Ice science from pre-k to gray

Father Thinh Van Tran knows about ice. A Catholic priest who serves the Diocese of Fairbanks, he’s spent time in the remote rural Alaska communities of Nulato, Koyukuk, Galena and Kaltag, deep in Interior Alaska. During that time he’s come to appreciate how river ice serves as a major transportation corridor for these communities.

“We are always waiting, waiting,” he said. “When we see the cold, freezing cold, real cold temperatures for a

week or so, with 7 inches of ice, we’re really happy with that because we know that it’s really good freezing up and safe.”

River ice serves as the highway in winter for Alaskans living off of the road system. If the ice fails, their highways fail and their lives are genuinely at risk. In the fall, anticipation becomes high when the river freezes and the water highway opens, providing a means of transportation again.

But with this form of travel comes many dangers. It is not uncommon for people to fall through the ice, which is exactly what happened to Tran in 2024 while traveling across a slough near the Yukon river.

“I broke the ice, my snowmachine couldn’t make it over the holes, then I fell into the water. There was a homestead two and a half miles from where I fell through, wolves and bears are still out there, so I took my axe and walked to that house. Then a guy at that house came out and helped me,” Tran said. “I was so lucky.”

It’s avoiding moments like this that inspire Tran to report his local observations to Fresh Eyes on Ice (FEOI). Beginning in 2019, Fresh Eyes on Ice has worked to connect Arctic communities through a modernized water observation network. It relies on students, educators, elders, pilots, and even priests like Tran to report what they’re seeing on the waterways. The program’s core goal is to support and sustain observations of lake and river ice to inform public safety, document responses to a changing climate, and promote science education and participation across the state of Alaska.

The ground truthing and involvement of communities in the Arctic is irreplaceable. The high-tech eyes in the sky, satellites, didn’t catch what the community monitoring captured 23% of the time. That’s almost a one-in-four chance the satellite is missing a detail with features which can be deadly for people traveling at speed on a snowmachine. Satellite data are made more robust and trustworthy when they are verified by these local observers.

This local monitoring is standardized using GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) protocols. Fresh Eyes on Ice uses GLOBE methods extensively within the program, providing standard research methods for students to engage in science. This effort is amplified by the Arctic and Earth SIGNs (STEM integration GLOBE and NASA assets), a NASA-funded initiative focused on culturally responsive climate change education. It teaches youth science through the focus of climate change because it is a topic that is very present and meaningful to them. Over 4,000 participants shared over 6,000 images through the NASA GLOBE Observer app, alongside the Fresh Eyes on Ice website and social media. This information streams directly and immediately to the National Weather Service.

To sustain the relationship and continue data collection, Fresh Eyes on Ice scientists completed a 1,500 mile traverse by snowmachines. This approach counteracts the “parachute scientist” narrative by traveling like locals.

Sarah Clement, one of the scientists on the traverse noted, “so that was the intention, to show them we’re visiting you on snowmachines. We’re traveling like how many of you travel in the winter and we’re showing up to do ice science with you guys.”