Research news

Latest headlines

  • New funding advances earthquake early warning for Alaska

    March 24, 2026

    Federal funding approved earlier this year will allow for the first implementation steps of the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system to begin in Alaska, though its operation is not expected for several years and is contingent on continued financial support. The system can provide several seconds to a minute or more of warning and is being used in California, Oregon and Washington.

  • A woman in a red sweater, Jessie Young-Robertson, stands in a birch forest

    Seminar explores food, fiber and more from boreal forest

    March 23, 2026

    A University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher will share how differences in the boreal forest across the global North affect the way people use it and which plants and animals live there. The presentation by Jessie Young-Robertson, research associate professor of forest ecology with the UAF Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension, is part of the series "Circumpolar Connections: A Dialogue on Arctic Food Systems."

  • Researchers begin 1,600-mile journey across Alaska

    March 20, 2026

    University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers will launch a 1,600-mile snowmachine expedition along Alaska’s western and northern coasts Saturday, March 21, to exchange information about the evolving environment with communities en route.

  • Aerial view of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, showing a snow-covered coastal town bordered by sea ice. A long, narrow strip of open water called an open flaw lead cuts across the frozen ocean, separating the solid landfast ice attached to shore from the drifting pack ice farther offshore.

    New analysis shows continued loss of Arctic landfast sea ice

    March 20, 2026

    Sea ice is sticking to Alaska's northern coast for less time each year, according to 27 years of data analyzed by University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists.

  • A person rides a fat-tired bicycle on a rutted snowy trail through small snow-covered evergreens. A small black dog trots next to the bike.

    Time to hit the trail westward

    March 20, 2026

    On March 21, 2026, a friend and I will roll away from my house in Fairbanks on our fat bikes. We hope to ratchet our way west to Nome.

  • Participants in a 2022 international glaciology summer school walk across the rippled, blue-white surface of Root Glacier near McCarthy, Alaska. Three small figures move along a shallow ice ridge, surrounded by sweeping glacier valleys and steep, cloud-covered mountains in the distance.

    Research provides timely views of warming's impact on Alaska glaciers

    March 18, 2026

    Alaska's glaciers respond to climate change by melting for three additional weeks with every 1 degree Celsius increase in the average summer temperature, data from satellite-mounted radars show.

  • A pair of juvenile Chinook salmon emerge from the stomach of a northern pike caught on the Deshka River in Southcentral Alaska.

    Pike eat more as water warms, threatening native species

    March 18, 2026

    Rising temperatures in a Southcentral Alaska river have led to a hungrier population of invasive northern pike, a trend that could imperil native salmon and other fish species.

  • Three people cross-country ski along a snow-covered trail through a forest of frost-coated birch and spruce trees, heading toward a large satellite dish rising above the winter landscape at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The scene captures a snowy February day during the Winter Carnival Field Day on Feb. 14, 2026, when outdoor activities offered students the chance to try cross-country skiing, ice climbing, dog sledding, sledding and ice skating.

    Alaska climate report: February marked by cold and dynamic weather

    March 16, 2026

    February provided a full Alaska winter weather experience: coastal blizzards, strong temperature swings, heavy snowfall and more deep cold in many locations.

  • Three photographs show the progression of deep snow accumulation on top of a birdhouse.

    Alaska writer buckling under pressure

    March 13, 2026

    Thirty below again this morning. OK then. Time to reach for the baseball bat and fine-tune the weather station.

  • A person holds a northern pike with gloved hands. A juvenile coho salmon is inside the pike's mouth

    Webinar discusses devastation caused by invasive northern pike

    March 06, 2026

    A free Zoom webinar from noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, will provide an overview of how northern pike became an invasive problem in part of Alaska. The webinar is hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.

  • A dog stands on two chairs while a sculptor in a white coat works on a plaque, sitting on an easel, that bears the dog's image. A man wearing a tie stands behind the dog.

    Balto lives on long after run to glory

    March 06, 2026

    A dog that pulled his way into history has given scientists insight into what makes Alaska sled dogs and other working breeds unique.

  • Seen from inside a room, a marten peers into a window.

    Marten visits are a glimpse into mystery

    February 27, 2026

    A trapper fresh out of the Cosna River country in Interior Alaska said he can't believe how many martens he had caught in a small area so far this winter. Friends are talking about the house-cat size creatures visiting their wood piles and porches. Could this be a boom in the number of these handsome woodland creatures?

  • A southern Alaska resident killer whale catches a salmon at the surface.

    Southern Alaska killer whales eat a remarkably diverse diet

    February 23, 2026

    Fish-eating killer whales in southern Alaska have a diverse, seasonally changing diet featuring salmon and groundfish, according to a recently published study in the journal Ecosphere. The types of fish consumed also differ greatly across foraging hotspots in the region.

  • The full circling of a northern career

    February 20, 2026

    Hajo Eicken had "everything I could ever ask for" in his former career at a German institute. Well, almost everything.

  • A woman wearing an Alaska Grown shirt and a sunhat holds a big bunch of freshly harvested beets. Farm equipment is seen in the background.

    Presentation to discuss ongoing vegetable variety research

    February 20, 2026

    A presentation in Delta Junction will provide an overview of the vegetable-testing program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Katie DiCristina, the lead research technician for the Alaska Variety Trials program, will facilitate the in-depth discussion.

  • A woman wearing a sweater and scarf stands in front of a birch tree with a line of green tubing attached. Snow covers the ground.

    Talk to explore sub-Arctic education, forest products

    February 19, 2026

    A University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher will explore how OneTree Alaska can serve as a model for sub-Arctic education and development of forest products. The presentation is part of the series “Circumpolar Connections: A Dialogue on Arctic Food Systems.”

  • Two people walk along a paved path through trees and flowering plants in Georgeson Botanical Garden at the University of Alaska Fairbanks on June 19, 2025.

    Alaska climate report: 2025 ran warm

    February 13, 2026

    Alaska had one of its warmest years of the previous 100 in 2025, the Alaska Climate Research Center reports in its year-end summary. The Alaska Climate Research Center, part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, released its 2025 summary in late January.

  • A brown bird with a long curved bill sits in short brown shrubbery.

    Alaska lovebirds go their own way

    February 13, 2026

    During a month of endless summer light, a mated pair of shorebirds teaches their four chicks how to catch insects. The babies grow fat and strong on the tundra high in northeastern Alaska. They are soon ready for their first migration.

  • Two side-by-side images show NASA sounding rockets launching 30 seconds apart from Poker Flat Research Range, their bright trails rising past a faint aurora.

    Third 2026 mission launches from Poker Flat Research Range

    February 10, 2026

    A tandem of NASA sounding rockets blasted off from Poker Flat Research Range at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday on a mission to better understand how changes in the ionosphere influence the aurora's appearance.

  • Composite image consisting of portraits of Hajo Eicken and Scott Rupp

    IARC director tapped to lead Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute

    February 10, 2026

    Hajo Eicken, director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center, has been selected as scientific director at Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. Longtime UAF researcher and IARC leader Scott Rupp will step in as IARC's interim director.

See all UAF news
The VCR Report newsletter header
Weekly newsletter

Subscribe

Sign up to receive an emailed newsletter every Tuesday morning.

Submit content

Submit your content for the weekly newsletter.

 

Impact newsletter spring 2025 cover
Impact newsletter

Learn more about our Impact newsletter