August 19, 2019
When biologists stocked Alaska with wolves
Alaska had been a state for one year in 1960 when its department of fish and game conducted a wolf-planting experiment on Coronation Island in southeast Alaska. At the time, the remote 45-square-mile island exposed to the open Pacific had a high density of blacktailed deer and no wolves.
August 13, 2019
Science aboard the R/V Falkor: July 30-August 8
A week and then some of blog posts from people at work doing science at sea…
August 9, 2019
Northern wheatears now on remarkable journey
Birds that spent their summer next to muskoxen are now leaving Alaska to spend winter with zebras…. Wheatears are now gobbling insects in the rocky hills above Wales, Alaska. The birds will soon fly into the moist air just after sunset, maybe tonight, and cross the Bering Strait.
August 5, 2019
Toreva Block landslide models
Somewhere on the AGU Landslide blog, I came across a reference to another type of rock strength-controlled, intact landslide I had never heard of–the Toreva Block. Like the Appalachian Valley and Ridge giant landslides, it is possible to replicate Toreva-style movement with contrasting model materials that represent failure-prone shale and much stronger topography-supporting lithologies, like sandstone or basalt.
Icelandic glaciologist feels a weighty responsibility
Icelanders will soon install a plaque they hope people will read, long after those who bolted it to a mountain are dead. Near a withering glacier, the sign reads: Ok (Okjökull) is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier.
July 24, 2019
The latest adventures from the R/V Falkor
Seven of the latest posts from the ongoing research cruises.
July 22, 2019
Dragons of summer now on the hunt
Worldwide, there are about 3,000 species of dragonfly. Thirty types live in Alaska. The largest in the state is the lake darner, a cool blue dragonfly that turns dark when the air is chilly.
July 16, 2019
The thin line between Alaska and Canada
The boundary between Alaska and Canada is 1,538 miles long. The line is obvious in some places, such as the Yukon River valley, where crews have cut a straight line through forest on the 141st Meridian. The boundary is invisible in other areas, such as the summit of 18,008-foot Mt. St. Elias.
July 10, 2019
Using sand models to explain the concept of geologic mapping
Geologic maps can be very visually engaging, but non-geologists may find it difficult to extract the information that a map is supposed to communicate…. Cross sections included with a map can help, but it can still be tough to pull it all together if you don’t look at this sort of material all the time.
July 8, 2019
More WaterWords and videos from the Hunting Bubbles expedition
Five new posts from the Hunting Bubbles expedition.
Science is happening right now! Whether in the field, in a lab or somewhere in space, The Field blog is where scientists and science writers share their adventures in real time or near-real time. Do you have an expedition to share?