Climate Watch

By Rick Thoman Alaska Climate Specialist Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy International Arctic Research Center/University of Alaska Fairbanks

In western Alaska, complex interactions between the ocean and atmosphere with land, snow and ice create extreme weather on a regular basis and dramatic contrasts in weather in short distances. We need up-to-date conditions to plan for safe work, travel and recreation. Weather information can help with this especially when we can see not only what it’s like at a specific moment in time but how the conditions vary over the course of hours.

The graphic shows the state and Unfortunately, the nearly complete federal agency operated automated automation of weather and climate weather stations that were active in observations in western Alaska, 2023. As we are all too well aware, combined with inadequate telecommunications

Barge caught after drifting

even this “rosy” picture is nowhere systems and the centralization near sufficient for western Alaska of maintenance functions in

loose in Bering Strait

needs, as this is not a realistic picture urban Alaska, has resulted in observations of what weather information is available that are most definitely not because all these sites are not consistent and reliable, or even no providing readily available information longer exist at all. at the same time. People in rural Alaska are incredibly

Climate information is fundamentally resourceful and resilient, but different because it provides us gathering this kind of information for with a much longer history and a our safety today and planning for tomorrow way to understand our rapidly changing is not something we can do environment in relation to what by ourselves. we and our ancestors experienced. In As Americans on the front lines of the western science way, that means climate change we deserve much consistent and reliable environmental better than we’re getting. observations.