Home

Atmospheric Sciences
The Atmospheric Sciences group studies the physical, chemical and dynamical processes
of the atmosphere from the unique vantage point of the polar region. The group strives to understand
the polar atmosphere and its role within the Earth system. Many topics bear directly on societal issues
related to climate variability and change.
Read more
Space Physics and Aeronomy
The Space Physics & Aeronomy research group studies Earth's geospace environment,
which extends from the surface of the sun to Earth's atmosphere. The group uses
ground-based observations of magnetic fluctuations, infrasound, light from
auroral emissions, and radio signals reflected from ionospheric irregularities.
Read more
Snow, Ice and Permafrost
The Snow, Ice & Permafrost research group seeks to understand the properties of Earth's
icy regions, known as the cryosphere, and the physical processes that occur within them.
Scientists study the role of snow, ice and permafrost in shaping the landscape, and the
changes that occur as the Arctic climate warms.
Read more
Seismology and Geodesy
The Seismology group conducts research and monitors Alaska's earthquakes and tsunamis. The group
includes the State Seismology Lab. Alaska lies in a tectonically complex region bounded by a major
subduction zone. The group carries out high-resolution seismic recordings and studies the motion
and configuration of tectonic plates.
Read more
Tectonics and Sedimentation
The Tectonics & Sedimentation research group strives to reconstruct the processes of Earth's
history over a variety of timescales. Alaska and the adjacent regions of the circumpolar north
provide a rich environment for such research. The Pacific North American and Eurasian plates
meet in Alaska, creating a natural laboratory for research in this area.
Read more
Remote Sensing
The Remote Sensing group develops and uses data from satellite, ground-based and
airborne sources to address Earth and planetary science topics. The group studies
volcanology, sea ice, permafrost, crustal deformation, impact craters, land use and
hazard monitoring.
Read more
Volcanology
Alaska is the nation's most volcanically active state, with eruptions of broad impact. The Volcanology
group studies volcanoes and eruptions using remote sensing, infrasound, chemical analyses,
and special instrumentation. The group also studies volcanoes throughout the world and maintains
active collaborations with Alaska Volcano Observatory partners and with other universities worldwide.
Read more

Sergey Marchenko stands off the Nome-Council Road on the Seward Peninsula during one of his early Alaska fieldwork travels. Photo courtesy Vladimir Romanovsky.

Remembering Sergey Marchenko: Internationally known geocryologist

Geophysical Institute

July 2, 2024

The Geophysical Institute lost a longtime member of its permafrost team last week with the death in Fairbanks of Research Associate Professor...

Elisabeth Nadin holds her signed copy of “Eruption.” She assisted author James Patterson with information about volcanoes. Photo by Brian Whitten

UAF science communicator gets an explosion of literary notoriety

Geophysical Institute

June 28, 2024

A little bit of fame can be just an email or phone call away. That happened for Elisabeth Nadin, communications manager at the Alaska Earthquake...

Poorly understood multiscale ripples in the lower thermosphere-ionosphere regionh, as depicted in the gray-scale ground track, are the result of atmospheric wave forcing from below. Image by University of Colorado Boulder, Johns Hopkins APL

UAF on team in NASA-funded space weather project competition

Geophysical Institute

June 25, 2024

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is part of a team led by the University of Colorado Boulder and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory that...

more news

More Students

more researchers

Hollembaek Hill rises from the flats of Interior Alaska near the Tanana River in Delta Junction. Photo by Ned Rozell.

Signs of ancient man’s best friend on hilltop?

DELTA JUNCTION — On this rock outcrop 30 feet above the gray Tanana River and green hayfields cleared from the forest below, archaeologists have possibly found evidence of the canine companions of

Insects like these flies clinging to a tent seem to be in ample supply in Alaska’s boreal forest. Photo by Ned Rozell.

Insects of Alaska forest humming along

Recent long-term studies revealed a three-quarters reduction of insects in parts of Germany and an 80 percent decline of pollinating flies at a field site in Greenland.

Competitors in the AlaskAcross 2024 race prepare to depart from Eagle Summit at 10 a.m. on June 8, 2024. From left are Bruno Grunau, Mark Ross, Forest Wagner, Mike Fisher, Sarah Hurkett, Clinton Brown, Tracie Curry and Curtis Henry. Photo by Ned Rozell.

Journey through a sub-Arctic summer night

“You guys are the result of thousands of years of selection,” Fran Kohl said. “You haven’t scratched the surface of what you can do with those bodies and brains.”

People often use sea ice, as seen here off Alaska’s northern coast outside the town of Utqiaġvik, for travelling. Photo by Ned Rozell.

Did sea ice help populate the Americas?

Human footprints preserved in mud at White Sands National Park in New Mexico suggest that humans arrived there — possibly via Alaska — at least 21,000 years ago.