The U.S. District Court in Anchorage heard arguments in a case that could determine whether millions of acres of Arctic waters should be closed to oil development.
Oceans
Feds sue to recover cost of MV Challenger cleanup
The federal government is suing to recover more than $2.5 million spent cleaning up a World War II-era tugboat that sank in Juneau’s Gastineau Channel.
Coastal pacific oxygen levels now plummet once a year
The hypoxia season hits Oregon, Washington and California waters in the summer and can last from a few days to a couple of months. Some years it only affects a few square miles of ocean; other years it’s thousands of square miles.
Marine pilots put megaships to the test in Southeast Alaska
Some of the largest cruise ships in the world will be making regular port calls in Southeast Alaska in 2019. Before they arrive, Southeast marine pilots are running simulations to assess their performance through narrow straits and rough weather.
Arctic sea ice minimum continues downward trend, with implications beyond the Arctic
“The Arctic’s like an air conditioner or refrigerator for the global climate…And as the Arctic warms, partly because the sea ice is going away, it’s like you’re opening that refrigerator door.”
A federal plan to save Alaska’s belugas starts with recruiting an army to count them
An army of citizen scientists assembled along Turnagain Arm Saturday to count endangered belugas near Anchorage.