Public invited to follow Bering Land Bridge research project

Lea Gardine
907-474-7541
Aug. 1, 2023

a large blue ship on the ocean with mountains in the background
Photo courtesy of Scripps Institution of Oceanography
The Sikuliaq will carry researchers through the Bering Sea during the Bering Land Bridge project.

The public can follow a team of scientists aboard the research vessel Sikuliaq as they spend the month of August studying conditions that existed on the Bering Land Bridge during the last ice age.

The project, led by University of Alaska Fairbanks geology professor Sarah Fowell, will collect samples from beneath the sea floor to learn about the vegetation and climate of the region about 25,000 years ago.

The project team will share updates during their journey via several digital and social media channels:

Facebook

Instagram

Other platforms

There will also be opportunities to learn more about the project directly from the research team.

  • An in-person community event to discuss the project also will be held on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. at Old St. Joe’s Church in Nome.

  • A ship-to-shore live broadcast from Sikuliaq is scheduled on Aug. 24 at noon as part of the National Science Foundation’s “Live from the Arctic” series. The event is geared toward elementary and middle school students, but everyone is invited to join.

  • A discussion of the Bering Land Bridge research project was highlighted in a Strait Science lecture hosted by the UAF Northwest Campus in Nome on May 25.A video of the lecture is available online.

More information about the Bering Land Bridge research project is available through Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.

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