Environment

Oceanographer predicts human remains amid tsunami debris

An oceanographer who tracks flotsam says West Coast beachcombers may find floating athletic shoes with human remains as more debris from last year's Japanese tsunami finally washes ashore.

Pro-development luncheon turns into rally against EPA

A pro-development luncheon sponsored by Alaska business groups and featuring Gov. Sean Parnell among the speakers became a vehicle Tuesday to rally against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Partial solar eclipse will darken Alaska skies on Sunday

A partial eclipse of the sun will darken Alaska skies on Sunday afternoon, although the forecast for Anchorage is cloudy skies.

Excitement builds as solar eclipse nears

Millennium's first central eclipse visible in Alaska on Sunday

Mine could hurt Alaska salmon, EPA warns

The federal Environmental Protection Agency says a failure of the huge Pebble mine, planned near the headwaters of one of the world's premier salmon fisheries, could wipe out or degrade rivers and streams in the region for decades.

EPA's Pebble / Bristol Bay assessment

EPA's Bristol Bay mining study upsets Alaska officials

Alaska's notorious birch pollen tough on people with allergies

Alaska has some of the highest birch pollen counts in the world, experts say, and dry weather this spring may make the problem worse for Anchorage allergy sufferers.

Anchorage pollen count

Begich wants more resources to combat tsunami debris

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich wants the federal government to provide at least $45 million to clean up debris that will land on U.S. shores from last year's tsunami in Japan.

Hawaii's beaches are in retreat, and its way of life may follow

Little by little, Hawaii's iconic beaches are disappearing. Most beaches on the state's three largest islands are eroding, and it is likely to accelerate as sea levels rise, the U.S. Geological Survey says.

Unalaska agrees to upgrade sewage treatment plant

A settlement with federal authorities will require the city of Unalaska to spend at least $18 million on its sewage treatment plant.

EPA fines Juneau marina over underground tank

A Juneau marina has been fined $5,390 by the Environmental Protection Agency for a violation connected to an underground storage tank.

Shell asks judge to uphold drill permits ahead of lawsuits

Subsidiaries of Royal Dutch Shell PLC are making "improper use of the judicial system" by suing to head off challenges to permits that put them closer to exploratory drilling off Alaska's northern shores, an attorney for a conservation group said Friday.

Tsunami-swept Harley-Davidson found on Canadian beach

A Harley-Davidson motorcycle lost in last year's Japanese tsunami has washed up on a Canadian island about 4,000 miles away. The rusted bike floated across the Pacific in the large container in which its owner had kept it.

Tsunami debris onslaught called worse than Exxon Valdez oil spill

Greenpeace protesters board Shell icebreaker in Finland

Some 20 Greenpeace activists climbed onboard an icebreaker in Helsinki harbor, locking themselves onto the ship and attaching banners to its sides, to protest oil and gas exploration in the Arctic Ocean.

Clouds' effect on climate is last bastion for warming skeptics

With nearly every one of their arguments knocked down by accumulating evidence, climate change skeptics have seized on one last argument that cannot be so readily dismissed. Their theory is that clouds will save us.

US Navy lacks ability to operate in Arctic, games reveal

As global warming opens the Arctic Ocean to commercial and industrial traffic, the U.S. Navy is pushing to catch up with Russia, Canada and even Denmark in its Arctic ability. If a crisis were to happen now, the Navy lacks the ability to act in the Arctic without the help of one of those countries or the Coast Guard.

Ball that drifted to Alaska after Japan tsunami is going home

A teenager who lost his home in Japan's devastating tsunami more than a year ago now knows that one prized possession survived: a soccer ball that drifted all the way to an Alaska island.

Balls on Alaska beach may be first official tsunami debris

Some question whether sustainable seafood delivers on its promise

Seafood counters used to be simpler places, where a fish was labeled with its name and price. Nowadays, it carries more information than a used-car listing. But some scientists say the labels might give customers the impression that they're helping the ocean more than they really are.

Balls on Alaska beach may be first official tsunami debris

Two sports balls from Japan may be the first positively identified items from the Japan tsunami of last March to reach Alaska shores. According to an April 19 online notice from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Response and Restoration, a soccer ball and volleyball were found on the beach of Middleton Island by David Baxter, a technician at the radar site on the remote island in the Gulf of Alaska.

Ash cloud from short eruption dissipates

The Alaska Volcano Observatory said a brief eruption at Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands on Thursday sent up an ash cloud that quickly dissipated.

Feds again omit greenhouse gas from policy on polar bears

Polar bear management policy proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will continue to omit regulation of greenhouse gases blamed for the climate warming that's reducing the animals' summer sea ice habitat.

NOAA to update recovery plans for 2 whale species

School District seeks input on graduation requirements

The Anchorage School District is holding public meetings this week asking for feedback on proposed changes to graduation requirements.