Alaska

From beneath a thawing glacier, a 400-year-old plant is resurrected

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Liz Fuller-WrightThe Christian Science Monitor-May 29, 2013

 
 

Loren Holmes photo

 

It's like something out of a zombie movie, or at least Encino Man: What was dead and frozen for hundreds of years suddenly sits up, shakes its head a few times, and goes about its business.

But this is real, and happening with mosses in Greenland. Once buried under thousands of tons of glacial ice, these mosses are green and growing again.

And not just one or two feisty stragglers: Dr. Catherine La Farge and colleagues from the University of Alberta found between 60 and 144 different species of moss that are spontaneously regrowing after centuries on ice.

 

Underwater volcano mapped in Southeast Alaska

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Sean Doogan- May 26,2013

 

The yet-to-be-named volcano in Southeast Alaska differs from many on the ocean floor. Its top was likely above the water when it last erupted some 10,000 years ago.

 

Jim Baichtal has a habit of cruising the website of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration looking for new hydrographic surveys of Alaska.

“I was just checking the website before I headed out one day," he said, "and when I saw the survey results of an area near Ketchikan, all I can remember saying is, ‘Oh, my gosh!’" Buried inside the NOAA data were 3D renderings of a previously unknown volcano, beneath the depths of Behm Canal inside Misty Fjords National Monument.

The yet-to-be-named volcano differs from many on the ocean floor. Baichtal, a U.S. Forest Service geologist, says its top was likely above the water when it last erupted some 10,000 years ago. NOAA imaging and new underwater video of the area shows what appears to be leftovers of ash or cinder near the volcano crater.

Alaska Glaciers Are a Major Contributor to Global Sea Level Rise

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Accuweather.com - 5/27/13, 5/25/13

 

 

New, in-depth research on glacier mass losses and their contribution to the rising sea level between 2003 and 2009 shows that the world's mountain glaciers have contributed just as much melt water to rising sea level as the the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

Much of Alaska glacier ice is located near the coast, making it more susceptible to climate fluctuations, according to the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

 

For more on this story please see Accuweather.com

Two Volcanoes Erupting in Alaska: Scientists Are Monitoring and Providing Alerts On Pavlof and Cleveland Volcanoes

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Science News-May 24,2013

 

 

 

Located close to the western end of the Alaska Peninsula, Pavlof is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc, having erupted more than 40 times since the late 1700's.

Pavlof has been erupting since May 13, 2013, with relatively low-energy lava fountaining and minor emissions of ash, steam, and gas. So far, volcanic ash from this eruption has reached as high as 22,000 feet above sea level. The ash plume has interfered with regional airlines and resulted in trace amounts of ash fall on nearby communities. The ash plume is currently too low to impact commercial airliners that fly between North America and Asia at altitudes generally above 30,000 feet.

 

Read More: http://www.sciencedaily.com

 

Lava and Ash From Two Volcanoes Erupting in Alaska Pose Air Traffic Concerns

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Natureworldnews, By: James A. Foley, 05/15/2013

 

View of Pavlof's plume, about noon on May 14, 2013 Photograph taken from Cold Bay, which lies about 36 miles south of Pavlof.

 

The Alaskan Volcano Observatory (AVO) reported lava flowing from two of the state's volcanoes Tuesday, placing the mountains on the second-highest alert status and prompting concerns that air travel may be affected by volcanic ash. The volcanoes Cleveland and Pavlof are both along the Aleutian Island chain, where a significant volume of air traffic flies overhead. There is a code Orange aviation warning at both volcanoes, the AVO reported. 

 

Cleveland Volcano has been erupting for nearly three weeks and was placed on a code Orange alert earlier this month after gas and volcanic ash began billowing from the summit. However, Tuesday's report of a 32-foot-wide (100 meter) lava flow extending about a mile (1.5 kilometers) down the mountain's southern flank was the first report of lava from Cleveland since the volcano began erupting May 4.

 

Another Alaskan volcano threatens to blow: satellite imagery shows Mt. Pavlof volcano is ‘very, very hot’

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The Extinction Protocol, 5/14/13

 

 

May 14, 2013 – ALASKA - Another volcano in Alaska is heating up, with seismic instruments signaling a possible eruption. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says tremors were detected Monday at Pavlof Volcano 1,000 km southwest of Anchorage. John Power, the US Geological Survey scientist in charge at the observatory, said satellite imagery shows the volcano is “very, very hot.” Pavlof is 60km from the community of Cold Bay. The volcano last erupted in 2007. It’s the second Alaska volcano to rumble this month. Cleveland Volcano, on an uninhabited island in the Aleutian Islands, experienced a low-level eruption in early May. Power said satellite imagery shows the volcano continues to discharge steam, gas and heat, although no ash clouds have been detected in the past week. Cleveland is not monitored with seismic instruments. –News 24

 

Low-level eruption reported at Alaska’s Cleveland volcano

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The Extinction Protocol, 5/5/13

 

 

 

May 5, 2013 – ALASKA – Scientists say Alaska’s Cleveland Volcano is undergoing a continuous low-level eruption. The activity began with an explosion early Saturday morning, followed by two other explosions hours later. The Alaska Volcano Observatory and U.S. Geological Survey say satellites and cameras suggest low-level emissions of gas, steam and a small amount of ash. Satellites detected highly elevated surface temperatures at the summit. The Federal Aviation Administration said there are no flight restrictions as a result. The volcano in the Aleutian Islands is 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. Its most recent significant eruption began in February 2001 and featured three explosive events that sent ash clouds as high 39,000 feet above sea level. It also produced a rubbly lava flow and hot avalanche that reached the sea. –ABC News

 

Deep Freeze in Alaska

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Wunderground-4/14/13, Christopher C. Burt

 

 

April has so far been one of the coldest such on record for Fairbanks, Alaska as we near the month’s halfway point (UPDATE: See comments section). Cold and snow have dominated the weather across the state recently.

As of April 14th the temperature has averaged just 9.7°F (-12.4°C) in Fairbanks which is 16.7°F (9.3°C) below normal and about what it should be in early March. The coldest temperature so far this month was -21°F (-29.4°C) on April 11th, a far cry from the city’s all-time April low of -32°F (-35.6°C) set on April 4, 1944 but the cold has been exceptionally persistent.

 

For more information please see Wunderground.com

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