Zoë Sobel, Alaska's Energy Desk - Unalaska
Zoe Sobel is a reporter with Alaska's Energy Desk based in Unalaska. As a high schooler in Portland, Maine, Zoë Sobel got her first taste of public radio at NPR’s easternmost station. From there, she moved to Boston where she studied at Wellesley College and worked at WBUR, covering sports for Only A Game and the trial of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
At a safe distance: Monitoring remote volcanoes from remote locations
Across Alaska there are monitoring instruments on 31 of the most active volcanoes, but there’s nothing on the one that’s erupting now. Listen now
St. Paul’s fur seal pups at lowest level in 100 years
Northern fur seal pup production on St. Paul Island has hit its lowest level since 1915. Listen now
St. Paul’s reindeer thrive without essential lichen
For a long time, scientists thought reindeer would be big losers in climate change, but the reindeer on St. Paul Island are challenging that theory. Listen now
The Museum of the Aleutians new executive director takes over
The Museum of the Aleutians has a new executive director, Dr. Virginia Hatfield. She took the reins at the beginning of January.
Before and after photos of Bogoslof Island show big changes after recent eruption
New photos show the dramatic effect of volcanic explosions on Bogoslof Island. The Eastern Aleutian island is home to a volcano that has been erupting since mid-December. Now, the tiny island is even smaller and it’s shaped like a hook. Listen now
Monitoring Bogoslof: How life responds to volcanic destruction
Bogoslof Island is an important breeding ground for marine mammals and seabirds, making it the perfect place to monitor how life responds to volcanic destruction. Listen Now
Continued unrest at Bogoslof volcano
Seismic unrest continues at Bogoslof volcano. Scientists are watching the eruption around the clock -- even though monitoring stations are far from the site. Listen Now
Managing Aleutian volcanoes from Homer
A volcano in the eastern Aleutians has been erupting for the past week. Bogoslof volcano is an uninhabited island 60 miles northwest of Unalaska. It’s part of the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge, which is based hundreds of miles away in Homer. Listen Now
Undercover operation leads to meth arrests in Unalaska
Unalaska's police department is cracking down on methamphetamine. Listen Now
Bogoslof spews lava in fourth eruption
A volcano in the eastern Aleutians is erupting again. Listen Now
Aleutian volcano erupts
A volcano in the eastern Aleutians erupted suddenly Tuesday afternoon. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) said several pilots reported seeing an ash cloud about 34,000 feet above Bogoslof volcano. Listen Now
Police arrest two in Unalaska for phoney money
Police in Unalaska have arrested and charged two men accused of making counterfeit money. Over the weekend, Henry Zablan and Nicholas Hough were taken into police custody and later charged with fraud.
Pribilof scientists work to bring back decimated blue king crab population
The last commercial harvest of Pribilof Island blue king crab was in 1999. Extremely low population numbers have kept that fishery closed. Listen Now
Mysterious sea lion decline persists in western Alaska
Alaska’s endangered Steller sea lion population continues its precipitous decline. The 2016 survey by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows an overall increase in the number of Steller sea lions across Alaska, but a mysterious drop in parts of the western stock. Listen Now
Charting new courses: Student mariners prepare to navigate a warmer Arctic
As temperatures rise, Arctic ice is retreating, making trips through the Northwest passage – from Alaska to Maine – a new summer reality. But until now, mariners navigating arctic ice have had limited formal training. A professor at Maine Maritime Academy is working to change that. He’s developed one of the first courses for seafarers in polar regions. Listen Now
Homegrown and hydroponic: Veggies are St. Paul’s new subsistence food
St. Paul’s greenhouse isn’t what you’d imagine. There’s no big glass structure. All the windows are covered from the inside. It’s underneath the city’s grocery store on the first floor of the building. Listen Now
Salmon fishing in St. Paul: Building a new subsistence resource
For many Alaskans, subsistence is all about salmon. But in St. Paul, that isn't the case. Fur seals and seabirds are primary subsistence food in the Pribilof Island community. But the Aleut Community of St. Paul’s Tribal Council thinks increasing a small salmon run on the island could provide food and a lot more. Listen Now
AK: Protecting the environment and preserving the heritage of Denali’s dogs
There's only one national park in America where some of the Rangers are canines: Denali National Park. In the summers, the dogs serve as ambassadors, but during the winter months, they ferry researchers and park employees through areas closed to motorized vehicles. Listen Now
Dutch Harbor remains nation’s top fishing port
On dinner tables across the country, Americans are eating more fish. The United States is responsible for more fish consumption than all other countries, except for China. Listen Now
Bringing science home: In St. Paul, a former student becomes the teacher
The Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea are a magnet for scientists who come to study everything from fur seals to migratory birds. When they leave, that research often leaves with them. Listen Now