Title: Alaska’s Changing Environment | IARC
Headings: Alaska's Changing Environment 2019
Alaska's Changing Environment 2019
Documenting Alaska's physical and biological changes through observations
Seasons
Big fire seasons more frequent
Dramatically more smoky days
Storminess not increasing
River break-up happening earlier

Content: Precipitation overall has increased, and like temperature, the changes vary regionally. The ocean around Alaska is now regularly warmer than at any time in the past 150 years, affecting everything from algae to fisheries and human health. Coastal flooding during the autumn storm season has occurred on the Bering Sea coast throughout history, but recent winters have brought record low ice, which in the past has served as a buffer to big Bering Sea storms. This has resulted in out-of-season flooding occurring in places expecting stable sea ice. We have compiled observations through August 2019 about the major changes currently affecting Alaska's physical and biological systems. We focus on the past five years, though we also provide information from earlier decades for historical context. This effort is by no means comprehensive, but serves to highlight the monumental shifts occurring in our state. We welcome additional contributions to future iterations of this product. Contact us
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Seasons Temperature Precipitation Snow Sea Ice Ocean Land Plants Animals and Fish Humans Rural Observations Acknowledgments
Seasons
Alaska's boreal forest evolved to burn, but fires are becoming larger and hotter as the climate warms. ( SNAP)
Seasons
Many factors in Alaska's environment are specific to certain times of year: