Annie Feidt, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Annie Feidt is the broadcast managing editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at afeidt@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Annie here.
Ask a Climatologist: Should we be worried about methane hydrates on the sea floor?
What are methane hydrates and what role could they play in global warming? That’s the question a listener posed this week for the segment Ask a Climatologist. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Arctic sea ice drives climate around the globe
Arctic sea ice extent hit a new record low in March for the third year in a row. That sea ice, or lack of it, drives climate patterns around the globe. But how? Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Clear and cold on repeat
For most of the state the weather forecast has been pretty simple for the entire month of March: cold and clear. But how unusual is that? Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: The sun is back and so is winter melt
March has brought sun to much of the state. But not a lot of warm temperatures. That weather combination prompted a listener to email to ask why some ice and snow is disappearing, even though it’s well below freezing outside. Listen now
Mitch Seavey first to Elim, three follow from Koyuk
Mitch Seavey has a substantial lead in the Iditarod, as the top mushers enter the final phase of the race. Seavey reached the Elim checkpoint at 3:26 p.m. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Record cold at Iditarod start won’t last
It’s hard to talk about the Iditarod without mentioning weather and climate. And this year is no exception, with mushers and dogs enduring extreme cold in first part of the race. Climatologist Brian Brettschneider looks into how this year’s cold and snow stacks up to weather records from past races. He says the start Monday in Fairbanks was -19, by far the coldest in Iditarod history.Listen now
State reduces Hilcorp fine for worker safety incident
The state is fining oil and gas company Hilcorp $200,000 for a 2015 incident that nearly killed three workers on the North Slope. The final order amount, which was released today (Mar. 3), is a significant reduction from the $720,000 penalty the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission proposed last year. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Models hint at El Niño resurgence
The weather phenomenon El Niño may be on its way back. That’s after a weak La Niña system faded out a few months ago. Climatologist Brian Brettschneider said computer models are hinting at El Niño returning in the second half of this year. Listen now
State demands Hilcorp monitor environmental impact of Cook Inlet gas leak
The state is asking oil and gas company Hilcorp to dramatically step up environmental monitoring near a natural gas leak in Cook Inlet. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: We know it’s bad in the Arctic, what about the Antarctic?
This week, we’re responding to a listener who asked whether it’s true that sea ice in Antarctic waters has been generally increasing, while Arctic sea ice has seen dramatic declines.
Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: This winter’s alarming record low Arctic sea ice
During a normal winter sea ice grows quickly in the Arctic Ocean, filling up nearly the entire ocean basin. This year though, unusually warm weather and storms are keeping the sea ice extent at record lows. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: What the fog, Anchorage?
This week we’re responding to a listener who asked: What the fog? Why has there been so much fog in Anchorage this winter? Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Calculating wind chill, then and now
The wind chill dropped to -77 in Arctic Village last week. That’s the coldest wind chill recorded this winter in a populated spot in Alaska. 77 below may sound bitterly cold, but climatologist Brian Brettschneider said its not even close to record territory. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Snowflake sweet spot
The ingredients for picture perfect snowflakes came together in Southcentral Alaska this past weekend. Climatologist Brian Brettschneider said the snowflakes that fell in were especially large and piled up quickly. Listen now
Even before leading John McPhee down the Salmon River, Pat Pourchot landed dream job
John McPhee’s book Coming into the Country starts with a river trip: six men, nine days- floating nearly the entire length of the Salmon river in northwest Alaska. The 26 year old leading the trip was Pat Pourchot, a recent Alaska transplant who had the job of a lifetime with the Interior Department. Listen now
Why is it so cold here when everywhere else is so warm?
It was -50 degrees today in Fairbanks. Anchorage hit -15 degrees. Much of the state is enduring the coldest temperatures in nearly five years. Listen now
David Cornberg has the last word in “Coming into the Country”
The last person John McPhee talks to in his book Coming into the Country is a man who calls himself River Wind. At the time, River Wind was 32 years old, about to head down the Yukon in a 15 foot aluminum canoe to find a place to live. Forty years later, he goes by his given name, David Cornberg and spends most of the year in Fairbanks. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Tallying daylight on the darkest day of the year
Alaska marked the solstice early Wednesday morning at 1:44 a.m. So what does that mean for the amount of daylight across the state? Listen Now
Ask a Climatologist: Is that ice fog or freezing fog?
Anchorage residents have been waking up to fog most days recently. But do the cold temperatures that go along with it make it technically “ice fog"? Listen Now
Ask a Climatologist: With snow and cold, ‘it’s Alaska again’
It’s winter again in Alaska. There’s snow on the ground across most of the state. Some places, notably Juneau, have a lot of fresh snow. It’s cold too, and those below normal temperatures are expected to stick around for the rest of the month. Listen Now