FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

Tuesday City League Volleyball
27 Mar 2024 12:39

By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

Kodiak Alutiiq Museum Getting New Attention
27 Mar 2024 12:37

By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
    A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]

House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in  [ ... ]

Nominee to Bering Sea Council: Not a Trawler
27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]

Reassessments Raise Tax Bills for Sitkans
26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]

Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]

Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
26 Mar 2024 15:16

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]

Edgecumbe Girls Close Out Season Up North
26 Mar 2024 14:58

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
    Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]

City League Monday
26 Mar 2024 14:55

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]

House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
26 Mar 2024 14:52

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday  [ ... ]

Alaskan Grilled in D.C. Over Climate Science
26 Mar 2024 14:51

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]

Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
26 Mar 2024 13:53

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]

Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
26 Mar 2024 13:52

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska,  [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]

Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]

Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]

City League Games Continue
25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

September 18, 2020, Community Happenings

Repairs to be Made

At Sealing Cove;

Cars Must Move

Sealing Cove parking lot will be repaired the morning of Monday, Sept. 21. The first six parking spots that are marked in the front row close to the restrooms must be vacated by the evening of Sunday, Sept. 20, the city said.

 

Those with questions can contact the Harbor Department at 747-3439.

 

Al Gross for Senate

Event Saturday

Local volunteers for the Al Gross for U.S. Senate Campaign will host a socially distanced block party 3-7 p.m. Saturday at the Crescent Harbor shelter.

They will have yard signs, provide online assistance for registered voters who would like to request their absentee ballot, and discuss Gross’s policy platform.

 

Masks will be required, and social distancing is to be maintained by attendees, organizers said. More information is at dralgrossak.com.

 

Climate Connection

By Callie Simmons

Even though this summer’s rainfall was record breaking, we can expect to see even more relentless rain in our future. Research indicates that atmospheric rivers (or rivers in the sky) are projected to increase in both amount and intensity with climate change—bringing more intense rain to the region. Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, meandering columns of water vapor that often originate over tropical oceans and bring precipitation to the west coasts of North America. When ARs move inland and contact steep slopes, the water vapor rises and cools, creating snow or rain. And with that, comes a greater risk of landslides, flooding, and avalanches. 

Landslides, flooding, and avalanches all have devastating impacts on human life and safety, property, food security, and community infrastructure. Increased precipitation also impacts access to traditional subsistence gathering of food. This substantial increase in precipitation has real consequences for communities in Southeast Alaska. 

Landscape threats are often driven by extreme weather in Southeast. Approximately 97% of the extreme precipitation in Southeast is due to atmospheric rivers and usually occurs during September and October. Not all ARs are created equal however—some are weak systems that provide beneficial rain and important snowpack to Southeast, but climate change threatens to make the occurrence of ARs more frequent and intense. This is because warmer oceans have the capacity to release more moisture into the air and a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture – all of that additional moisture is then carried by ARs until it hits land and is released as rain or snow. 

While ARs are a natural process, the amount and intensity projected to occur with climate change threaten to disrupt a natural balance. Which could make the likelihood of landscape threats more probable in future conditions. A recent paper in the Journal of Hydrometerology found that 31% of avalanche fatalities between 1998 and 2014 in the western United States occurred during AR conditions (Hatchett et al 2017). What makes ARs worrisome is how variable the conditions can be once they make landfall. For example, a few weeks of cold, dry conditions met with heavy precipitation can lead to an increase in avalanche risk. When an already weak snowpack is hit with heavy precipitation it makes snow less stable and more likely to slip. In 2008 conditions like these led to a massive avalanche that cut Juneau off from its hydropower source in Port Snettisham. In addition, if droughts are abruptly ended by downpours the likelihood of flooding increases. Research in British Columbia and Southeast Alaska has found that the number of ARs has increased since 1947, but average rainfall has not increased. This means that our rain is occurring during more intense storms which then translates to flashier stream flows—i.e flooding, which can scour salmon streams. More research is needed to understand how ARs are impacting Southeast Alaska.  

Landslides, flooding, and avalanches are all a natural part, sometimes devastating part, of living in this part of the world. However, the amount and intensity of extreme weather events that might trigger these threats is heightened by climate change. Atmospheric rivers in a changing Southeast might bring too much of a good thing: rain.  

---

Callie Simmons is the Research Coordinator at the Sitka Sound Science Center and a member of Citizens Climate Education 

 

UAS Lecture Series

Continues Tonight

The annual UAS fall lecture series continues 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, with a virtual presentation by Derek Sikes, curator of insects and professor of entomology.

His talk, “Climate Change Impacts on Insects in Alaska and Globally,” will review studies relevant to understanding the impact of climate change on the global arthropod fauna and that of Alaska.

He said although Alaska is known for its iconic megafauna, its microfauna contains rich examples of fascinating, but often very poorly known, diversity with immense ecological importance.

This year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fall Lecture Series events will be offered virtually using Zoom. Each talk has a free registration link listed below, and also available on the UAS Juneau campus calendar uas.alaska.edu/calendar. After completing the registration, a confirmation email is sent with information on how to join the meeting.

 

 

Future speakers in the series include: Sept. 25, Zachary Brown, executive director of Inian Islands Institute, “The True Nature of the Climate Crisis”; Oct. 2, Libby Bakalar, attorney and author, “Global Plastic Pollution Reaches Juneau”; Oct. 9, Dr. Sonia Nagorski, UAS assistant professor of geology, “Global Plastic Pollution Reaches Juneau”; Oct. 16, Jim Baichtal, forest geologist, “The Glacial and Sea Level History of Southeastern Alaska: An Update on Continuing Research”; Oct. 23, Kate Troll and John Neary, board members of Renewable Juneau, “Making Juneau Alaska’s Model City of Sustainability”; Oct. 30, Tania Lewis, wildlife biologist, “Unraveling the Mystery of the Glacier Bear”; Nov. 6, Dr. Michael Yellow Bird, “The Neuroscience of Decolonization”; Nov. 13, topic and speaker to be announced; Nov. 20, Irene Dundas, “Repatriation of Clan Objects and Human Remains”; and Dec. 4, “Juneau During COVID-19: a Study of Resilience, Leadership, and Community Courage.”

 

Public Lands Day

Event at SNHP

Sitka National Historical Park will  join the nationwide celebration National Public Lands Day with a park/beach cleanup event 12:30-3:30 p.m. Sept. 26.

Trash bags and gloves will be provided. They can be picked up at the cleanup station outside the park visitor center at any time after 12:30 p.m. Trash collected will need to be taken back to the station by 3:30 p.m.

‘‘Please wear boots/shoes suitable for walking in the park and on the beach and follow physical distancing guidelines while participating in this event,’’ the park said.

A short ranger-led program about marine debris will be offered at 2 p.m. 

For additional information visit the park’s web page https://www.nps.gov/sitk/planyourvisit/calendar.htm or call 747-0110. 

 

 

Al Gross for Senate

Event Saturday

Local volunteers for the Al Gross for U.S. Senate Campaign will host a socially distanced block party 3-7 p.m. Saturday at the Crescent Harbor shelter.

They will have yard signs, provide online assistance for registered voters who would like to request their absentee ballot, and discuss Gross’s policy platform.

 

Masks will be required, and social distancing is to be maintained by attendees, organizers said. More information is at dralgrossak.com.

 

ANS to Meet

On Sept. 21

Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 4 will hold an in-person meeting 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, at the ANB Founders Hall.

The meeting will include the second round of nominations for ANS officers. Anyone wanting to know more about ANS and how to serve the community is welcome to attend the meeting. 

The ANS mission is ‘‘to better the lives of Native people and their families; to fight for civil rights and land rights for all Native people; to share the cultural knowledge, wisdom, and artistic beauty of Native tribal societies, and to strive for a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood among all people.”

 

Membership dues are $12 a year. For information call or text Nancy at  907-227-9102.

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

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