Most of Point Lay’s residential area sits on permafrost that is rapidly thawing. The subsiding ground exposes more of each building’s support pilings. UAF photo by Benjamin Jones

Article

Research highlights rapid permafrost thaw at Point Lay, Alaska

Geophysical Institute
September 16, 2025
A team of scientists working with local residents has detailed the rapidly accelerating “catastrophic” permafrost thawing and infrastructure...
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The seasonal transition that began in August and continues in September is well underway in Interior Alaska. The season’s changing colors are visible around the West Ridge of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Troth Yeddha’ campus in early September. UAF photo by Eric Marshall

Article

Alaska climate report: August, a time of meteorological change

Geophysical Institute
September 9, 2025
August was a bit of a weather yo-yo in some parts of Alaska. Kotzebue, Nome and Bethel had warm weather in the month’s first week but cooler than...
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Drilling to the bed of thick, flowing ice is highly challenging and has never been undertaken for the sustained period required to maintain the drainage of subglacial water, the researcher paper’s authors write. Illustration is from the research paper

Article

Researchers reject geo-engineering as a climate-warming response

Geophysical Institute
September 9, 2025
Proposals to reduce climate warming in the polar regions through geo-engineering rather than carbon emission cutbacks would be dangerous and...
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Some of the 300 people who attended the 2024 Alaska Defense Forum listen during a session at the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center. The 2025 forum, set for Aug. 25-27 at the 8 Star Event Center, is the sixth year the forum has been held. Photo by RED Photography

Article

Geophysical Institute organizes defense forum to discuss shared goals

Geophysical Institute
August 21, 2025
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute has organized this year’s Alaska Defense Forum, which brings together military leaders...
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Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcano is one of 12 confirmed submarine volcanoes along a segment of the larger Tonga-Kermadec volcanic arc. Photo courtesy of Tonga Geological Services via the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program

Article

2022 Pacific volcano eruption made a deep dive into Alaska

Geophysical Institute
August 20, 2025
Atmospheric waves from a massive 2022 South Pacific volcanic eruption created seismic waves that penetrated Earth to at least 5 kilometers in...
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Debris from an Aug. 10, 2025, landslide in Southeast Alaska spilled into Tracy Arm and onto South Sawyer Glacier. Dirt, rock and debris now fill an area of the fjord in the lower left of the photo. Image from video by Lt. Chip Baucom and Cmdr. PJ Johansen, U.S. Coast Guard

Article

Tsunami-causing slide was largest in decade, earthquake center finds

Geophysical Institute
August 12, 2025
Sunday’s massive tsunami-causing landslide in Southeast Alaska likely sent more than 100 million cubic meters of debris into an icy fjord and...
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Monthly mean temperature departure from normal, July 2025, at selected stations in Alaska. A technical issue in Yakutat is causing erroneously high temperature readings at the station.

Article

Alaska climate report: Above and below normal, July had it all

Geophysical Institute
August 12, 2025
Nome was a hot place to be in early July. The temperature was 20 degrees above normal at one point during that period, according to the monthly...
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This chart shows warning times that could have been provided in advance of peak shaking from the July 16, 2025, magnitude 7.3 earthquake near Sand Point, Alaska, if Alaska had an early warning system. Chart courtesy of Alex Fozkos

Article

Research shows early quake warning system could provide critical seconds

Geophysical Institute
August 5, 2025
A proposed earthquake early warning system could have provided several Alaska communities an alert of 10 seconds or more ahead of strong shaking...
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The Indian Space Research Organization’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeastern coast with the NISAR satellite at 4:10 a.m. Alaska time Wednesday. ISRO photo

Article

UAF satellite facility to manage massive NASA data surge

Geophysical Institute
July 31, 2025
Years of preparation by the Alaska Satellite Facility will ensure that a flood of freely available data from a NASA-India satellite mission that...
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About

Since it was established by an Act of Congress in 1946, scientists at the Geophysical Institute have studied geophysical processes from the center of the Earth to the surface of the sun and beyond, turning data and observations into information useful for state, Arctic and national priorities.

Contact info

The GI is located on the West Ridge of the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

2156 Koyukuk Drive
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775

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