We were in the lab for the day, sifting through gravel, peat, and doing a really interesting activity that gives a great overview of archaeology and anthropology. Like all science fields, there is quite a bit of knowledge and skill required to be successful in these areas. I will write up the activity for the Learning Resources section. Just a quick preview, it involves candy!!
Quick Notes of the Day: 1. Feel free to send along questions or comments. I might not get to them everyday but I will try. I have responded to some other PolarTREC journals and it is hard to think of a good question. Suggestions and things you want to learn more about are fine too. 2. There are amazing birds up here. I am stretching my bird ID skills and will try to include some. The previous PolarTREC teacher, Elizabeth Eubanks, got some stunning shots with her high-powered camera. Go check out her Photo Gallery [www.polartrec.com] if you are interested in seeing the birds that soar around in the area.
Today’s journal is all about the different communities up here in the northernmost part of the USA. One community is the folks that live here, go to school, work in the area, and somehow make it through the dark winter months. The other human community is the science people that come together in the equivalent of Science Camp for different lengths of time each summer. Today’s journal will focus on the place that is Barrow, Alaska. There is quite a bit to share so there will be pictures both in the journal and in the Photo Gallery.
Basic Alaska and Barrow Facts:
-Alaska is the 49th state, the largest, and the one of the wealthiest per capita.
-Barrow is seat of government for the North Slope Borough (a borough is similar to a county). The North Slope Borough is the largest municipality in the world covering 89,000 square miles. In comparison, Vermont has only 9,250 square miles. Do the math, you could fit over 9 Vermonts in the North Slope Borough!!
-The population of the North Slope Borough is approximately, 7,500. Barrow is about 4,700. Again for comparison, the town of Chester, VT has just over 3,000 people.
-Barrow is 1,200 miles from the North Pole and based on air mileage on the flight out, Barrow is over 4,000 miles from Chester. Anyone know how far it is from Chester, VT to the North Pole? Send an answer to "Ask The Team”.
Here is a general map of BASC and Point Barrow. The Chukchi Sea is to the left, the Beaufort Sea is at the top. A couple of miles out and they become part of the Arctic Ocean.
The area I spend most of my time in is at BASC and out at Point Barrow. Just as a reminder, the Inupiat's refer to Point Barrow as Nuvuk, also the name for the people who lived there. It is approximately 5 miles out to Nuvuk from BASC.
A close up of BASC is below. There are too many buildings to be exact and count them all.
This will give you some idea about where things are here at BASC. It's a short walk over to the College for food and then a little further on the get to the Lab.
Ilisagvik College is a fairly new addition, 1995, and it is a two year school designed to provide knowledge and skills for the native people.
Ilisagvik Community College is where we eat. It serves both as a college as well as a research facility for many of the scientists that are here. Their mascots are the whale and polar bear. I don't think they have any NCAA Sports Teams!!
The BASC (Barrow Arctic Science Center) - Lab facility is top-notch, brand new facility. The labs and offices are equipped with the latest materials and supplies available. We are quite fortunate to be able to have over 10 people working at a time in our lab.
This is where we work. There are numerous labs in here with people doing everything from bird work to plant work to atmospheric studies. This is part one of a three part building project. There is some incredible work going on up here!!
The town of Barrow has many of the same services and options that we have in the lower 48. One of the main differences is that everything is built on pilings. No foundations, no basements. So, storage of equipment and other supplies is outside. Throughout the BASC complex and Barrow, there is lots of materials lying around.
All communication is done via satelite. Phone, internet, everything goes through the satelite system. Notice how the satelites are up on pilings. If you look carefully at all the buildings you will notice that they are all up on pilings. Thee permafrost, or permanently frozen ground, is only 5 feet below the surface. A warm basement or foundation would quickly melt the permafrost and then the house or whatever would start to sink. So, keep an eye on the pictures everything is up in the air here in Alaska!!
Surrounding the town and BASC is tundra. Looks pretty flat, and it is. Looks like there is not much there, but there is so much happening out there. More on that in coming journals.
The tundra is right off the road up here. It stretches far and wide, in all directions. It seems barren and lifeless but there is so much living going on out there. Incredible numbers of plants, birds, mammals, and much more all thrive in this environment. The beauty comes when you look closely, really closely, at how these plants live. Truly amazing!!
On the other side of the road from the tundra is the ocean. Same thing, looks pretty flat and calm. The whales, walrus, polar bears, seals, and fish would all disagree!!
Here's a view from downtown Barrow looking north up the beach. Gorgeous beach but no one out tanning, no one in the water, just a few icebergs.
The communities of Barrow and BASC are full of hard-working, caring people. More about the people in coming editions. Tomorrow, more specifics about the community of Barrow. Keep an eye out for the electric blue football field!! Eat some fresh vegetables for me!!