Arctic Dispatch
In the foothills of Alaska's Brooks Range, scientists at the Toolik Field Station research polar environmental change in the Arctic Circle. Christine Dell'Amore joined a group of journalists who gathered at the station on a two-week fellowship to write about the ongoing research there and conduct some experiments of their own.
In the dispatches below, Dell'Amore shares stories from her time in Toolik.
Arctic Dispatch: A Thaw in the Arctic Tundra
Researchers at the Toolik Field Station study thermokarst to understand the ecological effects of climate change
Arctic Dispatch: A Toolik Farewell
After leaving Toolik, the team finds points of interest on the road back to Fairbanks
Arctic Dispatch: Looking at the Lakes
Alaska’s Arctic lakes are a source of methane experiments for a warming planet
Arctic Dispatch: The Toolik Way of Life
Gourmet fare, live music and 24-hour Arctic summer sun make life in Toolik hard to beat
Arctic Dispatch: A Polar Bear Plunge
A trip to the oil-rich Prudhoe Bay region ends in an Arctic swim
Arctic Dispatch: Thermokarst and Toolik
The team studies consequences of the Arctic’s warming temperatures
Arctic Dispatch: Exploring the Aufeis
Dell'Amore and her fellow researchers climb the aufeis and meet interesting insects
Arctic Dispatch: The Hike Up Jade Mountain
After a day of experiments and ongoing mosquito battles, Christine Dell’Amore enjoys the view from the top
Arctic Dispatch: Playing With Permafrost
The first field tests in the tundra look at the effects of nitrogen levels on permafrost
Arctic Dispatch: Reaching Toolik
Journalist Christine Dell’Amore travels to Alaska’s Toolik Field to observe the environmental changes occurring in the Arctic Circle
Explore the Arctic
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Ground Thaw
Geographer Christopher Burn explains why permafrost is thawing
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ANWR: The Great Divide
The renewed debate over drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge hits home for the two Native groups nearest the nature preserve
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Frozen in Time
Glaciers in the Pacific Northwest have recorded hundreds of years of climate history, helping researchers plot how quickly the planet is warming
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Bear Trouble
Only hundreds of miles from the North Pole, industrial chemicals threaten the Arctic's greatest predator
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Photo Gallery
Arctic Dispatch Slideshow
Explore photos from the Toolik Field Station north of the Arctic Circle
Travel with Smithsonian
Enjoy the special magic of the "last frontier" during a cruise from Juneau to Frederick Sound
