Tag: USGS

On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk about otters and try to understand how they may have changed the coastal ecosystem. We’ll also meet a tribal leader in Sitka who is doing something about it, with a sea otter hunt that also provides furs for Native handicrafts, which seems to be bringing back shellfish.  Thanks for listening!

With sea ice in the Arctic melting, polar bears are in peril. Researchers have monitored the threatened species for decades, but tracking bears in remote and harsh climates can be costly and dangerous. Which is why federal scientists have started using a new tool to study the animal: satellites.

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey are using new video collars to get a glimpse into the daily life of polar bears. Researchers have been using radio and GPS collars since the 1980s to track polar bears' movements along the Arctic sea ice. But, that data lacks a lot of contextual and observational information that allows for a better understanding of the bears. Download Audio

Landowners who have property along the Matanuska River have the U.S. Geological Survey to thank for new information detailing the places most prone to erosion. A new report maps where the river is likely to do damage. And that could help the Matanuska Sustina Borough determine where future erosion may occur.

• USGS: Geomorphology and Bank Erosion of the Matanuska River, Southcentral Alaska