Buckland Sets a Milestone for Rural Energy Capabilities With New Li-ion Battery. A few years ago, the village of Buckland in northwest Alaska set a milestone a leader in rural renewable energy when it got two turbines and three solar panels installed. Now, the village has hit an even more ambitious target: unofficially becoming the first village to power itself entirely off of renewable energy stored in recently installed lithium-ion batteries. KTUU

 

NASA's Investigating the Impact of Arctic Wildfires on Earth. Here's Why. Using a combination of field and laboratory work, as well as satellite and airborne observations, NASA is launching a study of the effects of Arctic wildfires in Alaska on the surrounding habitat and people's health, as well as how the increased frequency of these events affects climate forecasting. Wildfires in the Arctic are usually started by lightning strikes and left to burn unless they get too close to infrastructure or people, according to a statement by NASA. Space

 

Dropping Meteorological Buoys in the Arctic. The crew flew to Resolute Bay, Nunavut, which served as their home base for the two days it took to successfully drop the buoys. Resolute Bay is an Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island, with a population of about 200. This time of year, they experience 24 hours of daylight and an average temperature of 4.5 C. The buoys themselves came in two flavors: three large ones, which were dropped from 91.5 meters above the water, and eight small ones, which were dropped from about 305 meters over either ice or water. If it was not too foggy, the buoys could be seen parachuting down to the white earth below. Once each settled, the meteorologist on board could almost immediately pinpoint its location. Skies Magazine

Housing Research Center Loses All State Funding. On land leased from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, there sits a large building with a long history. It's the Cold Climate Housing Research Center. "Our facility here is considered to be the most energy-efficient building in the world at this latitude, and was runner-up by Siemens Corp. for the smartest building in America," said Director Jack Hebert. "So, (we've got) quite a legacy over the last 20 years." The Arctic Sounder

Dozens of Dead Seabirds Found on Kivalina Coast. Kivalina residents were greeted with an unwelcome surprise on their beaches last week. People driving four-wheelers along the coast counted dozens of dead seabirds scattered across the ground. "(They were) both nearby and far away, all down the coastline going south," said resident Rojo Adams. "We stopped counting at 65." The Arctic Sounder