Alaska
NASA images reveal stark changes in Alaska’s lakes
In the southeastern reaches of Alaska, landscapes are being dramatically reshaped as ice gives way to water.
Recent images released by the NASA Earth Observatory reveal striking changes to the region’s proglacial lakes, formed as glaciers retreat and meltwater pools at their fronts.
Over the past four decades, three lakes—Harlequin, Alsek and Grand Plateau—have grown at an astonishing pace, transforming the region into a burgeoning “lake district.”
The trio of glaciers feeding these lakes—Yakutat, Alsek and Grand Plateau—descend from Alaska’s inland mountains to the coastal plain southeast of Yakutat borough.
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Glaciers are massive, slow-moving rivers of ice formed from compacted layers of snow that accumulate over centuries, flowing under their own weight and reshaping the landscapes they traverse.
An analysis by glaciologist Mauri Pelto of Nichols College highlights the dramatic retreat of these glaciers between 1984 and 2024.
During this time, Yakutat Glacier’s main arm retreated 4.3 miles, and Alsek Glacier’s northern and southern arms retreated 3.3 miles and 3.4 miles, respectively.
Grand Plateau Glacier’s northern arm saw the most significant change, retreating 4.8 miles.
These changes were captured in a pair of satellite images from the Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 satellites in the summers of 1984 and 2024, revealing how water now fills the void left by ice. Together, the three lakes almost doubled in size over the 40-year period.
In 1984, the lakes spanned about 50 square miles. By 2024, they covered 90 square miles—an area larger than New York’s Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes also carved by ancient glaciers.
“The lakes that are forming in this region are immense, starting at the mountains and spreading toward the coast, making this a new lake district that is unique in our nation,” Pelto said in a statement.
Pelto suggested this lake system could represent the fastest-growing collection of lakes in the U.S. in this century, reflecting the accelerated retreat of Alaska’s glaciers due to climate change.
The lakes are not only expanding but also undergoing noticeable transformations.
Alsek Lake, for instance, appears much bluer in the 2024 image compared to 1984. This shift suggests that the lake is receiving less “glacial flour”—fine-grained sediment carried by meltwater streams, according to a NASA Earth Observatory article.
As sediment levels drop, the lake’s water will continue to darken, allowing more light to penetrate and potentially fostering aquatic life and fishery development.
The pattern is one that is repeating across Alaska and the Arctic more broadly.
According to the National Park Service, glaciers within Alaska national parks shrank by 8 percent between the 1950s and the early 2000s. This pace ticked upward, with 13 percent lost from 1985 to 2020.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about glaciers? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Just over a year after finishing second in her hometown race, Fairbanks musher Josi Shelley returned triumphant, crossing the finish line at 8:11 p.m. Monday to win her first Yukon Quest Alaska in a total time of 9 days, 9 hours, 11 minutes over the 750-mile distance.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Coast Guard has changed the contact information for Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic staff offices and other units throughout Western Alaska as part of a service-wide telephone modernization directive, Thursday, Feb. 12.
The main phone line for the sector can now be reached at (206) 815-7100.
Callers will be presented with a phone tree, providing them with options to contact one of the following:
- Search and Rescue Command Center
- National Response Center
- Command Executive Assistant
- Response Department
- Prevention Department
- Logistics Department
- Emergency Management Division
- Other Coast Guard units in Alaska
These other units can be reached directly at the numbers listed below or by dialing the main phone line for Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic and pressing 8 at the automated menu.
|
Unit |
New Phone Number |
|
Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic – Phone Tree (Previously Sector Anchorage) |
(206) 815-7100 |
|
Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic – 24/7 Search and Rescue Command Center |
(866) 396-1361 |
|
Regional Exam Center Anchorage |
(206) 815-6454 |
|
Recruiting Office Anchorage |
(206) 815-6345 |
|
Coast Guard Investigative Service Anchorage |
(206) 815-6738 |
|
Marine Safety Detachment Homer |
(206) 815-6992 |
|
Marine Safety Unit Kodiak |
(206) 815-7145 |
|
Marine Safety Unit Dutch Harbor |
(206) 815-6842 |
|
Marine Safety Unit Valdez |
(206) 815-6945 |
|
Arctic District Command Center (Previously 17th Coast Guard District) |
(800) 478-5555 |
Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic remains physically located on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The sector Search and Rescue Command Center watchstanders are available 24 hours a day at (866) 396-1361 and VHF Channel 16.
For media inquiries, please contact uscgalaska@uscg.mil.
-USCG-
ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) – A Winter Storm Watch has been issued from Monday morning across the Western region just shortly after a Winter Storm Warning expired following Friday’s storm.
Across the Western coastline from Kotzebue to Dillingham, weather alerts will be active Monday morning as the next storm will make landfall Monday afternoon, with the second stage of this storm moving in Tuesday night. Heaviest snowfall amounts are likely in Norton Sound, Yukon Valley, and Upper Kuskokwim Valley. Snow totals from this next storm are likely from 6 to 12 inches of snow across the Winter Storm Watch region with wind gusts as high as 60 MPH adding to reduced visibility and white out conditions. Dillingham is under a Winter Weather Advisory as less snow accumulation is anticipated with 3 to 5 inches Monday. Bethel will be under a blizzard warning from Monday morning to Monday night as 3 to 7 inches of snow are likely paired with gusts up to 55 MPH.
The Aleutian Chain will get moderate rainfall, about 0.4 to 0.6 inches, as early as Sunday night into Monday morning with heaviest rainfall from Unalaska up the Alaska Peninsula.
Download the free Alaska’s News Source Weather App.
Interior Alaska had a snowy weekend, making Valentine’s Day feel a little more like Christmas. Around noon Sunday, Fairbanks reported about 10.1 inches of snowfall but more is expected into the evening hours across the region. By Monday, it’ll feel like the snow never even happened as mostly sunny to clear skies will brighten your day. Temperatures will plummet nearly 20 degrees from Sunday to Monday, but a return in this winter weather should be expected by Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.
The North Slope is staying out of the way of these winter storms as the Brooks Range protects the region from snow, however, the main concern continues with colder temperatures. Lows nearly 25 to 30 degrees below zero will feel a bit colder as wind chill will reach -55 to -60 degrees.
Send us your weather photos and videos here!
In Southcentral, mostly sunny skies are closing out the weekend and kicking off the work week, but colder temperatures are returning as a result of a cooling trend impacting most of the state. Strong wind gusts up to 50 MPH will affect Seward, Valdez, Cordova and Whittier on Monday.
Southeast is on the brink of a high pressure system which will cool temperatures roughly 10 to 15 degrees, also shifting in mostly sunny skies. High wind is a concern for Juneau and Skagway Monday as wind gusts could reach up to 40 and 45 MPH.
24/7 Alaska Weather: Get access to live radar, satellite, weather cameras, current conditions, and the latest weather forecast here. Also available through the Alaska’s News Source streaming app available on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
Copyright 2026 Alaska’s News Source. All rights reserved.
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