But oil production is slowing, and state officials are considering what comes next. As in the past, some Alaskans are seeking the next windfall underground. Governor Sarah Palin wants to build a 3,mile pipeline to carry natural gas from the North Slope to Canadian and Midwest markets. Because the project would follow the existing oil pipeline and highways, it has not raised significant opposition. More controversial is the Pebble prospect, a copper and gold mine near the headwaters of valuable sockeye salmon fisheries in Bristol Bay.
Prevailing weather patterns and very warm temperatures have kept the snow low in parts of Alaska last winter Persistent warmth has baked the northern latitudes, making snow a no show in parts of Alaska Sea level threats down to zip code Type a coastal place name in Alaska and find local projections, maps and potential impacts on people, infrastructure, and much more with our interactive tool.
Sign up for email updates to stay informed about what your state is doing to mitigate weather risks. Frequent storms in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas already affect the coasts during much of the year. Annual Number of Storms at Barrow Alaska, northernmost town in the United States The number of coastal storms has generally increased as the amount of ice along the coast has decreased. This increase threatens commercial activity and communities in Alaska.
The blue line indicates the annual number of open-water storms, those occurring in primarily ice-free water July to December. The purple line indicates the number of storms occurring when thick sea ice is present January to June. The black and green lines are smoothed using 5-year averages. Image Reference: University of Alaska Increasing storm activity in autumn in recent years 31 has delayed or prevented barge operations that supply coastal communities with fuel.
Commercial fishing fleets and other marine traffic are also strongly affected by Bering Sea storms. High-wind events have become more frequent along the western and northern coasts. The same regions are experiencing increasingly long sea-ice-free seasons and hence longer periods during which coastal areas are especially vulnerable to wind and wave damage. Downtown streets in Nome, Alaska, have flooded in recent years. Coastal erosion is causing the shorelines of some areas to retreat at average rates of tens of feet per year.
The ground beneath several native communities is literally crumbling into the sea, forcing residents to confront difficult and expensive choices between relocation and engineering strategies that require continuing investments despite their uncertain effectiveness see Society sector.
The other lines are projected assuming a conservative erosion rate of 36 to 83 feet per year; however, Newtok residents reported a July erosion rate of feet per year. Image Reference: U. Army Corps of Engineers Over this century, an increase of sea surface temperatures and a reduction of ice cover are likely to lead to northward shifts in the Pacific storm track and increased impacts on coastal Alaska.
Alaska leads the United States in the value of its commercial fishing catch. In addition, many Native communities depend on local harvests of fish, walruses, seals, whales, seabirds, and other marine species for their food supply. Climate change causes significant alterations in marine ecosystems with important implications for fisheries.
It is 'climate changed. And today, sea ice is forming later in the season and melting earlier. In fact, the average amount of ice covering ocean water around Alaska in September has gone down 13 percent over the last four decades — the equivalent of losing a hunk of sea ice the size of Scotland.
And climate models show that, by , Arctic waters could be totally ice-free in the late summer. The IARC puts it starkly in its report :. Nothing in the Alaska environment is changing faster than sea ice. These dramatic changes in sea ice are impacting the lives of Alaskans across the state. More than 20 years ago, it became clear that the permafrost Newtok was built on may not be so permanent after all, thanks to rising temperatures. Community leaders are hoping the relocation will be completed by Gavin Dixon, the community development manager for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, told PBS NewsHour that in , seven homes would have been swallowed up by the river had they already not been demolished.
A lot of times, when a community faces a disaster, it's an event. It's a tornado.
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