Alaskan Students Monitor Ice Safety Through Fresh Eyes on Ice Program
In remote Alaskan areas, the Fresh Eyes on Ice initiative enables students to gather data on ice thickness, contributing to safety and climate insights. Established in 2019 by NASA, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Tanana Chiefs Conference, the program involves around 325 students from 24 communities each year. Utilizing tools such as ice augers, drones, and buoys, participants collect measurements that are sent to the National Weather Service. This information supports flood forecasting and highlights trends like reduced ice duration. In Galena, students identified thin ice on Alexander Lake, averting potential disasters. The program combines traditional knowledge with workshops like Drones on the Ice, and organizers have proposed a real-time monitoring system focusing on community engagement.
Key facts
- Fresh Eyes on Ice began in 2019 as a partnership between NASA, Tanana Chiefs Conference, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
- Approximately 325 students from up to 24 Alaskan communities participate annually in the program.
- Students collect ice thickness data using tools like ice augers, drones, and buoys, sharing it via Facebook and with the National Weather Service.
- A 2013 study found 307 ice-related incidents in Alaska over 21 years, with over a third involving fatalities.
- The program integrates traditional knowledge from elders and includes Drones on Ice workshops for aerial monitoring.
- Data is archived in the Arctic Data Center, NASA's GLOBE database, and the National Weather Service database for research and forecasting.
- In Galena, students warned about thin ice on Alexander Lake after a snowmobile incident, preventing potential tragedies.
- Organizers have submitted a new proposal to focus on real-time monitoring and community-based approaches.
Entities
Artists
- Allen Bondurant
- J.R. Ancheta
- Karin Bodony
- Brett Pietila
- Christopher Arp
- Zac Smith
- Ida Bodony
- Amanda Aloysius
- Katie Spellman
- Benoit Turcotte
- Celine van Breukelen
- Dana Brown
Institutions
- Anne Wien Elementary School
- University of Alaska Fairbanks
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- NASA
- Tanana Chiefs Conference
- National Weather Service River Forecast Center
- YukonU Research Center
- American Geophysical Union
- Arctic Data Center
- NOAA
- Smithsonian Magazine
Locations
- Fairbanks
- Alaska
- United States
- Galena
- Alexander Lake
- Yukon River
- Noatak
- Sleetmute
- Nenana
- Tenana River
- Tanana River
- Kuskokwim River
- Venetie