ISER Faculty Member Jennifer Schmidt partnered with Toby Schwoerer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Jim Powell at the University of Alaska Southeast on a study of threats from climate-related hazards to homeowners in Fairbanks and Anchorage.
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A team of Alaska researchers led by ISER’s Tobias Schwoerer has proposed a new methodology to elicit and quantify expert scientific opinion in uncertain environmental applications. The work, which was co-authored with Joseph Little (UAF) and Gregory Hayward (Alaska Region, US Forest Service), appeared in an article in the Journal of Environmental Management under the title “Quantifying expert opinion with discrete choice models: Invasive elodea’s influence on Alaska salmonids.” The new methodology can be used to combine the expert perspectives of many scientists in a way that provides a quantitative measure of which aspects of the problem scientists agree upon and which aspects have less consensus.
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The Institute of Social and Economic Research’s Dr. Tobias Schwoerer, Dr. Jennifer Schmidt, and Kyle Borash alongside the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Dr. Joseph Little, published a new article, “Hitchhikers on floats to Arctic freshwater: Private aviation and recreation loss from aquatic invasion”, in the latest issue of Ambio.
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The Institute for Social and Economic Research’s Dr. Tobias Schwoerer was recently featured on SeafoodSource.com to discuss elodea and its risk to Alaska’s sockeye salmon fisheries.
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The Institute of Social and Economic Research’s Dr. Tobias Schwoerer, was featured by KTUU to discuss elodea and its potential impact on Alaska's salmon industry, should the state be unsuccessful in eradicating the invasive aquatic plant. Elodea has previously been used as an aquarium plant and for lab kits in biology classes. The State no longer allows the plant to be sold in Alaska.
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October 25, 2019 Update: Presentation is now available for download, link below. Ocean acidification is expected to impact Alaska’s marine species and the $5.8 billion seafood industry. Higher acidity water affects the ability of shell-building organisms, like crabs, to develop and maintain their shells and may also affect the behavior of some fish species. Alaska is predisposed to ocean acidification due to its colder water temperature, making it likely that we will feel the effects sooner and more intensely than other regions.
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This summer, Alaska’s high temperatures broke records causing more Alaskans than ever to experience the effects of widespread wildfires. Wildfires, along with unstable permafrost, and rain-in-winter are natural hazards of climate change that put residents and property at risk. Assessing the costs, risks, and actions necessary to adapt to or mitigate damage from these hazards in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon, is the subject of a newly funded 4-year, $1.1 million National Science Foundation project, led by ISER’s Jennifer Schmidt.
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New research from ISER's Tobias Schwoerer, senior research professional, UAA’s Civil Engineering Department and the Alaska State Department of Transportation show that studded tire use in Alaska costs $13.7 million a year and reduces the asphalt surface life between 7 and 9 years, depending on traffic, location, and type of asphalt mix. Phasing out the use of studded tires topped the researchers’ list of options to reduce the cost of road damage.
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Congratulations to Mouhcine Guettabi, Associate Professor of Economics at ISER, on receiving the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement and Service and ISER Associate Director Alexandra Hill, Senior Research Professional Tobias Schwoerer, and Information System Specialist Christopher Start on being recognized for the longevity of their service to the university.
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This summer, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed two lakes in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to control the spread of the freshwater invasive plant Elodea by floatplanes and boats. Clean-up efforts for the two lakes are predicted to cost $1 million.