News Archive

Dec. 10, 2025 By Alice Bailey The morning after Ex-Typhoon Halong hit Western Alaska, I texted my friend Sarah Brown in Quinhagak to see if she was okay.  “We were up ‘til five a.m. Water was around my house. Scary,” she said. “All the fish racks are gone at the boat...

In July 2025, the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA) revived its Biological Fisheries Technician Training Camp, bringing seven participants from across Alaska to Eagle for 10 days of hands-on learning. “One of the goals of this program is to provide...

Alaska’s coastline has long lacked the water-level information needed to support navigation, coastal hazard planning, storm-surge modeling, and engineering. Through the Alaska Water Level Watch (AWLW) program, AOOS supports the maintenance of critical water-level...

The Backyard Buoys program continues to expand across the Pacific Islands, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska, providing coastal communities with real-time wave data that supports safe boating. Sofar Spotter buoys deployed by local residents feed information directly into...

Lisa and Marcus Barr, Lead Observer for the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) in Brevig Mission, attended the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) Annual Meeting in Victoria, BC, from November 13–15. ELOKA is a network of community-led...

Sept. 30, 2025 Following an Alexandrium bloom detected in the southeast Bering Sea in July and a multi-species die-off event observed on St. George Island in August, tests of seabird, marine mammal, shellfish, and fish samples revealed elevated levels of paralytic...

by Catherine Spangler My name is Catherine Spangler and I’m a Natural Sciences major at the University of Alaska Anchorage. I started out as a psychology major my freshmen year, took a bird surveying internship on a whim, and haven’t looked back from the natural world...

This summer, AOOS deployed its two Imaging FlowCytoBots (IFCBs) on a variety of research vessels as they conducted cruises in the waters of Alaska. These IFCBs are connected to the flow-through seawater system of the vessels, sample 5 mL of seawater in about 20...

AOOS is requesting bids to install CTDs at up to seven water level stations in Southeast Alaska. Through this project, referred to the Southeast Alaska Marine Heat Wave Instrument Array, AOOS will initiate some critical nearshore ocean conditions observing in this...

The Yukon River Chinook Run Timing Project is a collaboration between the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Alaska Ocean Observing System. Yukon River Chinook are predicted to arrive on the delta with...

The Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) supports two Imaging FlowCytobots (IFCBs) in collaboration with the Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Network to help monitor for harmful algal blooms in Alaska’s coastal waters. These high-tech, automated microscopes collect...

New research published in the journal Marine Mammal Science establishes for the first time a link between the neurotoxin saxitoxin, accumulated during harmful algal blooms, and deaths of laaqudan (in Unangam Tunuu, the first language of Unangax̂ or the Aleut Peoples),...

The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) season launched on March 21, bringing weekly forecasts and local sea ice and hunting reports to Bering Strait communities, including Wales, Shishmaref, Diomede, Brevig Mission/Port Clarence, Nome, Gambell, and Savoonga. Early May...

The University of Alaska’s glider team recently reached a major milestone with its “Glide 365” program: keeping an autonomous underwater vehicle continuously deployed for one year on the outer Gulf of Alaska continental shelf. Over the course of the project, six...

Coastal communities across Alaska are increasingly concerned about rising sea levels, coastal flooding, and inundation. Inundation refers to water that covers normally dry ground during flooding events. Along the coast, this can be caused by unusually high tides,...

The Backyard Buoys program celebrated another successful year in Alaska in 2024. With coordination by UIC Science, Indigenous hunters from Savoonga, Gambell, Little Diomede, Point Hope, Wainwright, Utqiaġvik, and Kaktovik deployed 26 small wave buoys from their...

The Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network announced the release of a new informational video that provides insight into harmful algal blooms (HABs) and their impacts across Alaska. The video, now available on YouTube, offers a comprehensive overview of HABs, highlighting...

AOOS is a key partner in the development of the new Northeast Pacific Acoustic Telemetry (N-PAcT) node, an initiative focused on building partnerships to better understand marine species on the move. This collaborative network will unite researchers and organizations...

Throughout the year, AOOS sponsors and participates in numerous conferences across Alaska. Below are upcoming events where you can learn more about AOOS programs by visiting our booth or attending presentations by AOOS staff and partners. Ice Seal Committee Meeting...

Three Alaska Ocean Observing System staff members are featured in the “How to Survive” exhibit at the Anchorage Museum. On display through January 19, the show explores survival through hope, care, and interconnectedness, urging reflection, action, and responsibility...

With the influx of the 5-year Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding, the Alaska Ocean Observing System is adding two positions to our team. Please see the full position descriptions linked below for more details, contact information, and instructions on how to apply....

The Fisheries Biologist will support staff on various projects along with oversight of Yukon River research, monitoring, and evaluation.

Alaska Sea Grant is recruiting a Coastal Resilience Specialist position in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta region.

We are very pleased to announce the designation of four new AOOS Board members! 

Program Office staff, directors, and representatives from each Regional Association of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) gathered in Juneau for the annual fall meeting.

Donna Hauser is a marine ecologist whose research emphasizes community-based monitoring of coastal changes. Based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, she is a research associate professor and the science lead for the Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub (AAOKH).

By blending traditional knowledge with cutting-edge technology, a new pilot project in Quinhagak, Alaska is using a cost-effective method to track salmon populations while fostering local employment opportunities.