GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS OF KUAC-TV DOCUMENTARY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 1997

Fairbanks, Alaska — A pronounced warming in the Arctic is ushering in a new era of scientific collaboration aimed at unraveling the complicated processes affecting the Earth's changing climate.

A new documentary by award-winning producers at PBS affiliate KUAC-TV in Fairbanks tracks a group of scientists for a year as they work on Alaska's North Slope to unlock clues buried in the Arctic's permafrost, snow, ice and rivers - sign posts that will help them assess the possible impacts of a world growing warmer.

The documentary "The Changing Arctic" will air on Alaska One stations in Fairbanks, Juneau and Bethel Thursday, Aug. 14, 8:30 p.m.

From the frigid cold of an Arctic winter to the continuous light of 24-hour Arctic summer day, when the sun is often blotted out by hordes of hungry mosquitoes, more than 70 scientists and their students from throughout the nation are conducting a variety of investigations. Scientists who in the past focused narrowly on their particular field, whether it was the atmosphere, river systems, permafrost, vegetation, snow or ice, are now sharing data with their colleagues as they discover the immense complexity and interaction of each area contributing to and affecting global climate change.

Using everything from simple metal probes to high-tech computers and experimental aircraft, researchers hope to predict future climate changes and the ramifications on people living in the Far North. But to forecast change and provide data for policy makers to plan for the future, scientists must first have a clear and basic understanding of how the different components of the Arctic's complex system work independently and together.

Scientists largely agree that the environmental changes they are beginning to document now are likely to become more pronounced in the coming decades. The extent and thickness of seasonal snow cover, sea ice, permafrost, glaciers and ice sheets are all expected to decrease as the climate warms.

For the oil industry, this could be good news. Less sea ice would open trans-arctic shipping routes and create easier offshore development.

For subsistence users and the fishing industry, the changes would pose a different set of concerns. Altering fish and wildlife habitats could affect population, range and availability of harvests.

As scientists try to build a model of what the Arctic's future climate might be like, they are also modeling the future of science.

"A new era of scientific cooperation is taking place," said Gunter Weller, University of Alaska Fairbanks geophysics professor emeritus and director of UAF's Center for Global Change and Arctic System Science.

"Polar regions play an essential role in the processes affecting the world's climate. It is essential that scientists conduct interdisciplinary research in this area," said Weller, who is one of 22 U.S. scientists featured in the documentary.

The documentary was funded by the National Science Foundation through UAF's Center for Global Change.

CONTACT: KUAC-TV Promotions Coordinator Scott Matheson, (907) 474-5036, or UAF Public Information Officer Debra Damron, (907) 474-7122.

DPD/7-31-97/97/98-006