Climate & Environment/Science

A look at the topic of pollution response in the Bering Strait was the item of discussion during a recent installment of the Strait Science lecture series, sponsored by the University of Alaska Northwest Campus.

Concerns over health issues such as cancer and other diseases have driven researchers and members of the Sivuqaqcommunities of Savoonga and Gambell to investigate a connection between failing health and environmental contaminants.

The Sea Ice for Walruses Outlook, or SIWO, team is comprised of Amy Hendricks, a climate scientist at UAF, and Nathan Kettle, an expert in climate adaptation at UAF. SIWO led a Strait Science presentation addressing the connected issues of sea ice, weather and walruses in the Bering Strait region.

Larry Hinzman, a longtime University of Alaska researcher and Assistant Director of Polar Sciences in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said climate change in the Bering Strait region has implications for food security in a UAF NW Strait Science lecture.

Western Alaskans have an extra two weeks to apply for state and federal disaster assistance as recovery efforts from ex-Typhoon Merbok are still ongoing in various communities.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is providing $9 million to pay for needed repairs in Western Alaska. FHWA released the emergency relief funds on Oct. 6 to help cover the cost of damages incurred by the remnants of Typhoon Merbok.

Representative Mary Peltola said, “it’s really incumbent upon all of us to do what we can on our end to make it as painless on residents as we can.”

The City of Unalakleet now has a working generator to power its local water plant, but the community plans to be on a boil water notice for an extended period of time.

Countless numbers of Western Alaskans have lost subsistence resources, food, and even camps that ties them to the land. While various agencies are still assessing the scope of damage from the storm, residents are processing what this loss means to them and their families.