University Of Alaska Fairbanks News

Sea ice predictions have improved markedly since the founding of an international forecasting and monitoring network 14 years ago.“These forecasts are quite encouraging in their increasing accuracy,” said Uma Bhatt, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Bhatt spoke about the Sea Ice Prediction Network at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting last month.As the amount of sea ice in the Arctic declines, thins and becomes more mobile…

The research vessel Sikuliaq navigated among and around the chunks and slabs of Arctic sea ice above Alaska for several weeks on two voyages this fall, breaking through frozen slabs when it had to, just as its sturdy hull is designed to do. It's now on a third trip.The Sikuliaq, a 261-ft. ice-capable research vessel operated by UAF, pauses in the Arctic Ocean in June 2021 during its fifth year of operation. A few months later, it traveled farther north than ever before — almost 500 miles beyond Point Barrow.Satellite imagery produced at the Geographic Information Network of Alaska…

The Bering Sea ice cover during the winters of 2018 and 2019 hit new lows not seen in thousands of years, scientists reported on Wednesday, adding to concerns about the accelerating impact of climate change in the Arctic.Satellite data provides a clear picture of how sea ice has changed over the last four decades in the region between the Arctic and northern Pacific oceans. Beyond that, the only ice records available were those recorded in ship logs and other observations.So scientists turned to peat land, which holds organic compounds from plants dating back millennia, on the remote St.

The College of Fisheries and Marine Science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks added a new Armstrong Marine-built research vessel to its fleet, Nanuq, which arrived in Seward, Alaska, ealiers this summer.The Port Angeles, Wash.-based boatbuilder designed the 40-foot aluminum hulled boat and Pacific Power Group, working closely with Armstrong, fit the vessel with a pair of Volvo Penta D6 engines that each deliver 330hp. The engines are paired with Aquamatic outdrives and Volvo…

The 40’ x 13’ research vessel Nanuq recently entered service for the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. In a competitive solicitation process last year, the University selected Armstrong Marine’s proposal to design and build the vessel.Nanuq is customized for research and teaching operations. The monohull features 28 – 32 knot cruise speed, hydraulic A-frame, overnight accommodations for five, full-service galley, head, Northern Lights 5kW diesel generator…

Rapp Marine said it has been selected by Gulf Island Shipyard, LLC, as the Overboard Handling System Single Source Vendor (OHS SSV) for Oregon State University’s (OSU) 193 ft x 41 ft multi-mission Regional Class Research Vessel (RCRV), with the option of two additional vessels. Funding for the RCRV project is provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the contract design of the RCRV was developed by Glosten. The first vessel is currently under construction at Gulf Island Shipyard in Houma, La.

Arctic Ocean is facing a dilemma today and that is acidification. Ocean acidification is a result or a chemical reaction which happens when seawater absorbs too much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—reducing its acidity, carbon ion concentration and saturation. The Arctic marine species stand endangered amidst the alarming rise in ocean acidification. A new research by the NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory claims the disastrous effects of the drastically rising acidity levels of Arctic Ocean on the marine species. The research has revealed that the surface waters of three seas under study, could reach such levels of acidity that would threaten the ability of animals to build and maintain their shells…

While ships have used electricity to help power vessels for a long time, new and sophisticated diesel-electric technologies are making serious gains in efficiency, noise and environmental impact, and is becoming the propulsion system of choice for some high profile names. A recent case is the diesel-electric powered, RV Sikuliaq (pronounced “see-koo-lee-auk,” an Inupiaq term meaning “young sea ice.”), a vessel embarking on a lifetime of studies in the polar sea region, including examining the effects of climate change and increased human presence in the Arctic.

MTU, a Rolls-Royce brand, was chosen to power the Sikuliaq, a U.S. academic research vessel tailor-made for oceanographic research. The Sikuliaq, one of the most advanced university research vessels in the world, is owned by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks as a part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System’s academic research fleet. The Sikuliaq is powered by a total of four MTU Series 4000 Ironmen engines, two of which are MTU 16V 4000 M23S marine generator engines.

NOAA, NASA and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have joined together to support three demonstration projects that will lay the foundation for the first national network to monitor marine biodiversity at scales ranging from microbes to whales. The projects, to be funded at approximately $17 million over the next five years, subject to the availability of funds, will demonstrate how a national operational marine biodiversity observation network could be developed. Such a network would serve as a marine resource management tool to conserve existing biodiversity and enhance U.S. biosecurity against threats such as invasive species and infectious agents.

At the July 23, 2014, hearing of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on “Implementing U.S. Policy in the Arctic” the committee chairman, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), opened the proceedings by holding up a graphic of the icebreaker fleets of the world—which depicts nearly 40 Russian icebreakers—and then commented on the “dismal state” of the U.S. icebreaker situation. The hearing background paper noted that the United States presently has only two working polar class icebreakers…

Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell delivered the keynote address yesterday at the Arctic Collaborative Workshop in Fairbanks. Treadwell discussed five reasons why Arctic national security should be a national priority: energy development and security, shipping opportunities and safety, assessing and mitigating changes in climate and fisheries, attaining land access and territorial claims, and promoting the Arctic’s strategic position for military cooperation. “We need to go to the Arctic with purpose,” Treadwell said.

Olgoonik/Fairweather, LLC, in conjunction with a team of scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Texas at Austin, the Florida Institute of Technology, Battelle Memorial Institute and Kinnetic Laboratories, Inc., has been awarded the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) contract to continue environmental monitoring research in the Beaufort Sea. The project is titled Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in the Development Area (ANIMIDA III). ANIMIDA…

Crowley Maritime Corporation recently awarded four Thomas B. Crowley, Sr., Memorial Scholarships to University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) students Alexandra Bateman, Gabrielle Bragg, Diloola Erickson and Kimberly Greenway. These students were chosen for their outstanding academic records and having met other scholarship criteria. They each received $2,500 toward tuition. Preferences for Crowley-funded UAF scholarships are given to Alaska natives from Crowley-served communities throughout the state…

Tschudi Shipping Co., one of Norway's oldest shipping firms, will begin exploring the possibility of establishing a transshipment port in western Alaska, Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell said today. Treadwell, who leads the state's work with the eight-nation Arctic Council, applauded Tschudi's decision, saying it is a tremendous step toward developing Alaska's economic opportunities related to Arctic shipping. Tschudi Shipping Co. is owned and operated by the fourth generation of the Tschudi family and operates shipping…

Members of the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, under the guidance of the Coast Guard’s recently released Arctic Strategy, worked with partner federal agencies and scientific organizations to successfully complete a simulated spilled oil response and recovery exercise aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy on the Arctic ice field Tuesday. The exercise involved air, surface and underwater assets to simulate the detection and recovery of oil from ice-strewn water. Assets…

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) plans to test and evaluate oil spill detection and recovery technologies in the Arctic Ocean as part of Operation Arctic Shield 2013. A multi-agency team of engineers and scientists led by RDC researchers will conduct a series of demonstrations in September 2013 aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy to test and evaluate capabilities of various unmanned aerial systems (UAS), an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to search for simulated oil spills.

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) plans to test and evaluate oil spill detection and recovery technologies in the Arctic Ocean as part of Operation Arctic Shield 2013. A multi-agency team of engineers and scientists led by RDC researchers will conduct a series of demonstrations in September aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy to test and evaluate capabilities of various unmanned aerial systems (UAS), an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to search for simulated oil spills.

New bills introduced by US Senator Mark Begich are aimed to strengthen Arctic science, health and diplomacy. "As we face an Arctic Ocean which is increasingly ice-free, our country has both an historic opportunity and enormous challenges,” U.S. Sen. Mark Begich said. Strengthening America’s understanding of changes underway in the Arctic, the impacts of Arctic warming on the health of northern residents and strengthening the nation’s international presence in the Arctic are the subjects of three bills recently introduced in the Senate by Begich .

Rapp Hydema has been supplying deck machinery to research vessels since 1977, but this global market recently became especially significant for the group. In 2002, in what would be a watershed project, Rapp Hydema was chosen to outfit the NOAA Fishery Survey Vessel (FSV) Oscar Dyson class of vessels. The first four ships in the class were being constructed at VT Halter Marine Shipyard. “That NOAA research vessel contract provided us with excellent exposure,” said Johann Sigurjonsson, President of Rapp Hydema U.S.

Four University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) students receive Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship grants totalling US$10,000. Four University of Alaska Fairbanks students began spring classes this week with their semester financially covered thanks in part to $10,000 in Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship grants. UAF students Rodney Hobby, Lucas Stumpf, Maggie Ann Beans and Amber Jones, who were chosen for having outstanding academic records and meeting other scholarship criteria, each received $2,500 toward their tuition.

The 3,800-ton Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV) R/V Sikuliaq was launched on Oct. 13, 2012, at Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis. Sikuliaq (pronounced see-KOO-lee-ack) will be operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences for the National Science Foundation as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet. The 261-foot global class ice-capable research vessel R/V Sikuliaq was designed by Glosten Associates. "R/V Sikuliaq is one of the most advanced research vessels in the world," said NSF Director Subra Suresh.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announce launch of  'R/V Sikuliaq', a 'next-generation' global class research vessel. The NSC new-building project was in cooperation with the Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF). MMC is the Wisconsin shipyard that built the ship with funding provided by NSF through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. UAF's School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences will operate the ship as part of the U.S. academic research fleet.