Trails to the Whale: a new book documenting nearly 20 years of mapping sea ice trails near Utqiaġvik, Alaska

skin boat on lead edge

Each spring, Iñupiat hunters route and build trails across the shorefast sea ice off Utqiaġvik, Alaska to access hunting sites along the lead edge as they pursue the bowhead whale during its spring migration to the Beaufort Sea. Since 2007, an ongoing collaboration between whalers, scientists, and local organizations have worked together to map and…

Kimberly Kivvaq Pikok defends her M.S. Thesis

Kim Pikok

We are so proud of Kimberly Kivvaq Pikok, who defended her Master of Science Thesis in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Fairbanks Alaska on October 1, 2024. Kim delivered her defense titled “Centering community and joy through co-production: Tracking the seasonal changes of Utqiagvik’s spring whaling” from her Iñupiaq homelands in Utqiagvik, Alaska with…

Summer 2024 Newsletter

Polar bear next to kayak on ice edge

We are excited to share the latest edition of AAOKH News, from the Alaska Arctic Observatory & Knowledge Hub (AAOKH). This Summer 2024 newsletter is being mailed in print to all mailbox-holders in AAOKH communities. Another packed edition with exciting updates, highlights include:

Hot off the press: check out our Winter 2023 newsletter!

Polar bear walking through water with seagulls in front

We are excited to share the latest edition of AAOKH News, from the Alaska Arctic Observatory & Knowledge Hub (AAOKH). This will be sent in print to all mailbox-holders in AAOKH communities, but you can read it online here! This edition is jam-packed, featuring summaries of: 

Explore our new StoryMap to learn about Arctic change from the perspective of AAOKH observers

Billy Adams standing on sea ice during sunset

Announcing the launch of a new online product sharing ‘Insights from Coastal Arctic Indigenous observers,’ expertly curated by Roberta Tuurraq Glenn as part of her M.S. degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks. As explained in the StoryMap: “Community-based observations from AAOKH observers offer insight into the impacts of rapid Arctic environmental change from a local…

New maps available: ice trails used by Utqiaġvik whalers

whaling boat on ice

Similar to previous years, we are excited to share ice trail maps used by Utqiaġvik whalers, including a map of ice thickness along the trails. Josh Jones (AAOKH) and Matt Drukenmiller (NSIDC) have taken the lead on this mapping effort, with support from Craig George, Kimberly Kivvaq Pikok, and several team members from the UAF…

Read about our latest work in the new Winter 2021 AAOKH Newsletter!

The latest AAOKH News is headed to mailbox holders in AAOKH communities – read it here first! The Winter 2021 newsletter highlights: key observations over the past summer and fall, including evidence of killer whales in the Beaufort Sea recent weather and climate patterns perspectives from Billy Adams in Utqiagvik, in the Observer’s Corner section…

We’re hiring! New Post Doctoral Position!

The Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub (AAOKH) at the International Arctic Research Center and University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) seeks a Post Doctoral Fellow interested in applied transdisciplinary data science. We are searching for early career researchers interested in collaborative approaches to improve the relevance and usefulness of community-based environmental observations across coastal Arctic…