The climate of Alaska is usually 4 to 5 degrees below zero most of the time. Huge icebergs would slide off gravel shores in October, and would never break up into the river. Not a lot of plants or shrubs in these types of areas, because it’s so there is more room for polar bears and other animals, and erosion of the land was slow, until global warming started up, so now erosion is faster. Temperatures have gone up 7 degrees in the past 50 years, so huge icebergs do not show in fall. The annual mean air temperature in Alaska has risen 4 degrees F to 5 degrees F in the past 30 years-- compared with the ‘just under 1 degree F’ average worldwide, resulting with the state’s glaciers melting; vast swaths of forest are being destroyed by insects; and the permafrost thawing is sinking roads, pipelines and homes. Offshore ice is less stable, and icebergs freeze later and break up earlier, and the spring season is changing, so more shrubs and plants are growing, autumn waves are rising, and the permafrost is melting. Barrier islands are shifting, and the sea ice area that has shrunk is as big as Texas and Arizona combined, which also means polar bears are being stranded and are closer to people now. As people go, 600 residents are becoming increasingly vulnerable to violent storms like hurricanes and blizzards. Richard Glenn, a geologist and ice scientist says, “Things that were true for fathers won’t be true for sons.” Shishmaref, Alaska, which sits on a barrier island, has fewer options and less time to decide its future: either disperse its ancient tribe, or move to a new location at an enormous cost. The air of late September at the Arctic is colder than in winter, in which the dampness cut through layers of ... ... middle of paper ... ...n June again, berry-picking in August, and the ice-fishing season begin in October, and have those 600 residents, who are now vulnerable to violent storms, be completely impervious to the full force of nature. So get out there, have a green thumb, and make a difference. Works cited; Wohlforth, Charles. “As the Arctic melts, an ancient culture faces ruin.” National Wildlife (World Edition). 27 Mar. 2014 Weinhold, Bob. “Climate change and Health: a Native American experience.” Environmental Health Perspectives. 27 Mar. 2014 Roosevelt, Margot. “Vanishing Alaska.” Middle Search Plus. 27 Mar. 2014.
Katmai’s climate really depends on the season. Katmai is relatively drizzly year round with strong winds, but with mostly moderate springs and autumns. Temperatures range from -4°F to 40°F in the winter, 36-56°F in the spring and autumn, and averaging 60°F in the summer. Katmai can get anywhere from two to forty inches of rain a year. In the winter (see figure 1), it can accumulate up to 14 inches of snow a month.
(Quimby 6). Between this time period, in 6000 B.C., the basins of the upper Great Lakes became entirely ice free
would snow up to depths of eight inches and sometimes it would rain and hail for
The glaciers have been through a minimum of four glacial periods. They’ve been through the Little Ice age, which commenced around 4,000 years ago. Marks of retreating glacier ice are seen in the rock-strewn and sculpted peaks valleys. The land and bodies of water that the retreating ice has created a new display of animal and plant communities. Ice fields, expansive river and stream systems, and tidewater glaciers significantly determine the likelihood of animals and plants to
The climate of the tundra is characterized by harsh winters. The average temperature in the tundra area is about –27 degrees. But what is even worse are the long night. At nights the lowest temperture recorded was –67.36 degrees. There are even times in the year when the sun doesn’t come up for days. In the tundra we have little snow and even less rainfall. The rainfall is about a quarter inch in a yearly rainfall. Even though the tundra’s winters are long a harsh there summers are the shortest season of all. Do to the terrible weather and climate in the tundra their animals and plant life is very limited.
Physical Geography In order to get an understanding of the geographical breakdown of Alaska, you must understand the size of the state. Alaska is 589,000 square miles in size which is roughly three times the size of California. Alaska is often thought of as a separate world within the United States, although it has many links to North America In physical geography the examples include mountain ranges (Rocky Mountain and Coastal Mountain systems), climate (arctic and sub arctic), glaciers, plant life (tundra and boreal forest), and animals (moose, raven). Alaska’s transportation linkage with the rest of North America became a reality in World War II with the completion of the Alaska Highway. One of the foremost physical features within the state is Mount McKinley. Mount McKinley is the highest mountain peak in North America. At some 18,000 feet, the base to peak rise is the largest of any mountain that is entirely above sea level. It is the main attraction of Denali National Park, and one of the most visited locations within Alaska.
The indigenous population of the Canadian Arctic, also known as the Inuit (Inuk for “People”), are a proud nation of historically marginalized communities. This diaspora of scattered and remote communities are predominantly found in regions of Canada, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunatsiavut, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Quebec. Although, the Inuit community also spans as far as Greenland, Denmark, Russia, and the United States of America. This community holds their cultural institutions in very sacred and high regards as observed by their passionate ambitions to pass down their traditions, methods, and spoken history to their prosperity. However, these proud descendants of the earliest Arctic tundra conquerors have had an historically
The Tundra suffers a very harsh climate. Because of this fact most of the area
For the purposes of this discussion we will focus on the lives of the Inuit. The Inuit are a group of people often mischaracterized as Eskimos. They lived in the area of central and northeastern Canada and Greenland. There has been much discussion of the orignination of this group of people but the most recognized theory is that they crossed from northern Asia across thin bridge of land over the Bering Strait sometime around 6000-2000 BC. Many people mistakenly think that the Inuit and Native Americans are one in the same. It seems that the Inuit most likely came from Asia more likely than the Native Americans. Although both probably came to the Americas through the Bering Strait. Biological, cultural and dialect differences show the different origin. Much of this theory is supported due to the close resemblance of the Inuit to the Mongoloid races of Eastern Asia. Because of the harsh land and climate of the Arctic, this area was probably one of the last regions to be inhabited making the Inuit on of the earth’s younger cultures.
The climates on earth are very unique depending on their placement on the planet's axis. No one really realizes how different they can be or how similar they really are. The ice caps and the arid climates are two examples of unique climates. Arid is another word for dry land, the ice caps are the cold climates. The Arid climates are covering nearly 33% of the earth’s land. The ice caps are only at the poles directly north and south of the equator, but this climate covers nearly 20% of the earth. These two climates sound very different, but no one would ever know the similarities of them until they really looked into the facts.
In recent decades, the contentious issues surrounding climate change and the corresponding effects it likely exerts upon contemporary civilization has developed to become one of the most pressing areas of concern afflicting humanity (Armstrong, 1). Currently, climate change has started to demonstrate its potentially calamitous consequences upon human subsistence practices, and has even begun to alter the very environments that entire societies reside in, theoretically endangering them in both instances (Armstrong, 1). Though the hindrances inherent in climate change are potentially devastating to the preservation of modern society, the problem of climate change itself is not one that is exclusive to the contemporary era. Rather, the harmful
In Alaska there are 3 main types of bears. They are brown bears, black bears, and polar bears.
The Arctic region is home to a variety of valuable animals and plants, including polar bear, seal, and so on. The ecosystem of the Arctic region is fragile because these animals are evolved to live in extreme conditions. With the climate change, many animals are endangered. Ice is the habitat of polar animals because they have to rely on sea ices for resting, food, and reproduction. With the climate change and the decrease of sea ice, the number of polar animals is decreasing and their health is threatened. For example, the average weight of female polar bears in 1980 was about 650 pounds, but the number reduced to about 500 pounds in 2004 (Djoghlaf 15). The earlier breakup and later condensation of sea ice shortens the hunting season of polar bears. Polar bears mainly feed on seals that indwell icy land. The melting ice reduces the number of seals and food intake of polar bears. In addition, polar bears are used to living in ice caves. The rising temperature causes the collapse of ice caves, which can kill baby bears. The climate change is negatively affecting the biodiversity in the region and will definitely harm the ecosystem
captive by a sheath of frost, as were the glacial branches that scraped at my windows, begging to get in. It is indeed the coldest year I can remember, with winds like barbs that caught and pulled at my skin. People ceaselessly searched for warmth, but my family found that this year, the warmth was searching for us.
There are salmon fisherman reindeer herders and caribou hunters who hunt and fish around the arctic tundra. The women spend their time sewing fur birch bark baskets and clothes to keep everyone warm, also to prevent frostbite Alaska s in upiat Eskimos have small villages that their ancestors lived in for hundreds of years. They also lived in larger towns built on top of ancient trading sites. More than 12600 inupiat people today live on traditional lands along the northern slope. Also about 6000 live in anchorage In the Eskimo family, everyone has a job to do. Eskimo men ...