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Rick Thoman

@alaskawx.bsky.social
4.1K followers 354 following 4.9K posts

Climate specialist with ACCAP/IARC at UAF, highlighting Alaska and Arctic climate, environment & Indigenous cultures. Opinions are my own. Alaska and Arctic Climate Newsletter: alaska-arctic-climate.beehiiv.com

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Reposted by Rick Thoman
David Reamer @anchistorian.bsky.social · 2h
1946 aerial view of Juneau Airport, via National Archives #alaskahistory #alaska
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 5h
Following the annual minimum, sea ice extent in the #Arctic has increased a lot in the past month. Details in the Alaska and Arctic Climate newsletter. Available on Beehiiv & Substack. #SeaIce #Climate alaska-arctic-climate.beehiiv.com/p/arctic-sea... alaskaclimate.substack.com/p/arctic-sea...
Splash screen for the post: Arctic Sea Ice Mid-October 2026: Rapid increase of sea ice extent
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Alaska Beacon @alaskabeacon.com · 10h
Who pays when a remote Alaska village can no longer stay? reports freelance journalist Jenni Monet for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/10/16/w...
alaskabeacon.com
Who pays when a remote Alaska village can no longer stay? | Alaska Beacon
In August, the Native Village of Kwigillingok took a bold approach, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that Big Oil should be the one to foot the bill for its relocation.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 12h
High temperatures (ºF) in and around Alaska on Thursday. Warm but windy and rainy from Southeast westward to Prince William Sound. Chinook-warming in portions of the Alaska Range and central Interior. Chilly from the North Slope eastward into the lower Mackenzie valley. #akwx #weather
Map centered on Alaska showing site-specific high temperatures (ºF) on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Plotted temperatures range from 11F at Anaktuvuk Pass, AK to 59F at Prince Rupert, BC.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 14h
Have fun. We will be envious if you somehow forget to return. 🙂
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 16/10/2026
Combined sea ice extent in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas (north and northwest of Alaska) is the highest it's been at this point in the season in 25 years in NSIDC data. Nonetheless it's still well below the typical extent of the late 20th century. #akwx #Arctic #SeaIce
Left: Bar chart showing the combined sea ice extent in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas on October 14 each year 1979 to 2026. Right: NWS Alaska Sea Ice Program sea ice concentration analysis for October 14, 2026.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 16/10/2026
High temperatures (ºF) in and around Alaska on Wednesday. Colder than normal on the North Slope. Near to above normal in Southeast. #akwx #Weather @climatologist49.bsky.social
Map centered on Alaska showing site-specific high temperatures (ºF) on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Plotted temperatures range from 17F at Wainwright, AK to 56F at Petersburg, AK and Fort Laird, NT.
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Larry Hamilton @ichiloe.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Ocean heat content 0-2000 meters just updated by NOAA through June 2026. This year looks like it will set a new high point, as did the year before that and the year before that and ..... 🧪
Bar graph shows ocean heat content steadily rising from 1957 to June 2026.
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Ocean Acidification Research Center @uaf-oarc-alaska.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Strait Science Seminar October 22, 6:30pm #AlaskaSky @alaskawx.bsky.social #akwx A super El Niño event: What does it mean for the region?
Strait Science series flyer reads:

A SUPER EL NIñO EVENT: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE REGION?

Thursday, October 22 | 6:30 pm | VIA ZOOM + UAF-NWC Main Building

A rare super El Niño event is forming between the coast of South America and the International Date Line. What does this mean for 2026-2027 Bering Strait regional conditions? Rick will review how this summer’s climate events set the stage for our fall and winter weather. He will also provide an outlook through Spring 2027 as we all ride out the upcoming El Niño event!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://tinyurl.com/45zps3ca

Meeting ID: 840 0482 2146 Passcode: 964056

Or call: 253 215 8782

Rick Thoman is the Climate Specialist at the UAF Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness.

Strait Science (UAF): https://www.uaf.edu/nwc/outreach/strait-science.php

Strait Science (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuuqkhFcq8ifdnRxDaKYiRiewrQSvzcA6
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Technology Nut @technologynut.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Incredible sunrise walk along the Mendenhall River this morning! 🌅 The sky transitioning from deep purples to fiery oranges over the ridgeline was breathtaking. The crisp air and mist through the evergreens made the early wake-up worth it. #Juneau #Alaska #Sunrise #MendenhallRiver #SkyWatch
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Dr. Twila Moon @drtwilamoon.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
New climate report out in #Bioscience. Shout to authors @williamripple.bsky.social & @michaelemann.bsky.social. Love the Solutions section! doi.org/10.1093/bios... 🧪
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Eva Holland @evaholland.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
I was traveling and forgot to post late last month when the wonderful Porch Light Books in Edmonton restocked NO SLEEP 'TIL FAIRBANKS once again! Get yer Alaska/Yukon nonfiction fix here, and support my pursuit of the coveted "Porch Light 100" designation (awarded to books that sell 100 copies):
porchlightbooks.ca
NO SLEEP 'TIL FAIRBANKS by Eva Holland | Porch Light Books
For the past fifteen years, Whitehorse-based journalist and author Eva Holland has been exploring and writing about the North. Travelling across the Yukon, Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and Nunav...
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Did a lunch and learn at KuC and just finished with the two hour live call in show on “Halong one year after” on KYUK
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
I'm donating mine to an org that makes people's lives a little bit better.
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Bill Witte @anisian.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Valley fog in Goldstream Creek at dawn. Ester Dome in the background and a hint of kelvin helmholtz instability at the top of the fog layer.
Valley fog with black spruce in the foreground and a dark smooth ridge on the horizon. The sky is grey with some early dawn color.
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Ocean Acidification Research Center @uaf-oarc-alaska.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
FAI ➡️ ANC #akwx #AlaskaSky @alaskawx.bsky.social
View from window leaving Fairbanks The Great One! View approaching Anchorage on flight from Fairbanks. Tikahtnu, Alaska
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Raven silhouetted against a collapsing towering cumulus in Bethel Tuesday evening. #akwx #AlaskaSky @markspringer.bsky.social
Blue sky above a setting sun illuminated cloud with a raven on a light pole.
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Climatologist49 @climatologist49.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
#spinny
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 14/10/2026
October has observed some of the largest warming trends in the #Arctic (satellite-era). This is greatest over areas with a lack of sea ice cover (nearly all of the Siberian Arctic). Arctic amplification is largest in the boreal fall. Data: doi.org/10.24381/cds.... Info: doi.org/10.1175/BAMS...
Polar stereographic map of 2-m temperature trends in units of °C per decade over the Arctic for the month of October. Trends are calculated over the 1979 to 2025 period using ERA5. The largest warming is an areas of open water that were previously sea ice covered along the Siberian side of the Arctic. These trends exceed 2°C/decade in these areas.
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Arctic Goddess @arcticgoddess.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
#Fairbanks is under Energy Emergency Alert, could lead to scheduled blackouts. Most electricity for AK's 2nd largest city is generated by diesel. Alt energy projects halted or reduced by Trump. Tell me why so many will still vote GOP and not correlate energy crisis, and excessive energy costs.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
That's especially irksome when you take time away from what you were working on to answer their questions and then you get this back. Arggg...
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Twelve thousand years and counting. Happy Indigenous Peoples Day from the traditional and never ceded lands of the Tanana Dene people. Language map courtesy Alaska Native Language Center/UAF. #IndigenousPeoplesDay #Alaska #AlaskaSky #Linguistics
Map centered on Alaska showing the modern distribution of Alaska Native languages, with similar colors for related languages.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Twelve thousand years and counting. Happy Indigenous Peoples Day from the traditional and never ceded lands of the Tanana Dene people. Language map courtesy Alaska Native Language Center/UAF. #IndigenousPeoplesDay #Alaska #AlaskaSky #Linguistics
Map centered on Alaska showing the modern distribution of Alaska Native languages, with similar colors for related languages.
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Climatologist49 @climatologist49.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Meanwhile, above treeline, ...
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
My mind’ eye? In truth, I have no drawing ability, so…
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
That’s what we have sharpies for 😊
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Pens and pencils here. I do confess to getting rid of the many colored pencils a few years ago.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Late afternoon sunshine on the Chugach. #AlaskaSky #Anchorage #Alaska
Looking east from Anchorage Airport to the partially snow covered Chugach Mountains, illuminated in by late afternoon sunshine. Photo taken October 12, 2026.
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Dr. Twila Moon @drtwilamoon.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Climateflation. It’s been on my mind and should be on yours too. Plan, be strategic, and act to create change. #climateflation
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Duane Froese @tephrafan.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Some coverage of Joe Young’s recent paper in GRL on Permafrost Detachment Slides in the Mackenzie Mountajns, NWT. #PACSLab #Sahtú #DehCho #permafrost #nwt #UAlberta www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Study says 'bottom-up' permafrost thaw led to two major N.W.T. landslides | CBC News
New research investigates two massive landslides in the Sahtu and Dehcho regions of the N.W.T. that happened nearly a decade ago. Researchers found the landslides were caused by permafrost thaw deep i...
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Ocean Acidification Research Center @uaf-oarc-alaska.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Have a great meeting everyone! #OceanAcidification 🧪🌊🦑🇳🇿 We are headed to @picesmarinesci.bsky.social and hope to discuss both meetings later. @goa-on.bsky.social @oaalliance.bsky.social @jpgattuso.bsky.social @meopar-oacop.bsky.social @unoceandecade.bsky.social highco2-vi.org
highco2-vi.org
The Ocean in a High CO₂ World– 6th International Symposium
The local organising committee warmly invites you to join us for The 6th International Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO₂ World in Wellington, New Zealand, at Tākina Convention & Exhibition Centre.
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Bill Witte @anisian.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Misty, moisture morning on Keystone Ridge as the fog lifts. Still some fog clinging to Ester Dome and Parks Hwy ridge. 33°F, no wind. #myAlaskaWx
Spruce and leafless birch trees in the foreground, fog on a distant grey ridge under a grey sky
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KrazyTheeAlaskan™️ @krazytheealaskan.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
#IndigenousPeoplesDay
Map of Alaska broken into language regions. Each language with a different color.
Large map is posted on a hallway wall above a rack full of hooks with coats and backpacks.
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Lee Petersen @leepetersen.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Sunset over Cook Inlet from Anchor Point, Alaska, in June. Mt. Iliamna on the left. More photos and story from the trip on my Field Notes: lwpetersen.substack.com/p/homer-suns... #alaska #sunset #beach
Sunset over Cook Inlet seen from a dark gravel beach at Anchor Point. Heavy layers of gray-blue cloud fill most of the sky, their undersides lit in streaks of salmon pink and orange. A narrow band of bright yellow-orange glow sits along the horizon behind a long range of snow-covered mountains across the water, with the broad, glaciated bulk of Mt. Iliamna rising highest on the left. The inlet is dark navy, and several lines of white-capped waves roll in toward the shore in the foreground.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
High temperatures (ºF) in and around Alaska on Sunday. Cooler in many areas but still a bit above normal overall. Northeast Interior a bit milder. #akwx #weather @climatologist49.bsky.social
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Kim Wood @drkimwood.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Combined, the eastern + central North Pacific basins have exceeded their record *seasonal* Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE). Notably, both the ENP and CNP currently rank third when evaluated *separately*. Those years were hyperactive in one or the other, not both: CNP < 2015, 2018 ENP < 1990, 1992
Central North Pacific (180-140W) daily accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a metric based on tropical cyclone (TC) wind speed that helps capture both strength (how high the winds are) and duration (how long the storm lasts). "Cumulative" means the daily ACE is added up from the start of the season through that day. Dates are labeled along the x-axis. The green line shows 2026 daily ACE through October 11. Thin gray lines are individual years from 1982 to 2025.Eastern North Pacific (140W to North America) daily accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a metric based on tropical cyclone (TC) wind speed that helps capture both strength (how high the winds are) and duration (how long the storm lasts). "Cumulative" means the daily ACE is added up from the start of the season through that day. Dates are labeled along the x-axis. The green line shows 2026 daily ACE through October 11. Thin gray lines are individual years from 1982 to 2025.
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Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Happy Indigenous People's Day! We are still here :)
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Quite the tell, though no doubt unintended.
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The Commonest Man in Festo @sheriffofgay.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Hello I just spent a week in Alaska and it was beautiful
Shot of Ketchikan, Alaska shoreline with the Tongass forest in the backgroundShot of an Alaskan glacier in glacier bayI forgot where this was but its a sunset behind a forest on a shorelineA shot of the ocean surrounded by a forest with a mountain and sunset in the distance
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Sea ice extent in the Beaufort Sea (north of Alaska, NW of Canada) is the highest for Oct 10 since 2009 in NSIDC analysis. Current ice extent would have been typical in the early 2000s. Chukchi Sea ice extent is also well above the 1990-2020 median but similar to 2021. #akwx #Arctic #SeaIce
Left: Daily sea ice extent in the Beaufort Sea the past two years plus the smoothed decadal medians (1980s to 2010s). Right: NWS Alaska Sea Ice Program sea ice concentration analysis to October 10, 2026.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
High temperatures (ºF) in and around Alaska on Saturday. Except for portions of Southcentral that had rain or snow, most of the region was warmer than normal due to generally southerly winds aloft. #akwx #weather @climatologist49.bsky.social
Map centered on Alaska showing site-specific high temperatures (ºF) on Saturday, October 10, 2026. Plotted temperatures range from 23F at Arctic Village, AK to 62F at Prince Rupert, BC.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Sea surface temperatures relative to the 1991-2020 baseline average around Alaska for the week ending October 9. Gulf of Alaska warmer than normal. Bering Sea mixed, and mostly below normal north of the Bering Strait except for some near shore areas. Data courtesy NOAA/PSL/ESRL. #akwx #Arctic #SST
Map centered on Alaska showing sea surface temperature difference (°C) from the 1991-2020 baseline average for the week of October 3-9, 2026.
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 10/10/2026
Global ocean heat content (0-2000 m depth) now updated through June 2026... Do you see where this is heading? 🔥📈🌊 This graph showing anomalies is created by NOAA at www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/globa....
Line graph time series of global ocean heat content for the 0-2000 m layer for 3 month averages, yearly averages, and five years averages from the late 1950s to 2026. There is a long-term warming trend. The baseline is 1955-2006 for the zero reference to calculate the anomalies.
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Ali @alaskaali.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Oh, hey, Alaska. Today is gross and windy, but yesterday sure wasn’t. We’re reaching the end of the leaves but I’ll enjoy the yellow trail while it lasts. 🤩🍁 Just one moose and two voles- far less exciting than yesterday, and no reroutes required. #AlaskaSky
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Sea surface temps in the Pacific Ocean along and south of the Aleutian Islands have been at/near record high levels all year (NOAA OISSTv2.1 data since 1982). This impacts storms moving across this region by increasing moisture that can bring north into mainland Alaska. #akwx #Pacific #SST #Climate
Time series plot showing the monthly average sea surface temperature in the north central Pacific Ocean between 40°EN and 53°N and 160°E and 160°W, roughly the area along and about 800 miles south of the Aleutian Islands. Observations between 1982 and 2025 are summarized as gray band between the highest and lowest values. The 1991-2020 average is shown as smoothed dark line. Monthly values for 2026 are shown individually.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
High temperatures (ºF) in and around Alaska on Friday. Much milder across the North Slope. A bit warmer than normal over most of western Alaska. Also near to above normal for much of Southcentral and Southeast. #akwx #weather @climatologist49.bsky.social
Map centered on Alaska showing site-specific high temperatures (ºF) on Friday, October 9, 2026. Plotted temperatures range from 20F at Arctic Village, AK to 58F at Sandspit, BC.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
I read it several times and responded to the (email) request for comments.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Impressive gust cycle
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Alaska's a big place with many different climates. Overall means your mileage may vary.
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Rick Thoman @alaskawx.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
From NOAA/NCEI climate analysis, the first nine months of 2026 for Alaska overall have been the coolest since 2012, 0.4°F below the 20th century average. We'll take it. #akwx #Climate @climatologist49.bsky.social @themattphelps.bsky.social @leepetersen.bsky.social
Screenshot of NOAA times series plot of the average temperature in Alaska January through September each year 1925 to 2026.
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