Last week, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation released their final report on a spill that took place in the Adak small boat harbor last year.
According to the document, nearly 70,000 gallons of #2 diesel fuel were released from an underground storage tank operated by Adak Petroleum in January of 2010. The spill was the result of over-filling. The spill area was monitored for roughly two months, and clean-up efforts finally concluded 11 months later with 5,000 gallons of diesel recovered. Marine waters were contaminated, but the report lists no specific impacts on wildlife.
The quota for Bristol Bay red king crab could be smaller this year.
According to a draft memo obtained by Deckboss blogger Wesley Loy, results from this year’s National Marine Fisheries Service trawl survey have the biomass of legal-sized male crab at just under 34 million pounds -- a 28% decline from last year’s figure. This would be fourth year in a row that biomass has shrunk.
For the second time this summer, residents of the Aleutian Islands evacuated for a tsunami warning. A 6.8 -magnitude earthquake hit just before 3am near Amutka Pass, about 200 miles from Unalaska. The wave was supposed to hit the community shortly after 4. Residents were able to return home when an all-clear was given at 4:12.
According to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, no destructive wave was recorded and the region is no longer in danger. That’s because the quake hit at a depth of 26 miles. It’s also because the quake turned out to be smaller than expected – initial readings had the quake at a magnitude of 7.1, and the number was later revised down to 6.8. A representative with the United States Geological Survey says that the water level only rose about two centimeters in Atka, which was also evacuated.
UPDATE: The United States Geological Survey has revised down the magnitude from 7.1 to 6.8.
For the second time this summer, residents of the Aleutian Islands evacuated for a tsunami warning. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit just before 3AM near Amukta Pass, about 200 miles from Unalaska. The wave was supposed to hit the community just after 4.
Residents were able to return to their beds when an all-clear was given at 4:12. According to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, no destructive wave was recorded and the region is no longer in danger. Five aftershocks have been recorded in the hour following the quake, but none powerful enough to trigger another tsunami warning.
On Wednesday night, a large red drill ship left the Port of Dutch Harbor for the Chukchi Sea. The Fugro Synergy won’t be doing any sort of Arctic drilling, of course, but the vessel will be laying the groundwork for future energy extraction.
Marshall Pounds is the general manager of the Texas-based Fugro Drilling and Well Services. He says that the Synergy will be collecting very shallow geologic core samples up north on behalf of an unnamed operator that hopes to pursue a drilling program eventually. He says that these cores will be collected at depth of about 30 to 50 meters, and that the Synergy will be focusing on an area about 150 miles away from Wainwright. The project should take about three weeks, depending on ice and weather conditions, and Pounds says that the Synergy should be back in Unalaska in about 35 days from now.
Unalaska is home to the busiest fishing port in the world. And the fish that fuels that distinction is pollock. But this pollock season has been a bust so far. And many boat owners have started sending crews home.
After a summer of eruptive activity, Mount Cleveland has finally calmed down some.
Today, the Alaska Volcano Observatory downgraded its color code for Cleveland from “orange” to “yellow.” AVO had detected a lava dome expanding in Cleveland’s crater early this month, but that dome has not shown growth in the past two weeks.
Cleveland has not released any ash clouds, and explosive activity has been limited. However, scientists warn that the volcano could start rumbling again at any time. In the event of serious eruptive activity, air travel could be affected. AVO will continue to monitor Cleveland using satellite data.
A cargo ship with mechanical problems is currently undergoing repairs in Unalaska.
The 975-foot NYK Lodestar first made a distress call last Tuesday. It was traveling from Oakland, California to Busan, South Korea, and it was carrying dry cargo. The vessel took approximately three days to make it to the Port of Dutch Harbor, and it had to circle miles away from the island before the weather cleared up yesterday.
A late night accident last week resulted in minor damage to multiple parked cars and major damage to one moving vehicle.
Devon Davis, 19, allegedly sped through a stop sign on Tuesday around 2am before causing the accident, says Sgt. Bill Simms.
“Basically it was an accident where the individual ran off the road and into a concrete barrier that was surrounding an electrical box on Unisea property,” says Simms. “The damage to the vehicle itself was extensive. I would say it was a total loss. The driver suffered some injuries as well.”
