Measuring Arctic Change

The Alaska Geophysics Arctic Observing Network offers real-time observations from multi-instrument field stations to help track earthquakes and landslides, detect permafrost changes, monitor sea ice, measure the aurora, forecast wildfire behavior and North Slope weather, and more. With the variety of instruments on each station, there are opportunities to foster new, multidisciplinary partnerships. All data are public and openly available, most in real time, through standard data portals. (Please note soil temperature data is not currently available in real time.)

The cornerstone of the project is the acquisition of 45 multi-instrument stations. The stations were originally part of the USArray seismic project managed by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), a consortium of U.S. universities. The short-term USArray project (part of the NSF EarthScope program) installed 192 multi-sensor platforms across Alaska between 2014 and 2017, vastly expanding the amount of seismic data available in Alaska. Instruments for earthquake monitoring were installed for the first time in some remote locations, including sites in northern and western Alaska.

Final USArray data acquisition for non-adopted sites ended on May 31, 2021. With the Alaska Geophysical Arctic Observing Network project, 45 of the best-performing stations in northern and western Alaska became part of the Alaska Earthquake Center’s permanent monitoring network.

The Arctic is warming much more rapidly than the rest of North America. Globally observed weather extremes, annual temperatures, and the continued decline of Arctic sea ice are all signs of our changing climate. Snow covers the ground for less of the year than in past decades. Lakes and rivers are freezing less and breaking up earlier in the spring. In recent decades, permafrost has been warming and thawing. This has led to the growth of thermokarsts, a phenomenon that is changing the fundamental drainage patterns of major Arctic watersheds. All these factors are changing the extent and types of Arctic vegetation as well as wildlife and even sealife.

At the same time, the warming climate is drawing increased economic, political, and social interest in the Arctic. Ship traffic is increasing. New fishing grounds are opening up. Data cables are being laid. New mining prospects are being explored. As these opportunities draw more nations and stakeholders northward, they bring political challenges that extend well beyond the eight Arctic nations. Navigating these opportunities and challenges requires the ability to track, model, and forecast changes in the Arctic environment.