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SCIENCE TOPICSABOUT THE ALASKA
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Weekly Highlights for 03-26-2009I. Departmental/Bureau News
A. Upcoming EventsUSGS Assists with Secretary of the Interior's OCS Meeting in Anchorage On Tuesday, April 14, USGS staff in Alaska will assist the Minerals Management Service (MMS) with logistics for the regional public meeting on offshore energy development hosted by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The meeting will be held in Anchorage. This meeting is part of a four-part strategy the Secretary announced in February for developing a new, comprehensive energy development plan for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). After opening remarks by the Secretary, there will be presentation of a report being prepared by the Department concerning offshore energy resources. The remainder of the day's meeting will be devoted to hearing from public and private interests. Contact: Durelle Smith Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7104
B. CurrentExplosive Eruptive Activity at Mount Redoubt USGS Alaska Science Center staff at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) continue to respond to volcanic unrest at Redoubt Volcano. On March 22 the Aviation Color Code was elevated to RED and the Alert Level to WARNING based on the onset of explosive eruptive activity. Since then, six explosions have generated ash plumes between 20,000 and 60,000 feet above sea level and minor to trace amounts of ash fall has been reported by communities north of the volcano as far as Healy, AK. Resulting volcanic mud flows have inundated the Drift River valley from the toe of the Drift Glacier out into Cook Inlet. Ash-fall deposits containing fresh, highly vesicular material are evidence of a magmatic eruption. This week, AVO staff deployed 4 broadband seismometers at Redoubt that will be used to improve the current monitoring network. A gas and observation overflight on March 20 measured highly elevated concentrations of volcanic gases (SO2 and CO2). AVO staff were able to repair 2 seismic stations and a web camera that were damaged during the explosions. Data from real-time seismic networks, web cameras, ground-based radar, GPS stations, an infrasound instrument, and near-real imagery from satellites are monitored by AVO staff 24/7. AVO continues to post daily updates of Redoubts condition on the AVO website (http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php). AVO is a partnership among the USGS, the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, and The University of Alaska Geophysical Institute. Contact: Thomas Murray Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7042
II. Press Inquiries/Media
USGS scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory continued answering media inquiries, March 19 - 25, about the current period of unrest at Redoubt Volcano, including the Anchorage Daily News, the Associated Press, LA Times, Nature.com, livescience.com, CBS affiliate KTVA-TV (Ch.11, Anchorage, AK), KTUU-TV (Ch. 2, Anchorage, AK), KIMO-TV (Ch. 13, Anchorage, AK), KIRO-TV (Seattle, WA), CNN National News, The Dow Jones, The Weather Channel, radio KFQD (AM 750, Anchorage, AK), KSRM Radio (AM 920, Kenai, AK), radio KIRO (Seattle), radio KSRM (Kenai, AK), radio KOA (Denver), radio KUAC (FM 88.9, Fairbanks, AK), radio KSKA ( FM 91.1, Anchorage, AK), CBS News Radio, and BBC Radio.
On Friday March 27th, the radio program Science Friday on National Public Radio (NPR) interviewed USGS Alaska Science Center research ecologist Chris Arp about recent research on coastline erosion in Arctic Alaska and research geophysicist Dave Schneider about the current volcanic activity at Redoubt Volcano.
USGS Alaska Science Center scientist Chad Jay was interviewed on board the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy regarding USGS' research studying walrus foraging and prey availability in sea ice habitats of the Bering Sea. Media contacts included Environmental Science and Technology journal, Polar TREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating), National Public Radio and ABC News.
USGS Alaska Science Center hosted press conferences on the current seismic activity at Redoubt Volcano on March 23 and March 24 attended by The Associated Press, Reuters World News, CBS affiliate KTVA-TV (Ch 11), NBC affiliate KTUU-TV (Ch 2), CNN, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Superstation (Ch13), Alaska Public Radio, Homer News, Discovery Channel, and Greenwire.
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Page Last Modified:
June 17, 2009
