Tim Lydon’s Contributions:
Calling in the Seabirds
A tiny Hawaiian island is finally free of invasive rats. Now scientists are trying to coax back lost seabird colonies.
Apr 10, 2023 | 750 words, about 3 minutes
Choosing Winners and Losers in Alaska’s Crab Fishery
A quota system implemented in 2005 has meant economic and social trade-offs.
May 2, 2022 | 950 words, about 4 minutes
With Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Arctic Science Crumbles
Russian scientists are being barred from international collaborations, including at-sea surveys and scientific conferences.
Mar 28, 2022 | 850 words, about 4 minutes
Coastal Job: Creator of Indigenous Public Artwork
Crystal Kaakeeyáa Worl brings her Tlingit-Athabascan artistic sensibilities to the urban spaces of southeast Alaska.
Jan 28, 2022 | 700 words, about 3 minutes
Bears in Alaska’s Hallo Bay Are Changing What They Eat
It’s out with fish and in with berries and leafy greens—but scientists aren’t entirely sure why.
Jan 6, 2022 | 700 words, about 3 minutes
In a First, Alaska’s Arctic Waters Appear Poised for Dangerous Algal Blooms
Climate change is bringing potentially deadly dinoflagellate blooms to the Far North, posing a new risk to food security.
Dec 2, 2021 | 650 words, about 3 minutes
The Mighty Taku Glacier Takes a Bow
After advancing for over a century, a massive glacier near Juneau, Alaska, is poised for accelerated retreat and the birth of a new fjord.
Jun 28, 2021 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes
Time for the Tlingit Potato
Genetically distinct from its European counterparts, this coastal Alaska potato predates modern taste for russets and Yukon Golds.
Dec 28, 2020 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes
COVID-19 Is Taxing Alaska’s Beleaguered Ferry System
Between the pandemic, an aging fleet, and political flux, Alaska’s far-reaching ferry system has fallen on hard times.
Jul 29, 2020 | 900 words, about 4 minutes
An Unorthodox Tsunami Warning Has Put This Alaska City on Edge
An uncertain forecast of a potentially devastating tsunami is causing confusion and worry.
Jul 23, 2020 | 950 words, about 4 minutes
Feeling the Heat in Winter
This year in Alaska, an abnormal rise in temperature has, like in much of the north, disrupted isolated communities, upset subsistence hunting patterns, and even led to some deaths.
May 29, 2019 | 950 words, about 4 minutes
Wounded Wilderness: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 30 Years Later
On the surface, Prince William Sound appears to have recovered. But you don’t have to dig too deep—into the soil or into memories—to find the spill’s lingering effects.
Mar 22, 2019 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes