Nome Port Commission Seeks Funding for Incinerator, Discusses Fuel Dispersants, Wave Buoy
The incinerator would handle waste from foreign ships — but the Port needs to find a way to pay for it. A new wave buoy will arrive in early July, providing real-time data.
Shrinking Sea Ice
KNOM airs three daily reports of sea ice location in Western Alaska. This information has been especially important lately, as local sea ice cover has continued to decline, year over year, bringing severe impacts to our listeners.
Marine Biologists Seek Answers in a Warmer Bering Sea
A group of marine scientists is visiting Western Alaska this week to discuss the results of a second bottom-trawl survey of the northern Bering Sea.
Aboard NOAA Ship, Challenges and Adventure While Mapping Sea Floor
In Alaska, summertime is an opportunity for an “adventure” of discovery: exploring and updating ocean floor maps of Alaska’s coastal waters. These are places few people have seen, says a crewman of one NOAA vessel.
NOAA To Consider Bowhead Whale Catch Limits
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has announced it intends to formally assess the impacts of issuing annual catch limits for the subsistence harvest of bowhead whales. Any changes would go into effect in 2019.
NOAA Scientist Finds Rare Whales in the Bering Sea
A NOAA researcher used underwater sound to locate one of the rarest animals in the Bering Sea.
Norton Sound Beluga Whale Population is “Abundant,” New Survey Suggests
According to the survey’s late June count, 917 whales have been seen in the Norton Sound. In a NOAA Fisheries press release, the surveyors said these numbers “put us well on track to being able to update the abundance estimate for this population of belugas.”
Nome Resident to Represent Alaska on Regional Fishery Management Council
The US Commerce Department has appointed Nome resident Simon Kinneen to a seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. He begins his 3-year term August 12th.
Double-Barreled Blizzards
Two storms of exceptional strength ripped through KNOM country at the end of 2016. They’re the latest reason why KNOM’s weather forecasts are so important — and why our mission is partnering in a new way with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).