Thread by @kaseyaderhold

The Alaska Transportable Array is a network of 280 top-of-the-line seismic stations built to last through years of harsh weather, curious bears, and all the other unique hazards of our state. [1/…]

The funding that National Science Foundation provided for the construction of these seismic stations is well-worth the science that it enabled, but the value to Alaskans as a continuing monitoring tool is above and beyond this initial federal investment. [2/…]

These stations have provided extraordinary recordings of the many recent large earthquakes and aftershocks we've experienced such as the 2016 M7.1 Iniskin, the 2018 M7.9 Offshore Kodiak, the 2018 7.1 Anchorage earthquake… [3/…]
earthquake.alaska.edu/anchorage-m71-…

…and the largest earthquake recorded on the North Slope: the 2018 M6.4 earthquake south of Kaktovik and within the ANWR region set for lease sales and development any day now. [4/…]
earthquake.alaska.edu/m64-kaktovik-e…

The grid pattern of stations is ideal for detecting tiny earthquakes across the state and imaging rupture patterns of large earthquakes from around the world. We added weather sensors to many stations, filling in huge gaps in the meteorological monitoring of this state. [5/…]

Precipitation data from those weather sensors have been used to determine where to place supplies for fire management before some of the worst fire seasons we've seen. [6/…]
akff.mesowest.org/map/#/c6030,-1…

We cannot continue to operate this network without funding, kept in a holding pattern until an undefined future date. Land use permits must be renewed, telemetry contracts paid, servicing trips performed, data processed. [7/…]

This network could be an absolute gem of our state, used by researchers around the world to study and monitor earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, nuclear tests, bolides, weather, sea ice, and more. [8/…]
usarray.org/Alaska

@AKearthquake I hope that Alaskans can convince elected officials that this is a opportunity that must be supported. I hope that can happen before we have to turn the lights off. [9/9]

dermotcole.com/reportingfroma… @DermotMCole