Trump Oil and Gas Plan Suffers a Setback
Last year, the Trump administration proposed a new five-year offshore oil and gas plan that aimed to open up almost all of America’s coastline to risky offshore drilling. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt recentl...
Trump Oil and Gas Plan Suffers a Setback
The first whale I ever saw was a beluga whale. I was perhaps four years old, visiting an aquarium, and stood fascinated by a creature so large, graceful and beautiful. Little did I know I would someday see hundreds of be...
How Can We Help Beluga Whales?
Thirty years ago—just after midnight on March 24, 1989—the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. The damaged ship spilled roughly 11 million gallons of oil into the ocean, killing and injuring...
Preventing Another Exxon Valdez Disaster
On February 5th, the MV Solomon Trader (a Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier) lost its mooring and ran aground on a coral reef off the island of Rennell in the southern Solomon Islands. So far, the damaged vessel has spilled...
Devastating Heavy Fuel Oil Spill in Solomon Islands Highlights Risks of World’s Dirtiest Fuel
Narwhals are, arguably, one of the most enigmatic species of the Arctic Ocean—and rightfully so—they’re pretty incredible. Although few people have ever seen a narwhal, they are widely recognized for their unique tusk wh...
What Exactly IS a Narwhal Tusk?
As if being a Monday morning wasn’t enough, the Anchorage Daily News headline read “Bering Sea ice is at an ‘unprecedented’ low right now.” March is when sea ice should be at its maximum extent, in some years reaching fa...
Where is the Ice?
It’s International Polar Bear Day and you know what that means—a perfect excuse to celebrate and learn new things about polar bears! Although we’re sure you already know the basics on this charismatic species, we’re here...
Your Top 10 Questions About Polar Bears Answered
Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the Santa Barbara oil spill. The anniversary got me thinking about the three major oil spills in United States waters—Santa Barbara (1969), Exxon Valdez (1989) and De...
What Have We Learned From 50 Years of Offshore Oil Disasters?
The Coast Guard has launched a new study of vessel traffic in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off the northwest and north coast of Alaska. The study, which was announced late last month, will assess current and predicted v...
Coast Guard Announces New Alaskan Arctic Vessel Study
Warming temperatures, thinning and shrinking sea ice, increasing ship traffic and a threat of expanded offshore oil drilling… lately, news from the Arctic hasn’t exactly been uplifting. This year, researchers even found...