bacteria were the prominent members of the sludge microbial community. Three novel strains were identified as Macellibacteroides fermentans, Desulfotomaculum peckii and Defluviitalea saccharophila. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monitoring an Induced Permafrost Warming Experiment Using ERT, Temperature, and NMR in Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulrich, C.; Ajo Franklin, J. B.; Ekblaw, I.; Lindsey, N.; Wagner, A. M.; Saari, S.; Daley, T. M.; Freifeld, B. M.

2016-12-01

As global temperatures continue to rise, permafrost landscapes will experience more rapid changes than other global climate zones. Permafrost thaw is a result of increased temperatures in arctic settings resulting in surface deformation and subsurface hydrology changes. From an engineering perspective, surface deformation poses a threat to the stability of existing infrastructure such as roads, utility piping, and building structures. Preemptively detecting or monitoring subsurface thaw dynamics presents a difficult challenge due to the long time scales as deformation occurs. Increased subsurface moisture content results from permafrost thaw of which electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), soil temperature, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are directly sensitive. In this experiment we evaluate spatial and temporal changes in subsurface permafrost conditions (moisture content and temperature) at a experimental heating plot in Fairbanks, AK. This study focuses on monitoring thaw signatures using multiple collocated electrical resistivity (ERT), borehole temperature, and borehole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. Timelapse ERT (sensitive to changes in moisture content) was inverted using collocated temperature and NMR to constrain ERT inversions. Subsurface thermal state was monitored with timelapse thermistors, sensitive to soil ice content. NMR was collected in multiple boreholes and is sensitive to changes in moisture content and pore scale distribution. As permafrost thaws more hydrogen, in the form of water, is available resulting in a changing NMR response. NMR requires the availability of liquid water in order to induce spin of the hydrogen molecule, hence, if frozen water molecules will be undetectable. In this study, the permafrost is poised close to 0oC and is mainly silt with small pore dimensions; this combination makes NMR particularly useful due to the possibility of sub-zero thaw conditions within the soil column. Overall this experiment presents a complementary suite of methods that provides feedback on subsurface permafrost state even in cases where soil texture might control unfrozen water content.

Pleistocene ice-rich yedoma in Interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanevskiy, M. Z.; Shur, Y.; Jorgenson, T. T.; Sturm, M.; Bjella, K.; Bray, M.; Harden, J. W.; Dillon, M.; Fortier, D.; O'Donnell, J.

2011-12-01

Yedoma, or the ice-rich syngenetic permafrost with large ice wedges, widely occurs in parts of Alaska that were unglaciated during the last glaciation including Interior Alaska, Foothills of Brooks Range and Seward Peninsula. A thick layer of syngenetic permafrost was formed by simultaneous accumulation of silt and upward permafrost aggradation. Until recently, yedoma has been studied mainly in Russia. In Interior Alaska, we have studied yedoma at several field sites (Erickson Creek area, Boot Lake area, and several sites around Fairbanks, including well-known CRREL Permafrost tunnel). All these locations are characterized by thick sequences of ice-rich silt with large ice wedges up to 30 m deep. Our study in the CRREL Permafrost tunnel and surrounding area revealed a yedoma section up to 18 m thick, whose formation began about 40,000 yr BP. The volume of wedge-ice (about 10-15%) is not very big in comparison with other yedoma sites (typically more than 30%), but soils between ice wedges are extremely ice-rich - an average value of gravimetric moisture content of undisturbed yedoma silt with micro-cryostructures is about 130%. Numerous bodies of thermokarst-cave ice were detected in the tunnel. Geotechnical investigations along the Dalton Highway near Livengood (Erickson Creek area) provided opportunities for studies of yedoma cores from deep boreholes. The radiocarbon age of sediments varies from 20,000 to 45,000 yr BP. Most of soils in the area are extremely ice-rich. Thickness of ice-rich silt varies from 10 m to more than 26 m, and volume of wedge-ice reaches 35-45%. Soil between ice wedges has mainly micro-cryostructures and average gravimetric moisture content from 80% to 100%. Our studies have shown that the top part of yedoma in many locations was affected by deep thawing during the Holocene, which resulted in formation of the layer of thawed and refrozen soils up to 6 m thick on top of yedoma deposits. Thawing of the upper permafrost could be related to climate changes during Holocene or to wildfires, or both. The ice-poor layer of thawed and refrozen sediments (gravimetric moisture content usually does not exceed 40%) was encountered in many boreholes below the thin ice-rich intermediate layer (gravimetric moisture content usually exceeds 100%). These two layers separate ice wedges from the active layer and protect them from further thawing. Such structure of the upper permafrost at different yedoma sites of Interior Alaska can explain a relatively rare occurrence of surface features related to yedoma degradation such as thermokarst mounds and erosional gullies developed along ice wedges.

Denali Geographic 2012 : A University led scientific field experience for High School students at the Alaska Summer Research Academy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipman, J. S.; Webley, P. W.; Burke, S.; Chebul, E.; Dempsey, A.; Hastings, H.; Terry, R.; Drake, J.

2012-12-01

The Alaska Summer Research Academy (ASRA) annually provides the opportunity for ~150 exceptional high school students to engage in scientific exploration at the university level. In July 2012, University of Alaska Fairbanks instructors led a two-week long ASRA module, called 'Denali Geographic', where eight student participants from across the USA and Canada learned how to observe changes in the natural world and design their own experiments for a field expedition to Denali National Park and Preserve, with assistance from the National Park Service. Each student designed an experiment/observational project prior to the expedition to investigate changes across the expanse of the park. Projects included wildlife documentation; scat and track observations; soil ph and moisture with elevation and vegetation changes; wildflowers species distribution; waterborne insect populations; atmospheric pressure and temperature variations; construction of sustainable buildings to minimize human impact on the park; and park geology comparisons between outcrop and distal stream deposits. The students learned how to design experiments, purchase supplies needed to conduct the work, and select good locations in which to sample in the park. Students used equipment such as GPS to mark field locations; a range finder to determine distance from wildlife; a hygrometer for temperature and pressure; nets and sorting equipments to analyze insects; and the preparation of Plaster of Paris for creating casts of animal tracks. All observations were documented in their field notebooks and blog entries made to share their experiences. Day excursions as part of the module included Poker Flats Research Range, where students learned about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in scientific exploration; Alaska Volcano Observatory, where students learned about volcanic hazards in Alaska and the North Pacific; Chena Hot Springs and the Ice Museum, where students learned about thermal imaging using a Forward Looking Infrared Radiometer; and Pioneer Park to learn how to pan for gold. After the completion of the expedition, students had to then synthesize each of their research projects and create a collaborative presentation of their findings. On the final day of the camp, students delivered a presentation to 150 of their peers and instructors in the other ASRA modules. Presented here are details of the field camp and experiences gained by the students. The camp and two-week long module showed students how to pursue their own curiosities about the natural world. By encouraging students to take an idea and develop it into a research topic, we engaged them in the scientific method and illustrated possibilities for future avenues of academic study.

(abstract) Monitoring Seasonal Change in Taiga Forests Using ERS-1 SAR Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Way, JoBea; Rignot, Eric; McDonald, Kyle; Viereck, Leslie; Williams, Cynthia; Adams, Phyllis; Payne, Cheryl; Wood, William

1993-01-01

Sensitivity of radar backscatter to the dielectric and geometric character of forested regions suggests significant changes in backscatter are expected with season due to freezing temperatures, snow, wind, leaf fall, and drought. The first European Remote Sensing Satellite, ERS-1, offers a unique opportunity to monitor a complete seasonal cycle for the Alaskan taiga forest ecosystem with synthetic aperture radar. During the 3-day repeat Commissioning Phase of ERS-1, from August 1991to December 1991, ERS-1 SAR data were collected in the region of Manley Hot Springs, Alaska, along the Tanana River, west of Fairbanks. In parallel with the SAR data collection, meteorological data from three weather stations positioned in three forest stands were collected continuously along with in situ measurements of the dielectric and moisture properties of the canopy and of ground cover which were collected during each overflight. The in situ data were collected in floodplain forest stands dominated by balsam poplar, white spruce, and black spruce. These results from the Commissioning Phase as well as preliminary results from the 35-day Repeat Phase will be presented.

2014-2688

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-23

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Team members from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks received the Judges' Innovation Award during NASA's 2014 Robotic Mining Competition awards ceremony inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 35 teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. Teams use their remote-controlled robotics to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with a crushed material that has characteristics similar to Martian soil. The objective of the challenge is to see which team’s robot can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time. The competition includes on-site mining, writing a systems engineering paper, performing outreach projects for K-12 students, slide presentation and demonstrations, and team spirit. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/nasarmc. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) examines a proposal for improvements at the existing University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Institute of Marine Science (IMS), Seward Marine Center. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Trustee Council is proposing to improve the existing research infrastructure to enhance the EVOS Trustee Council`s capabilities to study and rehabilitate marine mammals, marine birds, and the ecosystem injured by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The analysis in this document focuses on the effects associated with construction and operation of the proposed project and its proposed alternatives. The EIS gives a detailed description of all major elements of themore » proposed project and its alternatives; identifies resources of major concern that were raised during the scoping process; describes the environmental background conditions of those resources; defines and analyzes the potential effects of the proposed project and its alternatives on these conditions; and identifies mitigating measures that are part of the project design as well as those proposed to minimize or reduce the adverse effects. Included in the EIS are written and oral comments received during the public comment period.« less

Impact of the Ionosphere on an L-band Space Based Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapin, Elaine; Chan, Samuel F.; Chapman, Bruce D.; Chen, Curtis W.; Martin, Jan M.; Michel, Thierry R.; Muellerschoen, Ronald J.; Pi, Xiaoqing; Rosen, Paul A.

2006-01-01

We have quantified the impact that the ionosphere would have on a L-band interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mission using a combination of simulation, modeling, Global Positioning System (GPS) data collected during the last solar maximum, and existing spaceborne SAR data. We conclude that, except for high latitude scintillation related effects, the ionosphere will not significantly impact the performance of an L-band InSAR mission in an appropriate orbit. We evaluated the strength of the ionospheric irregularities using GPS scintillation data collected at Fairbanks, Alaska and modeled the impact of these irregularities on azimuth resolution, azimuth displacement, peak sidelobe ratio (PSLR), and integrated sidelobe ratio (ISLR). Although we predict that less than 5% of auroral zone data would show scintillation related artifacts, certain sites imaged near the equinoxes could be effected up to 25% of the time because the frequency of occurrence of scintillation is a strong function of season and local time of day. Our examination of ionospheric artifacts observed in InSAR data has revealed that the artifacts occur primarily in the polar cap data, not auroral zone data as was previously thought.

Fiber-Optic Network Observations of Earthquake Wavefields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsey, Nathaniel J.; Martin, Eileen R.; Dreger, Douglas S.; Freifeld, Barry; Cole, Stephen; James, Stephanie R.; Biondi, Biondo L.; Ajo-Franklin, Jonathan B.

2017-12-01

Our understanding of subsurface processes suffers from a profound observation bias: seismometers are sparse and clustered on continents. A new seismic recording approach, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), transforms telecommunication fiber-optic cables into sensor arrays enabling meter-scale recording over tens of kilometers of linear fiber length. We analyze cataloged earthquake observations from three DAS arrays with different horizontal geometries to demonstrate some possibilities using this technology. In Fairbanks, Alaska, we find that stacking ground motion records along 20 m of fiber yield a waveform that shows a high degree of correlation in amplitude and phase with a colocated inertial seismometer record at 0.8-1.6 Hz. Using an L-shaped DAS array in Northern California, we record the nearly vertically incident arrival of an earthquake from The Geysers Geothermal Field and estimate its backazimuth and slowness via beamforming for different phases of the seismic wavefield. Lastly, we install a fiber in existing telecommunications conduits below Stanford University and show that little cable-to-soil coupling is required for teleseismic P and S phase arrival detection.

The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook: A collaboration between scientific and Indigenous communities to support safety and food security in a changing Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheffield Guy, L.; Wiggins, H. V.; Schreck, M. B.; Metcalf, V. K.

2017-12-01

The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) provides Alaskan Native subsistence walrus hunters and Bering Strait coastal communities with weekly reports on spring sea ice and weather conditions to promote hunter safety, food security, and preservation of cultural heritage. These reports integrate scientific and Indigenous knowledge into a co-produced tool that is used by both local and scientific communities. SIWO is a team effort led by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS, with funding from NSF Arctic Sciences Section), with the Eskimo Walrus Commission, National Weather Service - Alaska Sea Ice Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks - International Arctic Research Center, and local observers. For each weekly outlook, the National Weather Service provides location-specific weather and sea ice forecasts and regional satellite imagery. Local observations of sea ice, weather, and hunting conditions are provided by observers from five Alaskan communities in the Bering Strait region: Wales, Shishmaref, Nome, Gambell, and Savoonga. These observations typically include a written description of conditions accompanied by photographs of sea ice or subsistence activities. Outlooks are easily accessible and provide a platform for sharing of knowledge among hunters in neighboring communities. The opportunity to contribute is open, and Indigenous language and terms are encouraged. These observations from local hunters and community members also provide a valuable tool for validation of weather forecasts, satellite products, and other information for scientists. This presentation will discuss the process, products, and mutually beneficial outcomes of the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook.

The microphysical properties of ice fog measured in urban environments of Interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, Carl G.; Stuefer, Martin; Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Kim, Chang Ki

2013-10-01

microphysical properties of ice fog were measured at two sites during a small field campaign in January and February of 2012 in Interior Alaska. The National Center for Atmospheric Research Video Ice Particle Sampler probe and Formvar (polyvinyl formal)-coated microscope slides were used to sample airborne ice particles at two polluted sites in the Fairbanks region. Both sites were significantly influenced by anthropogenic emission and additional water vapor from nearby open water power plant cooling ponds. Measurements show that ice fog particles were generally droxtal shaped (faceted, quasi-spherical) for sub-10 µm particles, while plate-shaped crystals were the most frequently observed particles between 10 and 50 µm. A visibility cutoff of 3 km was used to separate ice fog events from other observations which were significantly influenced by larger (50-150 µm) diamond dust particles. The purpose of this study is to more realistically characterize ice fog microphysical properties in order to facilitate better model predictions of the onset of ice fog in polluted environments. Parameterizations for mass and projected area are developed and used to estimate particle terminal velocity. Dimensional characteristics are based on particle geometry and indicated that ice fog particles have significantly lower densities than water droplets as well as reduced cross-sectional areas, the net result being that terminal velocities are estimated to be less than half the value of those calculated for water droplets. Particle size distributions are characterized using gamma functions and have a shape factor (μ) of between -0.5 and -1.0 for polluted ice fog conditions.

R/V SIKULIAQ - A New Ice-capable Asset For The Future UNOLS Fleet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitledge, T. E.; Oliver, D. K.

2010-12-01

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is constructing a new research vessel with a contract with Marinette Marine Corp. in Marinette, Wisconsin on behalf of the NSF for future scientific studies with an emphasis in the North Pacific Ocean and Alaskan waters. The 254 foot vessel will be capable of breaking 2.5 foot thick ice at 2 knots with an endurance of 45 days at sea and cruising at 14.2 knots. The vessel has formerly been known as the Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV) but has recently been named the R/V Sikuliaq (pronounced [see-KOO-lee-auk] which is an Inupiaq word meaning “new sea ice that is safe to walk on”). The R/V Sikuliaq will have a beam of 52 feet and a draft of 18.9 feet that will carry 26 scientists and a crew of 20. Berthing accommodations are a combination of single/double rooms. One stateroom and the common areas of the vessel are designed for ADA access and accommodations. The total laboratory space (main, analytical, electronics, wet, upper, and Baltic room will be 2100 square feet. The 3690 square foot working deck that is approximately 70 feet in length will accommodate 2-4 vans. The vessel design strives to have the lowest possible environmental impact, including a low underwater-radiated noise signature. The science systems are prescribed to be state-of-the-art for bottom mapping, over-the-side “hands free” gear handling, broad band communications and scientific walk-in freezer and environmental chamber.

Scale-up considerations for surface collecting agent assisted in-situ burn crude oil spill response experiments in the Arctic: Laboratory to field-scale investigations.

PubMed

Bullock, Robin J; Aggarwal, Srijan; Perkins, Robert A; Schnabel, William

2017-04-01

In the event of a marine oil spill in the Arctic, government agencies, industry, and the public have a stake in the successful implementation of oil spill response. Because large spills are rare events, oil spill response techniques are often evaluated with laboratory and meso-scale experiments. The experiments must yield scalable information sufficient to understand the operability and effectiveness of a response technique under actual field conditions. Since in-situ burning augmented with surface collecting agents ("herders") is one of the few viable response options in ice infested waters, a series of oil spill response experiments were conducted in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the use of herders to assist in-situ burning and the role of experimental scale. This study compares burn efficiency and herder application for three experimental designs for in-situ burning of Alaska North Slope crude oil in cold, fresh waters with ∼10% ice cover. The experiments were conducted in three project-specific constructed venues with varying scales (surface areas of approximately 0.09 square meters, 9 square meters and 8100 square meters). The results from the herder assisted in-situ burn experiments performed at these three different scales showed good experimental scale correlation and no negative impact due to the presence of ice cover on burn efficiency. Experimental conclusions are predominantly associated with application of the herder material and usability for a given experiment scale to make response decisions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving Data Catalogs with Free and Open Source Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schweitzer, R.; Hankin, S.; O'Brien, K.

2013-12-01

The Global Earth Observation Integrated Data Environment (GEO-IDE) is NOAA's effort to successfully integrate data and information with partners in the national US-Global Earth Observation System (US-GEO) and the international Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). As part of the GEO-IDE, the Unified Access Framework (UAF) is working to build momentum towards the goal of increased data integration and interoperability. The UAF project is moving towards this goal with an approach that includes leveraging well known and widely used standards, as well as free and open source software. The UAF project shares the widely held conviction that the use of data standards is a key ingredient necessary to achieve interoperability. Many community-based consensus standards fail, though, due to poor compliance. Compliance problems emerge for many reasons: because the standards evolve through versions, because documentation is ambiguous or because individual data providers find the standard inadequate as-is to meet their special needs. In addition, minimalist use of standards will lead to a compliant service, but one which is of low quality. In this presentation, we will be discussing the UAF effort to build a catalog cleaning tool which is designed to crawl THREDDS catalogs, analyze the data available, and then build a 'clean' catalog of data which is standards compliant and has a uniform set of data access services available. These data services include, among others, OPeNDAP, Web Coverage Service (WCS) and Web Mapping Service (WMS). We will also discuss how we are utilizing free and open source software and services to both crawl, analyze and build the clean data catalog, as well as our efforts to help data providers improve their data catalogs. We'll discuss the use of open source software such as DataNucleus, Thematic Realtime Environmental Distributed Data Services (THREDDS), ncISO and the netCDF Java Common Data Model (CDM). We'll also demonstrate how we are using free services such as Google Charts to create an easily identifiable visual metaphor which describes the quality of data catalogs. Using this rubric, in conjunction with the ncISO metadata quality rubric, will allow data providers to identify non-compliance issues in their data catalogs, thereby improving data availability to their users and to data discovery systems

Real-time Volcanic Cloud Products and Predictions for Aviation Alerts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krotkov, N. A.; Hughes, E. J.; da Silva, A. M., Jr.; Seftor, C. J.; Brentzel, K. W.; Hassinen, S.; Heinrichs, T. A.; Schneider, D. J.; Hoffman, R.; Myers, T.; Flynn, L. E.; Niu, J.; Theys, N.; Brenot, H. H.

2016-12-01

We will discuss progress of the NASA ASP project, which promotes the use of satellite volcanic SO2 (VSO2) and Ash (VA) data, and forecasting tools that enhance VA Decision Support Systems (DSS) at the VA Advisory Centers (VAACs) for prompt aviation warnings. The goals are: (1) transition NASA algorithms to NOAA for global NRT processing and integration into DSS at Washington VAAC for operational users and public dissemination; (2) Utilize Direct Broadcast capability of the Aura and SNPP satellites to process Direct Readout (DR) data at two high latitude locations in Finland and Fairbanks, Alaska to enhance VA DSS in Europe and at USGS's Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) and Alaska-VAAC; (3) Improve global Eulerian model-based VA/VSO2 forecasting and risk/cost assessments with Metron Aviation. Our global NRT OMI and OMPS data have been fully integrated into European Support to Aviation Control Service and NOAA operational web sites. We are transitioning OMPS processing to our partners at NOAA/NESDIS to integrate into operational processing environment. NASA's Suomi NPP Ozone Science Team, in conjunction with GSFC's Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL), have implemented Version 2 of the OMPS real-time DR processing package to generate VSO2 and VA products at the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) and the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). The system provides real-time coverage over some of the most congested airspace and over many of the most active volcanoes in the world. The OMPS real time capability is now publicly available via DRL's IPOPP package. We use satellite observations to define volcanic source term estimates in the NASA GOES-5 model, which was updated allowing for the simulation of VA and VSO2 clouds. Column SO2 observations from SNPP/OMPS provide an initial estimate of the total cloud SO2 mass, and are used with backward transport analysis to make an initial cloud height estimate. Later VSO2 observations are used to "nudge" the SO2 mass within the model. The GEOS-5 simulations provide qualitative forecasts, which locate the extent of regions hazardous to aviation. Air traffic flow algorithms have been developed by Metron Aviation to use GEOS-5 volcanic simulations to determine the most cost-effective rerouting paths around hazardous volcanic clouds.

Students Engaged in Climate Change Research Through Vegetation Phenology Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Verbyla, D. L.; White, M. A.; Gordon, L. S.

2004-12-01

The project goal is to engage students in scientific research as a way of learning science, math, and technology in K-12 classrooms by providing an opportunity for student-scientist collaborations. This NSF-funded GLOBE project is of significance to scientists who track plant phenological changes as an indicator of climate change and study carbon cycling. To students it is a means of studying Earth as a system. Plants and their phenology stages reflect and integrate the effects of weather and other environmental parameters that are components of the Earth system. Remotely sensed data indicate that the plant growing season has increased in northern latitudes. The greenness estimates could vary due to possible interference from clouds and other atmospheric properties, low sun angles at high latitudes and aging of satellite detectors; hence the need for ground-based observations to help validate satellite-derived estimates of plant growing season lengths. GLOBE plant phenology measurements (protocols) of Green-up and Green-down for deciduous trees and shrubs, and for grasses were developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Budburst at Utah State University. These were pilot- tested, and revised several times with input from teachers and GLOBE personnel. Learning activities to support understanding of science concepts, were also developed and/or adapted. The protocols and learning activities were aligned to national science standards and incorporated in the "Earth as a System" chapter in the 2003 GLOBE Teacher Guide published and also posted on the GLOBE website (www.globe.gov). Phenology protocols and learning activities are being used in Alaska by teachers and students who participate in different NSF and NASA-funded science education programs, such as the Schoolyard Long Term Ecological Research Project, the Global Change Education Using Western Science and Native Observations (OLCG) Project, the Alaska GLOBE program and the EPSCoR Rural Research Partnership Education Outreach program. Pre-college students and their teachers from 77 schools in 11 countries have engaged in GLOBE plant phenology research and entered phenology data on the GLOBE web server. Thus, collaborative efforts in research and education among science education projects in Alaska and in other countries have been facilitated. Scientists now have access to global plant phenology data-ground-based observations that previously have been very rare. Students have also used the phenology protocols for their own investigations.

Catalog of earthquake hypocenters at Alaskan volcanoes: January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dixon, James P.; Stihler, Scott D.; Power, John A.; Tytgat, Guy; Estes, Steve; Moran, Seth C.; Paskievitch, John; McNutt, Stephen R.

2002-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, has maintained seismic monitoring networks at potentially active volcanoes in Alaska since 1988 (Power and others, 1993; Jolly and others, 1996; Jolly and others, 2001). The primary objectives of this program are the seismic surveillance of active, potentially hazardous, Alaskan volcanoes and the investigation of seismic processes associated with active volcanism. This catalog reflects the status and evolution of the seismic monitoring program, and presents the basic seismic data for the time period January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2001. For an interpretation of these data and previously recorded data, the reader should refer to several recent articles on volcano related seismicity on Alaskan volcanoes in Appendix G.The AVO seismic network was used to monitor twenty-three volcanoes in real time in 2000-2001. These include Mount Wrangell, Mount Spurr, Redoubt Volcano, Iliamna Volcano, Augustine Volcano, Katmai Volcanic Group (Snowy Mountain, Mount Griggs, Mount Katmai, Novarupta, Trident Volcano, Mount Mageik, Mount Martin), Aniakchak Crater, Pavlof Volcano, Mount Dutton, Isanotski Peaks, Shishaldin Volcano, Fisher Caldera, Westdahl Peak, Akutan Peak, Makushin Volcano, Great Sitkin Volcano, and Kanaga Volcano (Figure 1). AVO located 1551 and 1428 earthquakes in 2000 and 2001, respectively, on and around these volcanoes.Highlights of the catalog period (Table 1) include: volcanogenic seismic swarms at Shishaldin Volcano between January and February 2000 and between May and June 2000; an eruption at Mount Cleveland between February and May 2001; episodes of possible tremor at Makushin Volcano starting March 2001 and continuing through 2001, and two earthquake swarms at Great Sitkin Volcano in 2001.This catalog includes: (1) earthquake origin times, hypocenters, and magnitudes with summary statistics describing the earthquake location quality; (2) a description of instruments deployed in the field and their locations; (3) a description of earthquake detection, recording, analysis, and data archival systems; (4) station parameters and velocity models used for earthquake locations; (5) a summary of daily station usage throughout the catalog period; and (6) all HYPOELLIPSE files used to determine the earthquake locations presented in this report.

Ground ice formed after underground thermo-erosion of the permafrost in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortier, D.; Kanevskiy, M.; Yuri, S.

2007-12-01

Cryostratigraphic studies realized in the CRREL permafrost tunnel (¡Ö 64 57 N, 147 37 W) located near Fairbanks, Alaska revealed the presence of multi-directional reticulate ice veins and massive ice bodies in the permafrost. We propose that this reticulate-chaotic cryostructure and the massive ice bodies were formed by inward closed-system freezing of pools of water and saturated sediments trapped in underground tunnels cut in the permafrost by thermo-erosion. The massive ice and the multi-directional reticulate ice veins were likely formed after the cessation of the underground flow, either by tunnel blockage or collapse, or cessation of runoff infiltration in the permafrost. The observed tunnels were slightly inclined and could often be traced for several meters. The properties of the sediments filling these tunnels differed from the enclosing original syngenetic Pleistocene permafrost. The latter was made of ice-rich loess with abundant rootlets and was characterized by a well developed micro-lenticular cryostructure whereas the tunnels were filled with massive ice and/or organic- poor, stratified silts, sands and gravels sediments. The water content of the original syngenetic loess was about twice the water content of the sediments in the underground tunnels. The contact between the original syngenetic loess and the sediments in the tunnels was manifestly discordant and outlined by erosion lag. Release of latent heat from the poll of water and water of the saturated sediments created thaw unconformities at the tunnel boundary. Similar types of massive ice and reticulate-chaotic cryostructures were observed in Holocene to Pleistocene permafrost exposures along the Beaufort Sea Coast, on the Seward Peninsula, on the North Slope and in the Alaskan interior. The massive ice bodies and reticulate-chaotic cryostructures were always associated with, or incorporated within, ice wedges that showed signs of thermo-erosion. This indicates that the process of underground thermo-erosion has occurred widely in Alaska. On Bylot Island in the Canadian Arctic archipelago, Fortier et al. (2007) observed that extensive gullying of the permafrost resulted from the process of underground thermo-erosion. More studies are needed to determine the role of this process in the evolution of ice-wedge polygons landscape in Alaska. Fortier, D., Allard, M., Shur, Y. 2007. Observation of rapid drainage system development by thermal erosion of ice wedges on Bylot Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 18 (3): 229-243.

Deployment of an Ecosystem Warming Prototype at the Fairbanks Permafrost Experiment Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, A. M.; Zufelt, J. E.; Wullschleger, S. D.

2010-12-01

Controlled experiments in terrestrial ecosystems are necessary to understand how changes in climate may affect the interactions among physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Advanced approaches to above and below ground warming will improve our understanding of the biotic and abiotic processes that govern plant and soil response to climatic change in terrestrial ecosystems. A prototype concept for raising soil temperatures in large outdoor plots has been developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The performance of this design has been field-tested in 3-m diameter plots in a temperate deciduous forest and also numerically simulated for experimental plots ranging from 3 to 20 m in diameter. The goal of the present study is to determine if the prototype system can be used to increase the temperature of permafrost soils in arctic and sub-arctic climates. Two sites in Alaska have been selected (Fairbanks and Barrow) for installation and testing of 20-meter diameter plots beginning in the fall of 2010. Fairbanks has a continental climate, with a mean annual air temperature of -3.3°C, mean annual precipitation of 287 mm, and relatively warm (-1 to -2°C) permafrost temperatures. Barrow is located within the Alaskan Arctic coastal plain and has a mean annual air temperature of -12.6°C, mean annual precipitation of 124 mm, and colder (-8 to -12°C) permafrost temperatures. This presentation focuses on the study site located at the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Permafrost Experiment Station, Fairbanks. The experiment station was established in 1945 and consists of 135 acres of ice-rich permafrost soils generally present to a depth of 60 m with an active layer that varies from 55 to 85 cm in undisturbed areas. The site has a smooth, gentle slope to the west, providing good surface drainage except at the lowest elevations where saturated conditions can exist. Soils consist of tan silt and wind blown loess near the surface and grey silt at depths below 1.4 m. Permafrost moisture contents range from 26 to 41 percent by mass for the frozen silts which makes this relatively low moisture content permafrost. Vegetation is typical of the Alaskan Interior-subarctic taiga forest with white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss), and black spruce (P. mariana [Mill] B.S.P) interspersed with lowbush cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos L.) and Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum Oeder). Feather moss and sphagnum moss are present in the understory. The experimental plot is a hexagonal shaped area (29 by 25 m) where vegetation had previously been removed but has regrown over the last 40-50 years. Soil warming is accomplished by 127 vertically-installed low-energy heating elements installed at spacing of 2.4 m and to a depth of 4 m. Only the lower 1-m is heated to a setpoint +4°C above ambient. The heated area includes a buffer zone resulting in a test area with a diameter of 20 m. This proof-of-concept study will result in improvements to experimental design and thermal modeling ground-truth data as the scientific community plans for possible next-generation climate change experiments in terrestrial permafrost ecosystems.

Unicam Activity Framework (UAF)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagliardi, R.; Mauri, M.; Polzonetti, A.

2016-01-01

This presentation illustrates the framework of processing performance of the faculty of the University of Camerino. The evaluation criteria are explained and the technological structure that allows automatic performance assessment available online anywhere and anytime. The designed framework is usually applied to the performance evaluation of…

Last Decade of Changes in Ground Temperature and Active Layer Thickness in the High Canadian Arctic and in Barrow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanovsky, V. E.; Cable, W.; Walker, D. A.; Yoshikawa, K.; Marchenko, S. S.

2013-12-01

The impact of climate warming on permafrost and the potential of climate feedbacks resulting from permafrost thawing have recently received a great deal of attention. Most of the permafrost observatories in the Northern Hemisphere show substantial warming of permafrost since circa 1980-1990. The magnitude of warming has varied with location, but was typically from 0.5 to 2°C. Permafrost is already thawing within the southern part of the permafrost domain. However, recent observations documented propagation of this process northward into the continuous permafrost zone. The close proximity of the exceptionally icy soil horizons to the ground surface, which is typical for the arctic tundra biome, makes tundra surfaces extremely sensitive to the natural and human-made changes that may resulted in development of processes such as thermokarst, thermal erosion, and retrogressive thaw slumps that strongly affect the stability of ecosystems and infrastructure. In 2003-2005, three Ecological Permafrost Observatories where established in the High Canadian Arctic (Green Cabin on the Banks Island, Mould Bay on the Prince Patrick Island, and Isachsen on the Ellef Ringnes Island) as a part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks NSF funded Biocomplexity Project. These observatories represent the northern part of the North American Arctic Transect (NAAT) established as a result of this project. The climatic and ground temperature data collected at these observatories show a general warming trend similar to what has been observed at the other locations in the North American Arctic. An important result of this resent warming is a significant increase in the active layer thickness (ALT) during the last decade. For example, ALT at the Isachsen observatory increased from 0.4-0.42 m in 2005 to 0.54 m in 2012. The maximum ALT of 0.58 m was recorded in 2008. In a shallow excavation across an ice wedge at the Isachsen site, we estimated that the top of the ice wedge ice was located at 42-45 cm from the ground surface in 2005. Increase in the active layer beyond this depth triggered the melting of the upper part of the ice wedges and widespread ground settlement at this location. In our presentation we will report on the observed changes in local topography in relation to changes in ground temperature and ALT at all three mentioned sites. In 2001, a Permafrost Observatory was also established within the Barrow Environmental Observatory in Barrow, Alaska under the auspices of the International Arctic Research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Since 2001, permafrost temperature at this depth increased by 0.5°C. Most of this increase happened after 2005. A site-specific numerical model for the Barrow permafrost temperature regime was developed in the GI Permafrost Lab. The daily air temperatures and snow cover thickness during the entire period of measurements (1924-2013) at the Barrow meteorological station were used as input data. Analysis of the resulting time series will be used in this presentation to reveal the effect of changes in air temperature and in snow depth on permafrost temperature and on the active layer thickness. This will help to put our decade-long observations along NAAT into a longer time perspective.

Improving Earth Science Metadata: Modernizing ncISO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, K.; Schweitzer, R.; Neufeld, D.; Burger, E. F.; Signell, R. P.; Arms, S. C.; Wilcox, K.

2016-12-01

ncISO is a package of tools developed at NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) that facilitates the generation of ISO 19115-2 metadata from NetCDF data sources. The tool currently exists in two iterations: a command line utility and a web-accessible service within the THREDDS Data Server (TDS). Several projects, including NOAA's Unified Access Framework (UAF), depend upon ncISO to generate the ISO-compliant metadata from their data holdings and use the resulting information to populate discovery tools such as NCEI's ESRI Geoportal and NOAA's data.noaa.gov CKAN system. In addition to generating ISO 19115-2 metadata, the tool calculates a rubric score based on how well the dataset follows the Attribute Conventions for Dataset Discovery (ACDD). The result of this rubric calculation, along with information about what has been included and what is missing is displayed in an HTML document generated by the ncISO software package. Recently ncISO has fallen behind in terms of supporting updates to conventions such updates to the ACDD. With the blessing of the original programmer, NOAA's UAF has been working to modernize the ncISO software base. In addition to upgrading ncISO to utilize version1.3 of the ACDD, we have been working with partners at Unidata and IOOS to unify the tool's code base. In essence, we are merging the command line capabilities into the same software that will now be used by the TDS service, allowing easier updates when conventions such as ACDD are updated in the future. In this presentation, we will discuss the work the UAF project has done to support updated conventions within ncISO, as well as describe how the updated tool is helping to improve metadata throughout the earth and ocean sciences.

Browning boreal forests of western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbyla, David

2011-12-01

The GIMMS NDVI dataset has been widely used to document a 'browning trend' in North American boreal forests (Goetz et al 2005, Bunn et al 2007, Beck and Goetz 2011). However, there has been speculation (Alcaraz-Segura et al 2010) that this trend may be an artifact due to processing algorithms rather than an actual decline in vegetation activity. This conclusion was based primarily on the fact that GIMMS NDVI did not capture NDVI recovery within most burned areas in boreal Canada, while another dataset consistently showed post-fire increasing NDVI. I believe that the results of Alcaraz-Segura et al (2010) were due simply to different pixel sizes of the two datasets (64 km2 versus 1 km2 pixels). Similar results have been obtained from tundra areas greening in Alaska, with the results simply due to these pixel size differences (Stow et al 2007). Furthermore, recent studies have documented boreal browning trends based on NDVI from other sensors. Beck and Goetz (2011) have shown the boreal browning trend derived from a different sensor (MODIS) to be very similar to the boreal browning trend derived from the GIMMS NDVI dataset for the circumpolar boreal region. Parent and Verbyla (2010) found similar declining NDVI patterns based on NDVI from Landsat sensors and GIMMS NDVI in boreal Alaska. Zhang et al (2008) found a similar 'browning trend' in boreal North America based on a production efficiency model using an integrated AVHRR and MODIS dataset. The declining NDVI trend in areas of boreal North America is consistent with tree-ring studies (D'Arrigo et al 2004, McGuire et al 2010, Beck et al 2011). The decline in tree growth may be due to temperature-induced drought stress (Barber et al 2000) caused by higher evaporative demands in a warming climate (Lloyd and Fastie 2002). In a circumpolar boreal study, Lloyd and Bunn (2007) found that a negative relationship between temperature and tree-ring growth occurred more frequently in warmer parts of species' ranges, suggesting that direct temperature stress might be a factor in some species. Since warm growing seasons are also typically dry growing seasons, direct temperature stress and moisture stress could occur simultaneously. For example, 2004 was the warmest summer in over 200 years in boreal Alaska (Barber et al 2004) but it was also during a drought with less than 50 mm of summer precipitation recorded in Fairbanks. In Fairbanks, the length of the growing season, as defined as the period above freezing, has increased by 45 per cent over the past 100 years, with no significant increase in precipitation (Wendler and Shulski 2009). Regional winter runoff has increased, likely associated with permafrost thawing (Brabets and Walvoord 2009), while surface water has decreased, likely associated with increased evapotranspiration (Riordan et al 2006, Anderson et al 2007, Berg et al 2009). The mean annual air temperature in boreal Alaska has increased by over 1.5 °C during the past 50 years (Stafford et al 2000), and is projected to increase by 3-7 °C by end of this century (Walsh et al 2008). Thus, it would be surprising if a declining NDVI trend was not occurring in the western boreal region of North America as the climate continues to warm. Insects and disease in the North American boreal forest may also affect the NDVI browning trends (Malmström and Raffa 2000), as the life histories of damaging insects may be linked to a warming boreal climate. For example, warmer temperatures contributed to the spruce beetle outbreaks in Alaska with a reduction in the beetle life cycle from two years to one year (Berg et al 2006). Thus, as the boreal climate continues to warm, tree growth reduction and mortality from insects and diseases may become more substantial. In boreal Alaska, recent alder dieback and mortality is likely to be related to alder's susceptibility to a canker-causing fungus in drought years (Ruess et al 2009). Recent widespread and prolonged outbreaks of aspen leaf miner and a willow leaf blotch miner in boreal Alaska are likely to have resulted in decreased NDVI (Parent and Verbyla 2010). The NDVI browning trend has expanded in area in boreal North America (Beck and Goetz 2011). If the trend towards a warmer and drier climate continues, these areas may represent a future tipping point where drought-induced mortality across a boreal region may occur. Such events have already occurred in the western United States (van Mantgem et al 2009) and the aspen parklands of the southern Canadian boreal forest (Michaelian et al 2010). References Alcaraz-Segura D, Chuvieco E, Epstein H E, Kasischke E S and Trishchenko A 2010 Debating the greening vs. browning of the North American boreal forest: differences between satellite datasets Glob. Change Biol. 16 760-70 Anderson L, Abbott M B, Finney B P and Burns S J 2007 Late Holocene moisture balance variability in the southwest Yukon Territory, Canada Quatern. Sci. Rev. 26 130-41 Barber V A, Juday G P and Finney B P 2000 Reduced growth of Alaskan white spruce in the twentieth century from temperature-induced drought stress Nature 405 668-73 Barber V A, Juday G P, Finney B P and Wilmking M 2004 Reconstruction of summer temperatures in interior Alaska from tree-ring proxies: evidence for changing synoptic climate regimes Clim. Change 63 91-120 Beck P S A and Goetz S J 2011 Satellite observations of high northern latitude vegetation productivity changes between 1982 and 2008: ecological variability and regional differences Environ. Res. Lett. 6 045501 Beck P S A, Juday G P, Alix C, Barber V A, Winslow S E, Sousa E E, Heiser P, Herriges J D and Goetz S J 2011 Changes in forest productivity across Alaska consistent with biome shift Ecol. Lett. 14 373-9 Berg E E, Henry J D, Fastie C L, De Volder A D and Matsuoka S M 2006 Spruce beetle outbreaks on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and Kluane National Park and Reserve, Yukon Territory: relationship to summer temperatures and regional differences in disturbance regimes Forest Ecol. Manag. 227 219-32 Berg E E, Hillman K M, Dial R and DeRuwe A 2009 Recent woody invasion of wetlands on the Kenai Peninsula Lowlands, south-central Alaska: a major regime shift after 18 000 years of wet Sphagnum-sedge peat recruitment Canadian J. Forest Res. 39 2033-46 Brabets T P and Walvoord M A 2009 Trends in streamflow in the Yukon River Basin from 1944 to 2004 and the influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation J. Hydrol. 371 108-19 Bunn A G, Goetz S J, Kimball J S and Zhang K 2007 Northern high-latitude ecosystems respond to climate change EOS Trans. Am. Geophys. Union 88 333-40 D'Arrigo R, Kaufmann R K, Davi N, Jacoby G C, Laskowski C, Myneni R B and Cherubini P 2004 Thresholds for warming-induced growth decline at elevational tree line in the Yukon Territory, Canada Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 18 GB3021 Goetz S J, Bunn A G, Fiske G J and Houghton R A 2005 Satellite-observed photosynthetic trends across boreal North America associated with climate and fire disturbance Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102 13521-5 Lloyd A H and Bunn A G 2007 Responses of the circumpolar boreal forest to the 20th century climate variability Environ. Res. Lett. 2 045013 Lloyd A H and Fastie C L 2002 Spatial and temporal variability in the growth and climate response of treeline trees in Alaska Clim. Change 52 481-509 Malmström C and Raffa K R 2000 Biotic disturbance agents in the boreal forest: considerations for vegetation change models Glob. Change Biol. 6 (Suppl. 1) 35-48 McGuire A D, Ruess R W, Lloyd A, Yarie J, Clein J S and Juday G P 2010 Vulnerability of white spruce tree growth in interior Alaska in response to climate variability: dendrochronological, demographic, and experimental perspectives Canadian J. Forest Res. 40 1197-209 Michealian M, Hogg E H, Hall R J and Arsenault E 2011 Massive mortality of aspen following severe drought along the southern edge of the Canadian boreal forest Glob. Change Biol. 17 2084-94 Parent M B and Verbyla D 2010 The browning of Alaska's boreal forest Remote Sens. 2 2729-47 Riordan B, Verbyla D and McGuire A D 2006 Shrinking ponds in subarctic Alaska based on 1950-2002 remotely sensed images J. Geophys. Res. 111 G04002 Ruess R W, McFarland J M, Trummer L M and Rohrs-Richey J K 2009 Disease-mediated declines in N-fixation inputs by Alnus tenuifolia to early-successional floodplains in interior and south-central Alaska Ecosystems 12 489-502 Stafford J M, Wendler G and Curtis J 2000 Temperature and precipitation of Alaska: 50 year trend analysis Theor. Appl. Climatology 67 33-44 Stow D, Peterson A, Hope A, Engstrom R and Coulter L 2007 Greenness trends of Arctic tundra vegetation in the 1990s: comparison of two NDVI data sets from NOAA AVHRR systems Int. J. Remote Sens. 28 4807-22 van Mantgem P J et al 2009 Widespread increase of tree mortality rates in the western United States Science 323 521-4 Walsh, J E, Chapman W L, Romanovsky V, Christensen J H and Stendel M 2008 Global climate model performance over Alaska and Greenland J. Clim. 21 6156-74 Wendler G and Shulski M 2009 A century of climate change for Fairbanks, Alaska Arctic 62 295-300 Zhang K, Kimball J S, Hogg E H, Zhao M, Oechel W C, Cassano J J and Running S W 2008 Satellite-based model detection of recent climate-driven changes in northern high-latitude vegetation productivity J. Geophys. Res. 113 G03033

Application and advantages of novel clay ceramic particles (CCPs) in an up-flow anaerobic bio-filter (UAF) for wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Han, Wei; Yue, Qinyan; Wu, Suqing; Zhao, Yaqin; Gao, Baoyu; Li, Qian; Wang, Yan

2013-06-01

Utilization of clay ceramic particles (CCPs) as the novel filter media employed in an up-flow anaerobic bio-filter (UAF) was investigated. After a series of tests and operations, CCPs have presented higher total porosity and roughness, meanwhile lower bulk and grain density. When CCPs were utilized as fillers, the reactor had a shorter start up period of 45 days comparing with conventional reactors, and removal rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD) still reached about 76% at a relatively lower temperature during the stable state. In addition, degradation of COD and ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) at different media height along the reactor was evaluated, and the dates showed that the main reduction process happened within the first 30 cm media height from the bottom flange. Five phases were observed according to different organic loadings during the experiment period, and the results indicated that COD removal increased linearly when the organic loading was increased. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Denali EarthScope Education Partnership: Creating Opportunities for Learning About Solid Earth Processes in Alaska and Beyond.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roush, J. J.; Hansen, R. A.

2003-12-01

The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in partnership with Denali National Park and Preserve, has begun an education outreach program that will create learning opportunities in solid earth geophysics for a wide sector of the public. We will capitalize upon a unique coincidence of heightened public interest in earthquakes (due to the M 7.9 Denali Fault event of Nov. 3rd, 2002), the startup of the EarthScope experiment, and the construction of the Denali Science & Learning Center, a premiere facility for science education located just 43 miles from the epicenter of the Denali Fault earthquake. Real-time data and current research results from EarthScope installations and science projects in Alaska will be used to engage students and teachers, national park visitors, and the general public in a discovery process that will enhance public understanding of tectonics, seismicity and volcanism along the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates. Activities will take place in five program areas, which are: 1) museum displays and exhibits, 2) outreach via print publications and electronic media, 3) curriculum development to enhance K-12 earth science education, 4) teacher training to develop earth science expertise among K-12 educators, and 5) interaction between scientists and the public. In order to engage the over 1 million annual visitors to Denali, as well as people throughout Alaska, project activities will correspond with the opening of the Denali Science and Learning Center in 2004. An electronic interactive kiosk is being constructed to provide public access to real-time data from seismic and geodetic monitoring networks in Alaska, as well as cutting edge visualizations of solid earth processes. A series of print publications and a website providing access to real-time seismic and geodetic data will be developed for park visitors and the general public, highlighting EarthScope science in Alaska. A suite of curriculum modules will be developed for middle school classrooms to enrich earth science curricula by taking students into the field, and by providing opportunities to interact with scientists using real EarthScope data and research results. Curriculum modules will take advantage of Denali's new "Nature Area Network", an IEEE 802.11b wireless network serving the backcountry areas of the Park where students can engage in hands on learning about geology and geophysics and share their experiences with students worldwide via the Internet. Curricula will also focus on the new field of digital story telling, in which students will develop their own understanding of solid earth processes by creating digital stories using readily available digital moviemaking technology. A training course will be developed to enhance K-12 educators' ability to teach earth science utilizing real data and research results. And a series of public lectures both at Denali and in communities across Alaska will engage Geophysical Institute researchers with the public and foster wider participation in the EarthScope Experiment. The anticipated benefits of this project are many. An increase in public awareness and understanding of solid earth processes will lead to better preparedness, and improved decision making regarding the mitigation of risk from seismic and volcanic hazards. Earth science education will be made more vital and engaging for both students and teachers. And Alaska's visitors and residents will gain a better understand and greater appreciation for the dynamic tectonic processes that have created the rugged landscape of the state and its national parklands.

Earthquake locations determined by the Southern Alaska seismograph network for October 1971 through May 1989

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fogleman, Kent A.; Lahr, John C.; Stephens, Christopher D.; Page, Robert A.

1993-01-01

This report describes the instrumentation and evolution of the U.S. Geological Survey’s regional seismograph network in southern Alaska, provides phase and hypocenter data for seismic events from October 1971 through May 1989, reviews the location methods used, and discusses the completeness of the catalog and the accuracy of the computed hypocenters. Included are arrival time data for explosions detonated under the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT) in 1984 and 1985.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operated a regional network of seismographs in southern Alaska from 1971 to the mid 1990s. The principal purpose of this network was to record seismic data to be used to precisely locate earthquakes in the seismic zones of southern Alaska, delineate seismically active faults, assess seismic risks, document potential premonitory earthquake phenomena, investigate current tectonic deformation, and study the structure and physical properties of the crust and upper mantle. A task fundamental to all of these goals was the routine cataloging of parameters for earthquakes located within and adjacent to the seismograph network.The initial network of 10 stations, 7 around Cook Inlet and 3 near Valdez, was installed in 1971. In subsequent summers additions or modifications to the network were made. By the fall of 1973, 26 stations extended from western Cook Inlet to eastern Prince William Sound, and 4 stations were located to the east between Cordova and Yakutat. A year later 20 additional stations were installed. Thirteen of these were placed along the eastern Gulf of Alaska with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program to investigate the seismicity of the outer continental shelf, a region of interest for oil exploration. Since then the region covered by the network remained relatively fixed while efforts were made to make the stations more reliable through improved electronic instrumentation and strengthened antenna systems. The majority of the stations installed since 1980 were operated only temporarily (from one to several years) for special studies in various areas within the network. Due to reduced funding, the network was trimmed substantially in the summer of 1985 with the closure of 15 stations, 13 of which were located in and around the Yakataga seismic gap. To further reduce costs, two telephone circuits were dropped and multiple radio relays were installed in their place. This economy reduced the reliability of these telemetry links. In addition, data collection from the areas around Cordova and Yakutat was compromised by the necessity of relying on triggered event recording using PC-based systems (Rogers, 1993) that were not fully developed and which proved to be less reliable than anticipated.The principal means of recording throughout the time period of this catalog was 20-channel oscillographs on 16-mm film (Teledyne Geotech Develocorder, Model RF400 and 4000D). Initially one Develocorder was operated at the USGS Alaskan headquarters in Anchorage, but in 1972 recording was shifted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Palmer Observatory (currently the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center). The Develocorders were turned off at the end of May 1989, and after that time recording was done in digital format at the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks (GIUA). Thus, this catalog covers the entire period of film recording.

Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign: The Impact of Arctic Aerosols on Clouds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McFarquhar, Greg; Ghan, Steven J.; Verlinde, J.

2011-02-01

A comprehensive dataset of microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols and clouds in the arctic boundary layer in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska was collected in April 2008 during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) sponsored by the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) and Atmospheric Science Programs. The primary aim of ISDAC was to examine indirect effects of aerosols on clouds that contain both liquid and ice water. The experiment utilized the ARM permanent observational facilities at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) in Barrow. These include a cloud radar, a polarized micropulse lidar, and an atmosphericmore » emitted radiance interferometer as well as instruments specially deployed for ISDAC measuring aerosol, ice fog, precipitation and spectral shortwave radiation. The National Research Council of Canada Convair-580 flew 27 sorties during ISDAC, collecting data using an unprecedented 42 cloud and aerosol instruments for more than 100 hours on 12 different days. Data were obtained above, below and within single-layer stratus on 8 April and 26 April 2008. These data enable a process-oriented understanding of how aerosols affect the microphysical and radiative properties of arctic clouds influenced by different surface conditions. Observations acquired on a heavily polluted day, 19 April 2008, are enhancing this understanding. Data acquired in cirrus on transit flights between Fairbanks and Barrow are improving our understanding of the performance of cloud probes in ice. Ultimately the ISDAC data will be used to improve the representation of cloud and aerosol processes in models covering a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and to determine the extent to which long-term surface-based measurements can provide retrievals of aerosols, clouds, precipitation and radiative heating in the Arctic.« less

University Start-up Companies as a Response to Changing Federal Funding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehn, J.; Webley, P.

2013-12-01

In challenging financial times, science funding is often one of the first casualties in a federal budget. In some cases the unfunded research has market potential and many universities are adopting policies to allow faculty and staff to form companies to support continuing research. Though this is clearly not a replacement for federal support for basic science, it can augment science funding and support the university missions of education, research and service. When federal support for volcano remote sensing at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute as part of the Alaska Volcano Observatory after 25 years, the PIs started a company called V-ADAPT (Volcanic-Ash Detection, Avoidance and Preparedness for Transportation). This presented a variety of challenges and changing relationships within the volcanic monitoring community. It also raised a series of important questions: (1) What is the role of a private company in providing something that was once publically available? (2) How will the marketplace influence the directions of the research at a university? (3) How can the restrictions placed on federal employees allow effective collaboration? (4) Can the Bayh-Dole and Stafford Acts exist in harmony in this environment? There are many successful examples of start-up companies working well within this environment, but much of this is dependent on the laws and regulations in each state, that vary widely. In addition, many universities have policies in place that are not always compatible with model. A flexible approach is needed to ensure that university missions are not compromised and that an effective business model can support research. Few scientists are not business-savvy, so utilizing the other expertise at a university in schools of business, finance, management and political science is recommended.

Investigation on the impacts of low-sulfur fuel used in residential heating and oil-fired power plants on PM2.5-concentrations and its composition in Fairbanks, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leelasakultum, Ketsiri

The effects of using low-sulfur fuel for oil-heating and oil-burning facilities on the PM2.5-concentrations at breathing level in an Alaska city surrounded by vast forested areas were examined with the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry packages that were modified for the subarctic. Simulations were performed in forecast mode for a cold season using the National Emission Inventory 2008 and alternatively emissions that represent the use of low-sulfur fuel for oil-heating and oil-burning facilities while keeping the emissions of other sources the same as in the reference simulation. The simulations suggest that introducing low-sulfur fuel would decrease the monthly mean 24h-averaged PM2.5-concentrations over the city's PM2.5-nonattainment area by 4%, 9%, 8%, 6%, 5% and 7% in October, November, December, January, February and March, respectively. The quarterly mean relative response factors for PM2.5-concentrations of 0.96 indicate that with a design value of 44.7microg/m3. introducing low-sulfur fuel would lead to a new design value of 42.9microg/m 3 that still exceeds the US National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 35microg/m3. The magnitude of the relation between the relative response of sulfate and nitrate changes differs with temperature. The simulations suggest that in the city, PM2.5-concentrations would decrease more on days with low atmospheric boundary layer heights, low hydrometeor mixing ratio, low downward shortwave radiation and low temperatures. Furthermore, a literature review of other emission control measure studies is given, and recommendations for future studies are made based on the findings.

GEOG 342: Exploring the Virtual Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, J. E.; Sfraga, M.

2007-12-01

First attributed to Eratosthenes around 200 BC, the word "geography" is derived from Greek words meaning "Earth" and "to describe". It describes the study of our planets, its features, inhabitants, and phenomena. The term "neogeography" put simply is new geography; where new refers to more than just practices that are new in usage. Methodologies of neogeography tend toward the intuitive, personal, artistic or even absurd, and general don't confirm to traditional protocols and boundaries. Mapping and spatial technologies such as Geobrowsers are typical of the tools used by neogeographers. Much of the success of Geobrowsers can be attributed to the fact that they use the methods and technologies of neogeography to provide a better understanding of traditional topics of Geography. The Geography program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is embracing these new methodologies by offering a new class that explores the world around us through the use of Geobrowsers and other Web 2.0 technologies. Students will learn to use Keyhole Markup Language (KML), Google Maps API, SketchUp and a range of Virtual Globes programs, primarily through geospatial datasets from the Earth Sciences. A special focus will be given to datasets that look at the environments and natural hazards that make Alaska such a unique landscape. The role of forums, wikis and blogs in the expansion of the Geoweb will be explored, and students will be encouraged to be active on these websites. Students will also explore Second Life, the concept of which will be introduced through the class text, Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash". The primary goal of the class is to encourage students to undertake their own explorations of virtual Earths, in order to better understand the physical and social structure of the real world.

Interpretation of Stratified Fill, Frost Depths, Water Tables, and Massive Ice within Multi-Frequency Ground-Penetrating Radar Profiles Recorded Beneath Highways in Interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arcone, S. A.

2014-12-01

Road Radar generally refers to ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys intended to investigate pavement construction using pulses centered above 1 GHz. In interior Alaska thick sand and gravel grading and its frozen state by late winter generally afford up to 10 m of signal penetration at lower frequencies. Consequently, this penetration potentially allows identification of pavement issues involving frost heave and thaw settlement, while the smooth surface allows assessment of GPR performance in permafrost areas under ideal survey conditions. Here I discuss profiles using pulse center frequencies from 50 to 360 MHz, recorded over sections of the Steese and Elliott Highways within and just north of Fairbanks, respectively, and of the Tok Highway near Glennallen. Construction fill is easily recognized by its stratification; where marginally present along the Elliott it is replaced by steeply dipping horizons from the underlying schist. The frost depth and water table horizons are recognized by phase attributes of the reflected pulse, as dictated by the contrasts present in dielectric permittivity, their relative depths, and their continuity. Undulating stratification in the sand and gravel fill indicates thaw settlement, as caused by the melting of buried massive ice. The Tok section reveals the top and likely the bottom of massive ice. Generally, signal penetration is greatly reduced beneath the water table and so the highest resolution, at 360 MHz, covers all horizons. There is rare evidence of a permafrost table because it is most likely masked or nearly coincident with the water table. Permafrost penetration in frozen silts is a long-standing problem for GPR, for which I discuss a possible cause related to Maxwell-Wagner dielectric relaxation losses associated with unfrozen water.

Observing, studying, and managing for change: Proceedings of the Fourth Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Medley, C. Nicholas; Patterson, Glenn; Parker, Melanie J.

2011-01-01

These proceedings contain the abstracts, manuscripts, and posters of presentations given at the Fourth Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds—Observing, Studying, and Managing for Change, held at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska, September 26–30, 2011. The conference was jointly hosted by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service.Watersheds face resource impacts driven by accelerated change related to land use, population, and climate. About every three years a conference is held to bring together watershed researchers, observers, and managers to share scientific advances and management strategies. This year, the Fourth ICRW took a wider perspective on watershed science and examined some pressing issues of watershed science and management in our largest and perhaps most vulnerable state, Alaska. The purpose of the conference was to better understand the processes driving change and help managers incorporate societal needs and scientific uncertainty in the management of natural resources.The conference echoed similar themes to the last, highlighting the challenges of managing watersheds based on available science when considerably uncertainty remains regarding the hypothesized relationships between observed environmental changes and their ultimate effects. For example, while the scientific case for anthropogenic climate change has been well presented, confirming possible cause and effect relationships between climatic change and physical and ecological impacts in highly variable, natural systems continues to represent a scientific challenge. This goal becomes even more difficult when superimposed upon a long history of natural resource and land management practices that have fundamentally changed the physical, chemical and biological processes important in maintaining naturally functioning ecosystems. Designing and implementing studies to better understand watersheds and clearly communicating the findings to decisionmakers will be the primary challenge for natural resource scientists and managers into the foreseeable future.

A Worldwide Community of Primary and Secondary Students and Their Teachers Engage in and Contribute to Geoscience Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Kopplin, M. R.; Yule, S.

2009-12-01

The GLOBE (Global learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) program is among the most successful long-term citizen scientist programs engaging K-12 students, in-service and pre-service teachers, as well as community members in different areas of geoscience investigations: atmosphere/weather, land cover biology, soils, hydrology, and vegetation phenology. What sustains this multi-nation project is the interest and collaboration among scientists, educators, students and the GLOBE Partnerships that are mostly self-supporting and function in the United States and in a hundred other countries. The GLOBE Program Office in the United States continues to offer, an overall coordinating and leadership function, a website, an infrastructure, management and support for web data entry and access, as well as visualizations, and a much used help desk. In Alaska, GLOBE research and activities are maintained through professional development workshops for educators, continued year-long support for teachers and their students (classroom visits, email, mail and newsletters) including program assessments, funded through federal grants to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The current earth system science Seasons and Biomes project uses GLOBE protocols as well as newly developed ones to fit the needs of the locale, such as ice freeze-up and break-up seasonality protocols for rivers and lakes in tundra, taiga and other northern biomes, and mosquito phenology protocols for tropical and sub-tropical moist broadleaf forests and other biomes in Asia and Africa, invasive plant species for Africa, and modified plant phenology protocols for temperate deciduous forests in Australia. Students contribute data and use archived data as needed when they conduct geoscience research individually, in small groups or as a class and/or collaboratively with others in schools in other parts of the country and the world.

Using Optical Oxygen Sensors and Injection Experiments to Determine in situ Microbial Rate Constants for Methane Oxidation and Heterotrophic Respiration in a Boreal Bog and Fen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waldo, N.; Moorberg, C.; Waldrop, M. P.; Turetsky, M. R.; Neumann, R. B.

2015-12-01

Wetlands are the largest natural source of methane to the atmosphere, and play a key role in feedback cycles to climate change. In recognition of this, many researchers are developing process-based models of wetland methane emissions at various scales. In these models, the three key biogeochemical reactions are methane production, methane oxidation, and heterotrophic respiration, and they are modeled using Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The majority of Michaelis-Menten rate constants used in models are based on experiments involving slurries of peat incubated in vials. While these slurries provide a highly controlled setting, they are different from in situ conditions in multiple ways; notably they lack live plants and the centimeter-scale heterogeneities that exist in the field. To determine rate constants in a system more representative of in situ conditions, we extracted peat cores intact from a bog and fen located in the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest near Fairbanks, Alaska and part of the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) research program. Into those cores we injected water with varying concentrations of methane and oxygen at multiple depths. We used planar oxygen sensors installed on the peat cores to collect high resolution, two dimensional oxygen concentration data during the injections and used oxygen consumption rates under various conditions to calculate rate constants. Results were compared to a similar but smaller set of injection experiments conducted against planar oxygen sensors installed in the bog. Results will inform parametrization of microbial processes in wetland models, improving estimates of methane emissions both under current climate conditions and in the future.

Indirect and semi-direct aerosol campaign: The impact of Arctic aerosols on clouds

DOE PAGES

McFarquhar, Greg M.; Ghan, Steven; Verlinde, Johannes; ...

2011-02-01

A comprehensive dataset of microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols and clouds in the boundary layer in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska, was collected in April 2008 during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC). ISDAC's primary aim was to examine the effects of aerosols, including those generated by Asian wildfires, on clouds that contain both liquid and ice. ISDAC utilized the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Pro- gram's permanent observational facilities at Barrow and specially deployed instruments measuring aerosol, ice fog, precipitation, and radiation. The National Research Council of Canada Convair-580 flew 27 sorties and collected data using an unprecedented 41more » stateof- the-art cloud and aerosol instruments for more than 100 h on 12 different days. Aerosol compositions, including fresh and processed sea salt, biomassburning particles, organics, and sulfates mixed with organics, varied between flights. Observations in a dense arctic haze on 19 April and above, within, and below the single-layer stratocumulus on 8 and 26 April are enabling a process-oriented understanding of how aerosols affect arctic clouds. Inhomogeneities in reflectivity, a close coupling of upward and downward Doppler motion, and a nearly constant ice profile in the single-layer stratocumulus suggests that vertical mixing is responsible for its longevity observed during ISDAC. Data acquired in cirrus on flights between Barrow and Fairbanks, Alaska, are improving the understanding of the performance of cloud probes in ice. Furthermore, ISDAC data will improve the representation of cloud and aerosol processes in models covering a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and determine the extent to which surface measurements can provide retrievals of aerosols, clouds, precipitation, and radiative heating.« less

Exposure to regular gasoline and ethanol oxyfuel during refueling in Alaska.

PubMed Central

Backer, L C; Egeland, G M; Ashley, D L; Lawryk, N J; Weisel, C P; White, M C; Bundy, T; Shortt, E; Middaugh, J P

1997-01-01

Although most people are thought to receive their highest acute exposures to gasoline while refueling, relatively little is actually known about personal, nonoccupational exposures to gasoline during refueling activities. This study was designed to measure exposures associated with the use of an oxygenated fuel under cold conditions in Fairbanks, Alaska. We compared concentrations of gasoline components in the blood and in the personal breathing zone (PBZ) of people who pumped regular unleaded gasoline (referred to as regular gasoline) with concentrations in the blood of those who pumped an oxygenated fuel that was 10% ethanol (E-10). A subset of participants in a wintertime engine performance study provided blood samples before and after pumping gasoline (30 using regular gasoline and 30 using E-10). The biological and environmental samples were analyzed for selected aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in gasoline (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, m-/p-xylene, and o-xylene); the biological samples were also analyzed for three chemicals not found in gasoline (1,4-dichlorobenzene, chloroform, and styrene). People in our study had significantly higher levels of gasoline components in their blood after pumping gasoline than they had before pumping gasoline. The changes in VOC levels in blood were similar whether the individuals pumped regular gasoline or the E-10 blend. The analysis of PBZ samples indicated that there were also measurable levels of gasoline components in the air during refueling. The VOC levels in PBZ air were similar for the two groups. In this study, we demonstrate that people are briefly exposed to low (ppm and sub-ppm) levels of known carcinogens and other potentially toxic compounds while pumping gasoline, regardless of the type of gasoline used. Images Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. PMID:9347900

Beringian sub-refugia revealed in blackfish (Dallia): implications for understanding the effects of Pleistocene glaciations on Beringian taxa and other Arctic aquatic fauna.

PubMed

Campbell, Matthew A; Takebayashi, Naoki; López, J Andrés

2015-07-19

Pleistocene climatic instability had profound and diverse effects on the distribution and abundance of Arctic organisms revealed by variation in phylogeographic patterns documented in extant Arctic populations. To better understand the effects of geography and paleoclimate on Beringian freshwater fishes, we examined genetic variability in the genus Dallia (blackfish: Esociformes: Esocidae). The genus Dallia groups between one and three nominal species of small, cold- and hypoxia-tolerant freshwater fishes restricted entirely in distribution to Beringia from the Yukon River basin near Fairbanks, Alaska westward including the Kuskokwim River basin and low-lying areas of Western Alaska to the Amguema River on the north side of the Chukotka Peninsula and Mechigmen Bay on the south side of the Chukotka Peninsula. The genus has a non-continuous distribution divided by the Bering Strait and the Brooks Range. We examined the distribution of genetic variation across this range to determine the number and location of potential sub-refugia within the greater Beringian refugium as well as the roles of the Bering land bridge, Brooks Range, and large rivers within Beringia in shaping the current distribution of populations of Dallia. Our analyses were based on DNA sequence data from two nuclear gene introns (S7 and RAG1) and two mitochondrial genome fragments from nineteen sampling locations. These data were examined under genetic clustering and coalescent frameworks to identify sub-refugia within the greater Beringia refugium and to infer the demographic history of different populations of Dallia. We identified up to five distinct genetic clusters of Dallia. Four of these genetic clusters are present in Alaska: (1) Arctic Coastal Plain genetic cluster found north of the Brooks Range, (2) interior Alaska genetic cluster placed in upstream locations in the Kuskokwim and Yukon river basins, (3) a genetic cluster found on the Seward Peninsula, and (4) a coastal Alaska genetic cluster encompassing downstream Kuskokwim River and Yukon River basin sample locations and samples from Southwest Alaska not in either of these drainages. The Chukotka samples are assigned to their own genetic cluster (5) similar to the coastal Alaska genetic cluster. The clustering and ordination analyses implemented in Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components (DAPC) and STRUCTURE showed mostly concordant groupings and a high degree of differentiation among groups. The groups of sampling locations identified as genetic clusters correspond to geographic areas divided by likely biogeographic barriers including the Brooks Range and the Bering Strait. Estimates of sequence diversity (θ) are highest in the Yukon River and Kuskokwim River drainages near the Bering Sea. We also infer asymmetric migration rates between genetic clusters. The isolation of Dallia on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska is associated with very low estimated migration rates between the coastal Alaska genetic cluster and the Arctic Coastal Plain genetic cluster. Our results support a scenario with multiple aquatic sub-refugia in Beringia during the Pleistocene and the preservation of that structure in extant populations of Dallia. An inferred historical presence of Dallia across the Bering land bridge explains the similarities in the genetic composition of Dallia in West Beringia and western coastal Alaska. In contrast, historic and contemporary isolation across the Brooks Range shaped the distinctiveness of present day Arctic Coastal Plain Dallia. Overall this study uncovered a high degree of genetic structuring among populations of Dallia supporting the idea of multiple Beringian sub-refugia during the Pleistocene and which appears to be maintained to the present due to the strictly freshwater nature and low dispersal ability of this genus.

Near-inertial Wave Studies Using Historical Mooring Records and a High-Resolution General Circulation Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-30

Mooring Records and a High- Resolution General Circulation Model Harper Simmons School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences 903 Koyukuk Drive Fairbanks AK...oceanographic community has been to develop a global internal wave prediction system analogous to those already in place for surface waves. Early steps have... Fisheries and Ocean Sciences,903 Koyukuk Drive,Fairbanks,AK,99775 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND

23 CFR Appendix A to Part 658 - National Network-Federally-Designated Routes

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Anchorage AK 3 Palmer. AK 2 AK 3 Fairbanks Milepost 1412 Delta Junction. AK 3 AK 1 Palmer AK 2 Fairbanks... Harbors. US 63 I-90 Rochester US 52 Rochester. US 63 MN 58 Red Wing WI State Line. US 71 IA State Line MN... State Line Red Wing MN US 2 W. of Ashland. US 141 US 41 Abrams US 8 Pembine. US 151 IA State Line...

23 CFR Appendix A to Part 658 - National Network-Federally-Designated Routes

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Anchorage AK 3 Palmer. AK 2 AK 3 Fairbanks Milepost 1412 Delta Junction. AK 3 AK 1 Palmer AK 2 Fairbanks... Harbors. US 63 I-90 Rochester US 52 Rochester. US 63 MN 58 Red Wing WI State Line. US 71 IA State Line MN... State Line Red Wing MN US 2 W. of Ashland. US 141 US 41 Abrams US 8 Pembine. US 151 IA State Line...

The Need and Opportunity for an Integrated Research, Development and Testing Center in the Alaskan High Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardesty, J. O.; Ivey, M.; Helsel, F.; Dexheimer, D.; Lucero, D. A.; Cahill, C. F.; Roesler, E. L.

2017-12-01

This presentation will make the case for development of a permanent integrated High Arctic research and testing center at Oliktok Point, Alaska; taking advantage of existing assets and infrastructure, controlled airspace, an active UAS program and local partnerships. Arctic research stations provide critical monitoring and research on climate change for conditions and trends in the Arctic. The US Chair of the Arctic Council increased awareness of gaps in our understanding of Artic systems, scarce monitoring, lack of infrastructure and readiness for emergency response. Less sea ice brings competition for commercial shipping and resource extraction. Search and rescue, pollution mitigation and safe navigation need real-time, wide-area monitoring to respond to events. Multi-national responses for international traffic will drive a greater security presence to protect citizens and sovereign interests. To address research and technology gaps, there is a national need for a US High Arctic Center (USHARC) with an approach to partner stakeholders from science, safety and security to develop comprehensive solutions. The Station should offer year-round use, logistic support and access to varied ecological settings; phased adaptation to changing needs; and support testing of technologies such as multiple autonomous platforms, renewable energies and microgrids, and sensors in Arctic settings. We propose an Arctic Center at Oliktok Point, Alaska. Combined with the Toolik Field Station and Barrow Environmental Observatory, they form a US network of Arctic Stations. An Oliktok Point Station can provide complementary and unique assets that include: access via land, sea and air; coastal and terrestrial ecologies; controlled airspaces across land and ocean; medical and logistic support; atmospheric observations from an adjacent ARM facility; connections to Barrow and Toolik; fiber-optic communications; University of Alaska Fairbanks UAS Test Facility partnership; and an airstrip and hangar for UAS. World-class Arctic research requires year-round access and facilities. The US currently conducts most Arctic research at stations outside the US. A US High Arctic Station network enables monitoring that is specific to the US Arctic, to predict and understand impacts that affect people, communities and the planet.

ASF: Facing the Challenges for 15 Years and Counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Belle-Hamer, N.; Nicoll, J.; Atwood, D.; Arko, S.

2006-12-01

The Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) of the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, has just celebrated its 15th year of experience in satellite remote sensing. ASF is involved in a wide range of activities - - from downlinking satellite data to developing data analysis tools, value-added products, and training for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) users. Satellite remote sensing data are acquired, processed, analyzed, and archived by ASF from several satellites; ASF has built expertise in handling and manipulating the data, SAR in particular. SAR is the only satellite imagery in the world today that can be acquired at any time of the day or night and during adverse weather conditions. It can be used to develop value-added products to aid in global climate change research. Examples include the SAR-derived coastal winds in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea; monitoring of the major ice shelves in the Arctic and Antarctic; and examining the impact on sea level from the Greenland ice sheets and glaciers. The challenges facing the use of remote-sensing data in climate change research can be divided into three major categories: economical, political, and technical. The expense of designing, building, and launching a satellite is substantial. The costs of the ground segment including data management can be substantial and should not be neglected. The US agency funding climate often has the research community pushing for new missions against declining federal budgets in direct competition with ongoing missions. On the political front, data policy, data ownership, and cost recovery are issues often perceived as insurmountable by the user community. The technical issues, while challenging, are often the easiest to solve. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, with the successful launch of the Advanced Land Observing System (ALOS), has embarked on a new way of handling the ground segment with the introduction of international data nodes. ASF will serve with NOAA as the Americas ALOS Data Node. With the success of the ALOS data node structure, it may well be that international cooperation will become the standard method for overcoming the challenges of global climate change research.

Ice core records of monoterpene- and isoprene-SOA tracers from Aurora Peak in Alaska since 1660s: Implication for climate variability in the North Pacific Rim

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokhrel, A.; Kawamura, K.; Seki, O.; Ono, K.; Matoba, S.; Shiraiwa, T.

2015-12-01

180 m long ice core (ca. 343 years old) was drilled in the saddle of the Aurora Peak of Alaska, which is located southeast of Fairbanks (63.52°N; 146.54°W, elevation: 2,825 m). Samples were directly transported to the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University and have been analyzed for monoterpene- and isoprene-SOA tracers using gas chromatograph (GC; HP 6890) and mass spectrometry system (GC/MS; Agilent). Ice core collected from mountain glacier has not been explored for SOA yet. We found significantly high concentrations of these tracers (e.g., pinic, pinonic, and 2-methylglyceric acids, 2-methylthreitol and 2-methylrythritol), which show historical trends with good correlation with each other since 1665-2008. They show positive correlations with sugar compounds (e.g., mannitol, glucose, fructose, inositol, and sucrose), and anti-correlations with diacids (e.g., C9), w-oxocarboxylic (wC4-wC9), a-dicarbonyls and low molecular weight fatty acids (LFAs) (e.g., C18:1). LFAs show strong correlations with MSA- and nss-SO42- in the same ice core. These results suggest source regions of SOA tracers and ice core chemistry of Alaska. Concentrations of C5-alkene triols (e.g., 3-methyl-2,3,4-trihydroxy-1-butene, cis-2-methyl 1,3,4-trihydroxy-1-butene and trans-2-methyl-1,3,4-trihydroxy-1-butene) have increased in the ice core after the Great Pacific Climate Shift (late 1970's). They show positive correlations with a-dicarbonyls and LFAs (e.g., C18:1) in the ice core, suggesting that enhanced oceanic emissions of biogenic organic compounds through the surface microlayer are recorded in the ice core. Photochemical oxidation processes for these monoterpene- and isoprene-/sesquiterpene-SOA tracers are suggested to be linked with the periodicity of multi-decadal climate oscillations (e.g., North Pacific Index) and we can look at a whole range of environmental parameters in parallel with the robust reconstructed temperature changes in the Northern Hemisphere.

Spatial Based Integrated Assessment of Bedrock and Ground Motions, Fault Offsets, and Their Effects for the October-November 2002 Earthquake Sequence on the Denali Fault, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinson, T. S.; Carlson, R.; Hansen, R.; Hulsey, L.; Ma, J.; White, D.; Barnes, D.; Shur, Y.

2003-12-01

A National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Grant Exploratory Research Grant was awarded to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to archive bedrock and ground motions and fault offsets and their effects for the October-November 2002 earthquake sequence on the Denali Fault, Alaska. The scope of work included the accumulation of all strong motion records, satellite imagery, satellite remote sensing data, aerial and ground photographs, and structural response (both measured and anecdotal) that would be useful to achieve the objective. Several interesting data sets were archived including ice cover, lateral movement of stream channels, landslides, avalanches, glacial fracturing, "felt" ground motions, and changes in water quantity and quality. The data sources may be spatially integrated to provide a comprehensive assessment of the bedrock and ground motions and fault offsets for the October-November 2002 earthquake sequence. In the aftermath of the October-November 2002 earthquake sequence on the Denali fault, the Alaskan engineering community expressed a strong interest to understand why their structures and infrastructure were not substantially damaged by the ground motions they experienced during the October-November 2002 Earthquake Sequence on the Denali Fault. The research work proposed under this NSF Grant is a necessary prerequisite to this understanding. Furthermore, the proposed work will facilitate a comparison of Denali events with the Loma Prieta and recent Kocelli and Dozce events in Turkey, all of which were associated with strike-slip faulting. Finally, the spatially integrated data will provide the basis for research work that is truly innovative. For example, is may be possible to predict the observed (1) landsliding and avalanches, (2) changes in water quantity and quality, (3) glacial fracturing, and (4) the widespread liquefaction and lateral spreading, which occurred along the Tok cutoff and Northway airport, with the bedrock and ground motions and fault offsets extrapolated from the product of the research. An integrated assessment of the composite effects may be performed to better understand the bedrock and ground motions and fault offset regime that existed during the earthquake sequence.

The Need and Opportunity for an Integrated Research, Development and Testing Station in the Alaskan High Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardesty, J. O.; Ivey, M.; Helsel, F.; Dexheimer, D.; Cahill, C. F.; Bendure, A.; Lucero, D. A.; Roesler, E. L.

2016-12-01

This presentation will make the case for development of a permanent integrated research and testing station at Oliktok Point, Alaska; taking advantage of existing assets and infrastructure, controlled airspace, an active UAS program and local partnerships. Arctic research stations provide critical monitoring and research on climate change for conditions and trends in the Arctic. The US Chair of the Arctic Council has increased awareness of gaps in our understanding of Artic systems, scarce monitoring, lack of infrastructure and readiness for emergency response. Less sea ice brings competition for commercial shipping and resource extraction. Search and rescue, pollution mitigation and safe navigation need real-time, wide-area monitoring to respond to events. Multi-national responses for international traffic will drive a greater security presence to protect citizens and sovereign interests. To address research and technology gaps, there is a national need for a High Arctic Station with an approach that partners stakeholders from science, safety and security to develop comprehensive solutions. The Station should offer year-round use, logistic support and access to varied ecological settings; phased adaptation to changing needs; and support testing of technologies such as multiple autonomous platforms, renewable energies and microgrids, and sensors in Arctic settings. We propose an Arctic Station at Oliktok Point, Alaska. Combined with the Toolik Field Station and Barrow Environmental Observatory, they form a US network of Arctic Stations. An Oliktok Point Station can provide complementary and unique assets that include: ocean access, and coastal and terrestrial systems; road access; controlled airspaces on land and ocean; nearby air facilities, medical and logistic support; atmospheric observations from an adjacent ARM facility; connections to Barrow and Toolik; fiber-optic communications; University of Alaska Fairbanks UAS Test Facility partnership; and an airstrip and hangar for UAS. World-class Arctic research requires year-round access and facilities. The US currently conducts most Arctic research at stations outside the US. A US Arctic Station network enables monitoring that is specific to the US Arctic, to predict and understand impacts that affect people, communities and the planet.

Comparison of atmospheric CO2 columns at high latitudes from ground-based and satellite-based methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobs, N.; Simpson, W. R.; Parker, H. A.; Tu, Q.; Blumenstock, T.; Dubey, M. K.; Hase, F.; Osterman, G. B.

2017-12-01

Total column measurements of carbon-dioxide (CO2) from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite have been validated at mid-latitudes by comparison to the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON), but there are still a limited number of sites providing high-latitude validation data for satellite observations of CO2, and no TCCON sites in Alaska. To understand the global distribution of CO2 sources and sinks, it is essential that we increase the abundance of validation sites, particularly in the climate-sensitive high-latitude Boreal forest. Therefore, we began the Arctic Mobile Infrared Greenhouse Gas Observations (AMIGGO) campaign in the Boreal Forest region around Fairbanks, Alaska with the goal of satellite validation and measurement of natural ecosystem fluxes. In this campaign, we used the EM27/SUN mobile solar-viewing Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (EM27/SUN FTS) to retrieve the total CO2 column and column-averaged dry-air mole fraction of CO2 (XCO2) with the GGG2014 algorithm. The EM27/SUN FTS was developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in collaboration with Bruker optics (Gisi et al., 2012, doi:10.5194/amt-5-2969-2012) and has been deployed in urban areas to measure anthropogenic fluxes of CO2 and CH4. To evaluate the EM27/SUN performance, co-located observations were made with two EM27/SUN spectrometers, and we found that XCO2 differences between spectrometers were small (0.24ppm on average) and very stable over time. In this presentation, we report on 14 OCO-2 targeted overpasses that occurred from August 2016 through July 2017, along with additional targets obtained during ongoing observations in 2017. We investigate underlying reasons for observed differences between OCO-2 and ground-based XCO2 using methods developed by Wunch et al. (2017, doi:10.5194/amt-10-2209-2017). As an additional point of comparison, coincident aircraft observations by NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) Global Monitoring Division at Poker Flat, Alaska, and observations from the 2017 Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) airborne operations may also be included if available.

Plutonium concentration and (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratio in biota collected from Amchitka Island, Alaska: recent measurements using ICP-SFMS.

PubMed

Bu, Kaixuan; Cizdziel, James V; Dasher, Douglas

2013-10-01

Three underground nuclear tests, including the Unites States' largest, were conducted on Amchitka Island, Alaska. Monitoring of the radiological environment around the island is challenging because of its remote location. In 2008, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) became responsible for the long term maintenance and surveillance of the Amchitka site. The first DOE LM environmental survey occurred in 2011 and is part of a cycle of activities that will occur every 5 years. The University of Alaska Fairbanks, a participant in the 2011 study, provided the lichen (Cladonia spp.), freshwater moss (Fontinalis neomexicanus), kelp (Eualaria fistulosa) and horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus) samples from Amchitka Island and Adak Island (a control site). These samples were analyzed for (239)Pu and (240)Pu concentration and (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratio using inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS). Plutonium concentrations and (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios were generally consistent with previous terrestrial and marine studies in the region. The ((239)+)(240)Pu levels (mBq kg(-1), dry weight) ranged from 3.79 to 57.1 for lichen, 167-700 for kelp, 27.9-148 for horse mussel, and 560-573 for moss. Lichen from Adak Island had higher Pu concentrations than Amchitka Island, the difference was likely the result of the higher precipitation at Adak compared to Amchitka. The (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios were significantly higher in marine samples compared to terrestrial and freshwater samples (t-test, p < 0.001); lichen and moss averaged 0.184 ± 0.007, similar to the integrated global fallout ratio, whereas kelp and mussel (soft tissue) averaged 0.226 ± 0.003. These observations provide supporting evidence that a large input of isotopically heavier Pu occurred into the North Pacific Ocean, likely from the Marshall Island high yield nuclear tests, but other potential sources, such as the Kamchatka Peninsula Rybachiy Naval Base and Amchitka Island underground nuclear test site cannot be ruled out. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GREECE Mission Launching Into Aurora

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-04

Caption: A NASA-funded sounding rocket launches into an aurora in the early morning of March 3, 2014, over Venetie, Alaska. The GREECE mission studies how certain structures – classic curls like swirls of cream in coffee -- form in the aurora. Credit: NASA/Christopher Perry More info: On March 3, 2014, at 6:09 a.m. EST, a NASA-funded sounding rocket launched straight into an aurora over Venetie, Alaska. The Ground-to-Rocket Electrodynamics – Electron Correlative Experiment, or GREECE, sounding rocket mission, which launched from Poker Flat Research Range in Poker Flat, Alaska, will study classic curls in the aurora in the night sky. The GREECE instruments travel on a sounding rocket that launches for a ten-minute ride right through the heart of the aurora reaching its zenith over the native village of Venetie, Alaska. To study the curl structures, GREECE consists of two parts: ground-based imagers located in Venetie to track the aurora from the ground and the rocket to take measurements from the middle of the aurora itself. At their simplest, auroras are caused when particles from the sun funnel over to Earth's night side, generate electric currents, and trigger a shower of particles that strike oxygen and nitrogen some 60 to 200 miles up in Earth's atmosphere, releasing a flash of light. But the details are always more complicated, of course. Researchers wish to understand the aurora, and movement of plasma in general, at much smaller scales including such things as how different structures are formed there. This is a piece of information, which in turn, helps paint a picture of the sun-Earth connection and how energy and particles from the sun interact with Earth's own magnetic system, the magnetosphere. GREECE is a collaborative effort between SWRI, which developed particle instruments and the ground-based imaging, and the University of California, Berkeley, measuring the electric and magnetic fields. The launch is supported by a sounding rocket team from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. The Poker Flat Research Range is operated by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. “The conditions were optimal,” said Marilia Samara, principal investigator for the mission at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. “We can’t wait to dig into the data.” For more information on the GREECE mission visit: www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-funded-sounding-rocket- .NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Rapidly Deglaciating and Uplifting Landscapes in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve GBNPP Provide Alaskan High School Students with Summer Field Research Experiences in Paleoclimate Disciplines and Exposure to Active Researchers in Synergistic Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connor, C. L.; Hekkers, M.; Schaller, S.; Parks, R.

2011-12-01

During summer 2011, ten Alaska high school students enrolled in a summer college introductory field science course through the Design Discover Research Program (DDR) at University Alaska Southeast, with support from the Juneau Economic Development Council, the University Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Summer Research Academy (ASRA), the National Park Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-Interdisciplinary Scientific Environmental Technology (ISET) Cooperative Science Center (CSC). They conducted field surveys in Glacier Bay National Park and across the adjacent Gustavus glacier forefield landscape. This was the 4th summer for this program. Following a 2-1/2 day orientation on the UAS campus, students traveled by a newly established (2011) Alaska Marine Highway service from Juneau to Gustavus. They utilized bicycles and hiking to access the Dude Creek Critical Habitat, Good Creek watershed, and the Nagoonberry Trail built by the Nature Conservancy along the emerging shoreline of Icy Strait. This region is currently experiencing uplift rates of 20-28 mm/year as a result of Little Ice Age deglaciation and isostatic rebound, rates much higher than eustatic sea level rise. North of the Gustavus ferry dock, roughly 19 acres of emergent land is now a 9-hole golf course, raised from the sea since the 1950s. DDR-students interacted with wildlife biologists, ornithologists, quaternary geologists, glaciologists, and botanists to integrate their understanding of the response of plants and animals to this dynamic landscape. Radio-collared moose populations, which migrated into this area from Haines since the mind-1960s, are being studied to asses their impacts to local vegetation and the behavior of local predators (bears, wolves, and coyotes). Sitka spruce forest expansion onto Icy Strait uplifting salt marshes, now threaten Sandhill Crane habitat and their flyover stops along the Pacific Flyway. Intertidal areas in Bartlett Cove in GBNPP feature exhumed and radiocarbon-dated 500 year old spruce stumps once buried by advancing Little Ice Age glaciers. Modern spruce forests are now expanding into newly uplifting shore zone areas. A 50 km kayak survey into Muir and Adams Inlets and the Endicott Gap area gave these high-schoolers access to Neoglacial and Little Ice Age moraines overlying the Glacial Lake Adams deposits of the Lower Van Horn Formation in Adams Inlet. Students compared Harriman Expedition (1899) records and John Muir's writings from over a century ago with the modern landscape in their final oral presentations to the UAS community on their return to Juneau at the end of their course.

Seismic imaging along a 600 km transect of the Alaska Subduction zone (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calkins, J. A.; Abers, G. A.; Freymueller, J. T.; Rondenay, S.; Christensen, D. H.

2010-12-01

We present earthquake locations, scattered wavefield migration images, and phase velocity maps from preliminary analysis of combined seismic data from the Broadband Experiment Across the Alaska Range (BEAAR) and Multidisciplinary Observations of Onshore Subduction (MOOS) projects. Together, these PASSCAL broadband arrays sampled a 500+ km transect across a portion of the subduction zone characterized by the Yakutat terrane/Pacific plate boundary in the downgoing plate, and the Denali volcanic gap in the overriding plate. These are the first results from the MOOS experiment, a 34-station array that was deployed from 2006-2008 to fill in the gap between the TACT offshore refraction profile (south and east of the coastline of the Kenai Peninsula), and the BEAAR array (spanning the Alaska Range between Talkeetna and Fairbanks). 2-D images of the upper 150 km of the subduction zone were produced by migrating forward- and back-scattered arrivals in the coda of P waves from large teleseismic earthquakes, highlighting S-velocity perturbations from a smoothly-varying background model. The migration images reveal a shallowly north-dipping low velocity zone that is contiguous near 20 km depth on its updip end with previously obtained images of the subducting plate offshore. The low velocity zone steepens further to the north, and terminates near 120 km beneath the Alaska Range. We interpret this low velocity zone to be the crust of the downgoing plate, and the reduced seismic velocities to be indicative of hydrated gabbroic compositions. Earthquakes located using the temporary arrays and nearby stations of the Alaska Regional Seismic Network correlate spatially with the inferred subducting crust. Cross-sections taken along nearly orthogonal strike lines through the MOOS array reveal that both the dip angle and the thickness of the subducting low velocity zone change abruptly across a roughly NNW-SSE striking line drawn through the eastern Kenai Peninsula, coincident with a distinct change in locking at the subduction interface as revealed by previous geodetic studies. On the west end of the Kenai Peninsula, where seismically imaged downgoing crust appears oceanic, the geodetic signal mainly reflects postseismic deformation from the 1964 earthquake as evinced by southeast trending displacement vectors (with respect to fixed North America). While postseismic relaxation continues east of the boundary, NNW-directed elastic deformation due to locking at the plate boundary dominates the geodetic signal, and imaging reveals thickened Yakutat crust is subducting. The collocation of sharp changes in both deep structure and surface deformation suggest that the nature of the plate interface changes drastically across the western edge of the Yakutat block and that variations in downgoing plate structure control the strain field in the overriding plate.

Special Education Evaluation Project for University Affiliated Facilities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrello, Leonard C.; And Others

The final report of the Special Education Evaluation Project for 16 University Affiliated Facilities (UAF) centers provides a chronological review of the project which focused on the training of persons to work with mentally retarded or other handicapped individuals. Outlined are project objectives including the development of descriptors useful…

Simulation of interaction between ground water in an alluvial aquifer and surface water in a large braided river

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leake, S.A.; Lilly, M.R.

1995-01-01

The Fairbanks, Alaska, area has many contaminated sites in a shallow alluvial aquifer. A ground-water flow model is being developed using the MODFLOW finite-difference ground-water flow model program with the River Package. The modeled area is discretized in the horizontal dimensions into 118 rows and 158 columns of approximately 150-meter square cells. The fine grid spacing has the advantage of providing needed detail at the contaminated sites and surface-water features that bound the aquifer. However, the fine spacing of cells adds difficulty to simulating interaction between the aquifer and the large, braided Tanana River. In particular, the assignment of a river head is difficult if cells are much smaller than the river width. This was solved by developing a procedure for interpolating and extrapolating river head using a river distance function. Another problem is that future transient simulations would require excessive numbers of input records using the current version of the River Package. The proposed solution to this problem is to modify the River Package to linearly interpolate river head for time steps within each stress period, thereby reducing the number of stress periods required.

[A Study of Data From the Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer (POLARIS) Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, Paul A.; Fahey, David W.; Brune, William H.; Kurylo, Michael J.; Kawa, S. Randolph

1999-01-01

The Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer (POLARIS) mission was designed to investigate the natural summer decrease of stratospheric ozone levels. Both polar regions have large and distinct annual cycles of ozone column amounts. In northern spring, the average level is over 450 Dobson units (DU), decreasing to less than 275 DU by September. In order to cover this period of ozone decrease, POLARIS was conducted in three deployment phases from Fairbanks, Alaska, (650N) during the summer of 1997. The principal measurement platforms were the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft and stratospheric balloons. Additional measurements were provided by ground-based instruments, sondes, and satellites. POLARIS observations included ozone, meteorological variables, particles, long-lived chemicals, and short-lived radicals. During the field deployments, several modeling and theoretical groups participated in flight planning and data evaluation activities. The interpretive studies in this Special Section of the Journal of Geophysical Research are a first comprehensive examination of the POLARIS data set, addressing stratospheric ozone abundances and its changes; the role of aerosols; details of the photochemistry of reactive species; transport of stratospheric air and the correlations of long-lived species; and measurement intercomparisons.

Rocket measurements of electrons in a system of multiple auroral arcs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, J. S.; Davis, T. N.

1977-01-01

A Nike-Tomahawk rocket was launched into a system of auroral arcs northward of Poker Flat Research Range, Fairbanks, Alaska. The pitch-angle distribution of electrons was measured at 2.5, 5, and 10 keV and also at 10 keV on a separating forward section of the payload. The auroral activity appeared to be the extension of substorm activity centered to the east. The rocket crossed a westward-propagating fold in the brightest band. The electron spectrum was relatively hard through most of the flight, showing a peak in the range from 2.5 to 10 keV in the weaker aurora and below 5 keV in the brightest arc. The detailed structure of the pitch-angle distribution suggested that, at times, a very selective process was accelerating some electrons in the magnetic field direction, so that a narrow field-aligned component appeared superimposed on a more isotropic distribution. It is concluded that this process could not be a near-ionosphere field-aligned potential drop, although the more isotropic component may have been produced by a parallel electric field extending several thousand kilometers along the field line above the ionosphere.

Proceedings of the Twentieth NASA Propagation Experimenters Meeting (NAPEX XX) and the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Propagation Studies Miniworkshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golshan, Nassar (Editor)

1996-01-01

The NASA Propagation Experimenters (NAPEX) Meeting and associated Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Propagation Studies Miniworkshop convene yearly to discuss studies supported by the NASA Propagation Program. Representatives from the satellite communications (satcom)industry, academia, and government with an interest in space-ground radio wave propagation have peer discussion of work in progress, disseminate propagation results, and interact with the satcom industry. NAPEX XX, in Fairbanks, Alaska, June 4-5, 1996, had three sessions: (1) "ACTS Propagation Study: Background, Objectives, and Outcomes," covered results from thirteen station-years of Ka-band experiments; (2) "Propagation Studies for Mobile and Personal Satellite Applications," provided the latest developments in measurement, modeling, and dissemination of propagation phenomena of interest to the mobile, personal, and aeronautical satcom industry; and (3)"Propagation Research Topics," covered a range of topics including space/ground optical propagation experiments, propagation databases, the NASA Propagation Web Site, and revision plans for the NASA propagation effects handbooks. The ACTS Miniworkshop, June 6, 1996, covered ACTS status, engineering support for ACTS propagation terminals, and the ACTS Propagation Data Center. A plenary session made specific recommendations for the future direction of the program.

June 2006 seismic swarm and dike injection event beneath the Michoacan-Guanajuato volcanic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, T. F.; Gardine, M.; West, M.

2008-12-01

A seismic swarm of approximately 700 events, magnitude 2.5-3.5, occurred in June of 2006 approximately 15 km from the summit of the cinder cone Paricutin, in the Michoacan-Guanajuato Volcanic Field in central Mexico. The swarm was detected and located as part of an effort to develop a catalog of regional seismicity using stations fortuitously in place as part of two concurrent IRIS/PASSCAL supported projects- the Mapping of the Rivera Subduction Zone (MARS) project run by the University of Texas at Austin and New Mexico State University, and the Colima Volcano Deep Seismic Experiment (CODEX), run by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Over a two-week period in June 2006, relocated hypocenters clearly show a shallowing trend with time, indicative of a possible dike injection event. The rate of injection appears to be 346 m/day. Following the injection, there is a period of earthquakes, which all occurred at approximately 5 km in depth, but which migrated southwards. The waveforms of all of these events show similarities within three major groupings: from May 28 to June 1, June 2 to June 9 (which marks the end of the ascent), and from June 9 to July 2.

Structural and kinematic evolution of the Yukon-Tanana upland tectonites, east-central Alaska: A record of late Paleozoic to Mesozoic crustal assembly

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hansen, V.L.; Dusel-Bacon, C.

1998-01-01

The Yukon-Tanana terrane, the largest tectonostratigraphic terrane in the northern North American Cordillera, is polygenetic and not a single terrane. Lineated and foliated (L-S) tectonites, which characterize the Yukon-Tanana terrane, record multiple deformations and formed at different times. We document the polyphase history recorded by L-S tectonites within the Yukon-Tanana upland, east-central Alaska. These upland tectonites compose a heterogeneous assemblage of deformed igneous and metamorphic rocks that form the Alaskan part of what has been called the Yukon-Tanana composite terrane. We build on previous kinematic data and establish the three-dimensional architecture of the upland tectonites through kinematic and structural analysis of more than 250 oriented samples, including quartz c-axis fabric analysis of 39 samples. Through this study we distinguish allochthonous tectonites from parautochthonous tectonites within the Yukon-Tanana upland. The upland tectonites define a regionally coherent stacking order: from bottom to top, they are lower plate North American parautochthonous attenuated continental margin; continentally derived marginal-basin strata; and upper plate ocean-basin and island-arc rocks, including some continental basement rocks. We delineate three major deformation events in time, space, and structural level across the upland from the United States-Canada border to Fairbanks, Alaska: (1) pre-Early Jurassic (>212 Ma) northeast-directed, apparent margin-normal contraction that affected oceanic rocks; (2) late Early to early Middle Jurassic (>188-185 Ma) northwest-directed, apparent margin-parallel contraction and imbrication that resulted in juxtaposition of the allochthonous tectonites with parautochthonous continental rocks; and (3) Early Cretaceous (135-110 Ma) southeast-directed crustal extension that resulted in exposure of the structurally deepest, parautochthonous continental rocks. The oldest event represents deformation within a west-dipping (present coordinates) Permian-Triassic subduction zone. The second event records Early to Middle Jurassic collision of the arc and subduction complex with North American crust, and the third event reflects mid-Cretaceous southeast-directed crustal extension. Events one and two can be recognized and correlated through southern Yukon, even though this region was affected by mid-Cretaceous dextral shear along steep northwest-striking faults. Our data support a model of crustal assembly originally proposed by D. Tempelman-Kluit in which previously deformed allochthonous rocks were thrust over parautochthonous rocks of the attenuated North American margin in Middle Jurassic time. Approximately 50 m.y. after tectonic accretion, east-central Alaska was dissected by crustal extension, exposing overthrust parautochthonous strata.

Arctic Refuge coastal plain terrestrial wildlife research summaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Douglas, David C.; Reynolds, Patricia E.; Rhode, E.B.

2002-01-01

In 1980, when the U.S. Congress enacted the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), it also mandated a study of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Section 1002 of ANILCA stated that a comprehensive inventory of fish and wildlife resources would be conducted on 1.5 million acres of the Arctic Refuge coastal plain (1002 Area). Potential petroleum reserves in the 1002 Area were also to be evaluated from surface geological studies and seismic exploration surveys. Results of these studies and recommendations for future management of the Arctic Refuge coastal plain were to be prepared in a report to Congress.In 1987, the Department of the Interior published the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, Coastal Plain Resource Assessment - Report and Recommendations to the Congress of the United States and Final Environmental Impact Statement. This report to Congress identified the potential for oil and gas production (updated* most recently by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2001), described the biological resources, and evaluated the potential adverse effects to fish and wildlife resources. The 1987 report analyzed the potential environmental consequences of five management alternatives for the coastal plain, ranging from wilderness designation to opening the entire area to lease for oil and gas developement. The report's summary recommended opening the 1002 Area to an orderly oil and gas leasing program, but cautioned that adverse effects to some wildlife populations were possible.Congress did not act on this recommendation nor any other alternative for the 1002 Area, and scientists continued studies of key wildlife species and habitats on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge and surrounding areas. This report contains updated summaries of those scientific investigations of caribou, muskoxen, predators (grizzly bears, wolves, golden eagles), polar bears, snow geese, and their wildlife habitats.Contributions to this report were made by scientists affiliated with the U.S. Geological Survey; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Alaska Department of Fish and Game; University of Alaska-Fairbanks; Canadian Wildlife Service; Yukon Department of Renewable Resources; and the Northwest Territories Department of Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development.Sections of the report presenting new information on caribou and forage plants were peer-reviewed by three independent, non-affiliated scientists. The remaining sections summarize previously published peer-reviewed scientific papers and were reviewed by a single independent scientist. The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collaborated in the publication of this report.

76 FR 20715 - National Environmental Policy Act; Sounding Rockets Program; Poker Flat Research Range

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-13

...), and NASA's NEPA policy and procedures (14 CFR part 1216, subpart 1216.3), NASA intends to prepare an... to apprise interested agencies, organizations, tribal governments, and individuals of NASA's intent... significant environmental issues to be evaluated in the EIS. In cooperation with BLM, UAF, and USFWS, NASA...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR HHID AND IRN ASSIGNMENT (UA-F-1.0)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to outline HHID and IRN assignment during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the "Border" study. Keywords: field; records; HHID and IRN Assignment.

The National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) is a federal interagency research effort coordinated...

Highlighting the importance of transitional ventilation regimes in the management of Mediterranean show caves (Nerja-Pintada system, southern Spain).

PubMed

Liñán, C; Del Rosal, Y; Carrasco, F; Vadillo, I; Benavente, J; Ojeda, L

2018-08-01

This study shows the utilization of the air CO 2 exhaled by a very high number of visitors in the Nerja Cave as both a tracer and an additional tool to precisely evaluate the air circulation through the entire karst system, which includes non-touristic passages, originally free of anthropogenic CO 2 . The analysis of the temporal - spatial evolution of the CO 2 content and other monitoring data measured from January 2015 to December 2016 in the Nerja-Pintada system, including air microbiological controls, has allowed us to define a new general ventilation model, of great interest for the conservation of the subterranean environment. During the annual cycle four different ventilation regimes and two ventilation modes (UAF-mode and DAF-mode) exist which determine the significance of the anthropogenic impact within the caves. During the winter regime, the strong ventilation regime and the airflow directions from the lowest to the highest entrance (UAF-mode) contribute to the rapid elimination of anthropogenic CO 2 , and this affects the whole karstic system. During the summer regime the DAF-mode ventilation (with airflows from the highest to the lowest entrances) is activated. Although the number of visitors is maximum and the natural ventilation of the karstic system is the lowest of the annual cycle, the anthropogenic impact only affects the Tourist Galleries. The transitional ventilation regimes -spring and autumn- are the most complex of the annual cycle, with changing air-flow directions (from UAF-mode to DAF-mode and vice versa) at diurnal and poly diurnal scale, which conditions the range of the anthropogenic impact in each sector of the karst system. The activation of the DAF-mode has been observed when the temperature difference between the external and air cave is higher than 5°C. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND SHIPMENT OF HUMAN HAIR (UA-F-26.0)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe how to collect, store, and ship human hair for analysis of mercury. This SOP provides a brief description of the sample containers, collection, storage, shipping and custody procedures. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent data ...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF DIET SAMPLES (UA-F-23.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to provide a uniform procedure for the financial reimbursement of primary respondents for the collection of diet samples. Respondents were reimbursed for replicate food and beverage samples by type and amount collected over a 24-hour sampling period. ...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR OPERATION AND INITIALIZATION OF THE MAGELLAN GPS SATELLITE NAVIGATOR (UA-F-22.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the general procedures for the operation and initialization of the Magellan Global Positioning System (GPS) Satellite Navigator. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent data retrieval during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the Borde...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND SHIPMENT OF UNKNOWN SUBSTANCES (UA-F-25.0)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe how to collect, store, and ship unknown substances for chemical analysis and identification. This SOP provides a brief description of the sample containers, collection, storage, shipping and custody procedures. This procedure was followed ...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR PREPARATION OF FIELD BUCKET AND EQUIPMENT ASSIGNMENT (UA-F-2.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the preparation and assembly of materials and samplers to go into the field for use during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the "Border" study. Keywords: field; equipment.

The National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) is a federal i...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF YARD COMPOSITE SOIL SAMPLES (UA-F-5.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to establish a uniform procedure for the collection of yard composite soil samples in the field. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent and reliable collection of outdoor soil samples during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the "Border" study. ...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF RESIDENTIAL FOUNDATION SOIL SAMPLES (UA-F-6.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to establish a uniform procedure for the collection of residential foundation soil samples in the field. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent and reliable collection of outdoor soil samples during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the "Border"...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE AND SHIPMENT OF URINE SAMPLES FOR SELECTED METALS AND PESTICIDES (UA-F-20.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to guide the collection, storage, and shipment of urine samples collected for the NHEXAS Arizona project. This SOP provides a brief description of sample, collection, preservation, storage, shipping, and custody procedures. This procedure was followed ...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD USE OF THE PARTICULATE SAMPLER (UA-F-3.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the in-field use of the particulate sampling system (pumping, control unit, and size selective inlet impactors) for collecting samples of particulate matter from the air during a predetermined time period during the Arizona NHEXAS project an...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF FOOD SAMPLES (UA-F-23.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to provide a uniform procedure for the financial reimbursement of primary respondents for the collection of diet samples. Respondents were reimbursed for replicate food and beverage samples by type and amount collected over a 24-hour sampling period. ...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION OF SURFACE WIPE SAMPLES FOR PESTICIDES OR METALS (UA-F-8.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the procedures for collecting surface wipe samples inside a home for analysis of either metals or pesticides. This procedure covers the preparation of the surface wipe material and field activities. This protocol was followed to ensure con...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR OPERATION AND INITIALIZATION OF THE MAGELLAN GPS SATELLITE NAVIGATOR (UA-F-22.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the general procedures for the operation and initialization of the Magellan Global Positioning System (GPS) Satellite Navigator. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent data retrieval during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the "Bord...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD USE OF THE MODIFIED AIR SENTINEL (UA-F-10.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the in-field use of the modified Air Sentinel. Samples collected with this Hi-Vol instrument were analyzed for atmospheric concentrations of target metals. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent data retrieval of air and dust ana...

Wave-Ice and Air-Ice-Ocean Interaction During the Chukchi Sea Ice Edge Advance

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

During cruise CU-B UAF UW Airborne expendable Ice Buoy (AXIB) Ahead, at and inside ice edge Surface meteorology T, SLP ~1 year CU-B UW...Balance (IMB) buoys Inside ice edge w/ >50cm thickness Ice mass balance T in snow-ice-ocean, T, SLP at surface ~1 year WHOI CRREL (SeaState DRI

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND SHIPMENT OF URINE SAMPLES FOR METALS AND PESTICIDES ANALYSIS (UA-F-20.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to guide the collection, storage, and shipment of urine samples collected. This SOP provides a brief description of sample, collection, preservation, storage, shipping, and custody procedures. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent data retri...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE SAMPLES (UA-F-15.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to provide a uniform procedure for the collection of a complete (all meals, snacks, and beverages), one-day (24 hour) duplicate diet sample from the primary respondent. Participants will keep a duplicate portion of all food consumed in a 24 hour period...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND SHIPMENT OF BLOOD SAMPLES FOR SELECTED METALS, PESTICIDES, AND VOCS (UA-F-19.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to guide the collection, storage, and shipment of blood samples collected. This SOP provides a brief description of sample collection, preservation, storage, and custody procedures. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent data retrieval during...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF YARD COMPOSITE SOIL SAMPLES (UA-F-5.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to establish a uniform procedure for the collection of yard composite soil samples in the field. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent and reliable collection of outdoor soil samples during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the Border study. Ke...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR PREPARATION OF FIELD BUCKET AND EQUIPMENT ASSIGNMENT (UA-F-2.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the preparation and assembly of materials and samplers to go into the field for use during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the Border study. Keywords: field; equipment.

The U.S.-Mexico Border Program is sponsored by the Environmental Health...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION OF SURFACE WIPE SAMPLES FOR PESTICIDES OR METALS ANALYSIS (UA-F-8.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the procedures for collecting surface wipe samples inside a home for analysis of either metals or pesticides. This procedure covers the preparation of the surface wipe material and field activities. This protocol was followed to ensure con...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION OF DERMAL WIPE SAMPLES FOR PESTICIDES OR METALS (UA-F-9.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the procedures for collecting a dermal wipe sample from a participant's hands for the measurement of pesticide or metal residues on the skin. This procedure covers the preparation of the dermal wipe material and field activities. This prot...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE SAMPLES (UA-F-15.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to provide a uniform procedure for the collection of a complete (all meals, snacks, and beverages), one-day (24 hour) duplicate diet sample from the primary respondent. Participants will keep a duplicate portion of all food consumed in a 24 hour period...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE AND SHIPMENT OF BLOOD SAMPLES FOR SELECTED METALS AND VOCS (UA-F-19.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to guide the collection, storage, and shipment of blood samples collected for the NHEXAS Arizona project. This SOP provides a brief description of sample collection, preservation, storage, and custody procedures. This procedure was followed to ensure c...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF INDOOR FLOOR SAMPLES AND POST FIELD SAMPLE HANDLING (UA-F-7.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to establish a uniform procedure for the collection of indoor floor dust samples in the field. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent data retrieval of dust samples during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the "Border" study. Keywords: field; va...

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION OF FIXED SITE INDOOR AND OUTDOOR FORMALDEHYDE PASSIVE SAMPLES (UA-F-13.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the methods used to sample residential indoor and outdoor atmospheres for the presence of formaldehyde using the PF-1 passive formaldehyde sampler. The PF-1 passive sampler is used as a fixed location monitor to determine time integrated ex...

Emerging techniques for assisting and accelerating food freezing processes: A review of recent research progresses.

PubMed

Cheng, Lina; Sun, Da-Wen; Zhu, Zhiwei; Zhang, Zi

2017-03-04

Freezing plays an important role in food preservation and the emergence of rapid freezing technologies can be highly beneficial to the food industry. This paper reviews some novel food freezing technologies, including high-pressure freezing (HPF), ultrasound-assisted freezing (UAF), electrically disturbed freezing (EF) and magnetically disturbed freezing (MF), microwave-assisted freezing (MWF), and osmo-dehydro-freezing (ODF). HPF and UAF can initiate ice nucleation rapidly, leading to uniform distribution of ice crystals and the control of their size and shape. Specifically, the former is focused on increasing the degree of supercooling, whereas the latter aims to decrease it. Direct current electric freezing (DC-EF) and alternating current electric freezing (AC-EF) exhibit different effects on ice nucleation. DC-EF can promote ice nucleation and AC-EF has the opposite effect. Furthermore, ODF has been successfully used for freezing various vegetables and fruit. MWF cannot control the nucleation temperature, but can decrease supercooling degree, thus decreasing the size of ice crystals. The heat and mass transfer processes during ODF have been investigated experimentally and modeled mathematically. More studies should be carried out to understand the effects of these technologies on food freezing process.

Plume Tracker: A New Toolkit for the Mapping of Volcanic Plumes with Multispectral Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Realmuto, V. J.; Baxter, S.; Webley, P. W.

2011-12-01

Plume Tracker is the next generation of interactive plume mapping tools pioneered by MAP_SO2. First developed in 1995, MAP_SO2 has been used to study plumes at a number of volcanoes worldwide with data acquired by both airborne and space-borne instruments. The foundation of these tools is a radiative transfer (RT) model, based on MODTRAN, which we use as the forward model for our estimation of ground temperature and sulfur dioxide concentration. Plume Tracker retains the main functions of MAP_SO2, providing interactive tools to input radiance measurements and ancillary data, such as profiles of atmospheric temperature and humidity, to the retrieval procedure, generating the retrievals, and visualizing the resulting retrievals. Plume Tracker improves upon MAP_SO2 in the following areas: (1) an RT model based on an updated version of MODTRAN, (2) a retrieval procedure based on maximizing the vector projection of model spectra onto observed spectra, rather than minimizing the least-squares misfit between the model and observed spectra, (3) an ability to input ozone profiles to the RT model, (4) increased control over the vertical distribution of the atmospheric gas species used in the model, (5) a standard programmatic interface to the RT model code, based on the Component Object Model (COM) interface, which will provide access to any programming language that conforms to the COM standard, and (6) a new binning algorithm that decreases running time by exploiting spatial redundancy in the radiance data. Based on our initial testing, the binning algorithm can reduce running time by an order of magnitude. The Plume Tracker project is a collaborative effort between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Geophysical Institute (GI) of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Plume Tracker is integrated into the GI's operational plume dispersion modeling system and will ingest temperature and humidity profiles generated by the Weather Research and Forecasting model, together with plume height estimates from the Puff model. The access to timely forecasts of atmospheric conditions, together with the reductions in running time, will increase the utility of Plume Tracker in the Alaska Volcano Observatory's mission to mitigate volcanic hazards in Alaska and the Northern Pacific region.

AMIDST: Attracting Minorities to Geosciences Through Involved Digital Story Telling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prakash, A.; Ohler, J.; Cooper, C.; McDermott, M.; Heinrich, J.; Johnson, R.; Leeper, L.; Polk, N.; Wimer, T.

2009-12-01

Attracting Minorities to Geosciences Through Involved Digital Story Telling (AMIDST) is a project funded by the Geoscience Directorate of the National Science Foundation through their program entitled Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in Geosciences. This project centers around the idea of integrating place-based geoscience education with culturally sensitive digital story telling, to engage and attract Alaska’s native and rural children from grades 3 through 5 to geosciences. In Spring 2008 we brought together a team 2 native elders, a group of scientists and technicians, an evaluator, 2 teachers and their 24 third grade students from Fairbanks (interior Alaska) to create computer-based digital stories around the geoscience themes of permafrost, and forest fires. These two to four minutes digital narratives consisted of a series of images accompanied by music and a voice-over narration by the children. In Fall 2008 we worked with a similar group from Nome (coastal town in western Alaska). The geoscience themes were climate change, and gold in Alaska. This time the students used the same kind of “green screen” editing so prevalent in science fiction movies. Students enacted and recorded their stories in front of a green screen and in post-production replaced the green background with photos, drawings and scientific illustrations related to their stories. Evaluation involved pre and post project tests for all participants, mid-term individual interviews and exit-interviews of selected participants. Project final assessment results from an independent education evaluator showed that both students and teachers improved their geo science content knowledge about permafrost, forest fires, gold mining, and sea ice changes. Teachers and students went through a very steep learning curve and gained experience and new understanding in digital storytelling in the context of geologic phenomena of local interest. Children took pride in being creators, directors and editors of their own stories. We also concluded that the proposed idea is an excellent hook to intrigue children to science and technology in general, but demands time and commitment from the involved participants. Given the time constraints of a class environment future efforts would be best if spread over a year rather than one semester, or if implemented during summer programs that offer more time and flexibility.