Two tales of dynamic Alaska tundra

Two tales of dynamic Alaska tundra By Ned Rozell [fusion_dropcap]A[/fusion_dropcap]s pungent eucalyptus trees soaked up inches of California rain, a few researchers inside San Francisco’s Moscone Center spoke of the treeless third of Alaska at the 2014 fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The annual gathering of Earth and space scientists attracted more than [...]

Glaciers no obstacle for Copper River and Northwestern Railway

Glaciers no obstacle for Copper River and Northwestern Railway By Ned Rozell [fusion_dropcap]H[/fusion_dropcap]ome of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, Alaska has been the setting for a few epic engineering battles rendered against nature. The Million Dollar Bridge, standing almost intact on the lower Copper River, is a reminder of another improbable Alaska construction project. Completed in [...]

In Hawaii, Hints of a Giant Alaska Tsunami

In Hawaii, Hints of a Giant Alaska Tsunami By Ned Rozell [fusion_dropcap]C[/fusion_dropcap]lues from a crater-like sinkhole on the island of Kauai point back to a giant wave that came from Alaska at about the time European explorers were pushing west, seeing the Mississippi River for the first time. The Makauwahi Sinkhole on the southeast shore [...]

1946 tsunami survivor shares her story

1946 tsunami survivor shares her story By Ned Rozell [fusion_dropcap]o[/fusion_dropcap]n April 1, 1946, the sea floor ruptured just south of Unimak Island in the Aleutian Islands. Seawater displaced by the giant earthquake sent a 100-foot wave into the Scotch Cape lighthouse on Unimak, destroying the concrete structure and killing the five men inside. They never [...]

Ancient whalers leave their mark on the north

Ancient whalers leave their mark on the north By Ned Rozell [fusion_dropcap]T[/fusion_dropcap]he high arctic is one of the farthest places from most of the 6 billion people on Earth, but Canadian researchers have found that the far north holds some of the oldest evidence of human impact on a lake’s ecosystem. John Smol, of Queen’s [...]