Alaska Changes as Seen from Space: Leaf Miners, Beavers and Rusting Rivers

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute is hosting free public science talks every Tuesday evening in February.

The 2025 Science for Alaska talk series begins Tuesday, Feb. 4, and runs every Tuesday through Feb. 25. Talks start at 7 p.m. in the UAF Schaible Auditorium, 1764 Tanana Loop. They will be streamed live to Zoom and the UAF and Geophysical Institute Facebook pages. On-campus parking is always free after 5 p.m. Presenters will answer questions after each talk.

Register here to watch on Zoom: https://bit.ly/ScienceforAK25-Zoom

On Tuesday, February 11, UAF doctoral student Emily Graham will present “Alaska Changes as Seen from Space: Leaf Miners, Beavers and Rusting Rivers.”

Alaska’s vast, harsh environment creates challenges for field scientists investigating the impacts of climate warming. In the race to understand how the Last Frontier is changing, remote sensing of the Earth’s surface is a powerful tool for studying landscapes. Join graduate student Emily Graham as she explores three Alaska problems and the innovative ways remote sensing is helping to tackle them.

—Each summer, invasive leaf miners eat through great swaths of birch foliage, leaving unsightly damage and weakened trees in their wake. Could their dining habits help us detect infestations from space?
—Beavers are rapidly moving into the Arctic tundra. NASA’s aircraft-mounted imaging radar, UAVSAR, is advancing our understanding of how their ponds may alter the surrounding permafrost.
—Puzzling orange stains are showing up in Alaska’s northern rivers. The need to study this alarming phenomenon is urgent. We are harnessing the power of machine learning to detect rusting rivers hidden within vast satellite datasets.

Remote sensing is transforming our understanding of changes in Alaska. The solutions to these and other challenges might be found in these signals.

For more information, visit www.gi.alaska.edu/scienceforalaska or the Facebook event page (https://www.facebook.com/share/1D45aXoK5E/), or call 907-474-5229.

Talks are free and for the public. All ages are encouraged to attend.