This research investigated the potential use and application of radar, satellite, and other tracking data for sea ice and weather conditions in maritime-related Search and Research (SAR) operations in the Arctic. Specifically, this study analyzed a SAR event for a missing small vessel due into Utqiaġvik (formerly, Barrow), Alaska in July 2017 as well as archival records of U.S. Coast Guard SAR incidents in Arctic Alaska between 1976 and present. This study feeds into the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) funded project - Developing sea ice and weather forecasting tools to improve situational awareness and crisis response in the Arctic - which seeks to create a prototype early warning sea ice and weather forecasting module for hazard planning in Utqiaġvik. This research found that data availability and accessibility, particularly in low bandwidth and further offshore areas, are challenges to data uptake during a SAR event. Nonetheless, the specific SAR incident in Utqiaġvik helped to illuminate there is a breadth of tools that can be applied and used in a SAR context - traditional and knowledge, modeling data, and USCG operational data. Specifically, modeling data from tools developed by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC), the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and other research institutions was generated during this event to help support the local SAR effort. However, a level of pre- or post-processing was necessary in many cases, which can be a challenge for when data is needed immediately. This research holds implications for future use and uptake of modeling data in local SAR operations in Arctic Alaska and potentially the Arctic overall. Given that local SAR operators are predominantly the first line of response to maritime emergencies in Arctic Alaska, the ability to share and provide a set of resources to support SAR operators can be beneficial, particularly in a rapidly changing Arctic. A more targeted and systematic way to utilize and draw upon scientific research for SAR operations can potentially support the local SAR community, especially when immediate information is necessary. In particular, leveraging different products to validate, interpolate, and extrapolate information against one another, can help create more comprehensive situational awareness, especially for further offshore SAR events.

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a natural hazard that affects a number of communities around the world. GLOFs affect a number of downstream communities directly in Alaska, with a variety of different impacts. This research looks into the impact of two GLOFs in Alaska on two downstream communities: releases from Suicide Basin adjacent to Mendenhall Glacier which affect Juneau, Alaska as well as releases from the glacial dammed lake at Snow Glacier, which affect the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. Specifically, this work analyzes GLOF impacts from a multidisciplinary perspective. For example, novel monitoring campaigns have been undertaken in recent years to better understand and estimate water levels in Suicide Basin. From using drone imagery to analyzing time lapse camera images, these new approaches have allowed for a deeper understanding of, and better preparation for, these flood events. In addition, the GLOF impacts in both Juneau and Kenai Peninsula affects a wide range of stakeholders. From federal and state agencies, to local actors and emergency responders, to homeowners and businesses operating in the floodplain, GLOFs impact these communities through different lenses. This work delved into understanding how hydrological information and other available GLOF informational resources are understood and utilized by the wide range of affected stakeholders. The goal of this work was to understand stakeholder comprehension of these scientific information and how this information is - or is not - used for decision-making regarding GLOFs. Findings from this work were provided to information providers to improve their understanding of stakeholder needs as well as to refine and develop new products to address unmet needs and gaps. This work shows the importance of cross-cutting, multi-discipline approaches to help ensure scientific information is understood and used by a wide variety of stakeholders but to also create avenues and pathways for the integration of stakeholder feedback in scientific products, particularly as they pertain to cryospheric hazards.