Module IX

Essential Question:

How are climate, terrestrial ice and Alaskan indigenous cultures all connected?

First on a lighter note than this picture portrays, a brief personal story.

As a ten year old, I became an Alaskan transplant (I am not sure where my native lands are, I'm guessing Germany and Sweden, but know no one there), specifically to Anchorage which was around 75,000 people. I learned soon that riding over frost heaves was a blast on a bike, motorcycle, snow machine and any vehicle. In fact, I used to try to always sit in the back of the school bus during spring. It was the closest a kid could get to a carnival ride.

One time after I had gotten my driving permit, I had one of those coveted opportunities to be at the wheel on our way home one day. It just so happened to be the day that we were taking my Dad home from Providence Hospital after having gall bladder surgery. Mind you, this was in the early 1970's so medical technology was less technological. He incision was about six inches long and he was still in a lot of pain. Well, beginning driver and all, did not slow down for the "frost heave" patch on our street. Apparently, that doesn't feel very good right after surgery. I think I might heard a few dirty words, which my Dad never said, that day.

While the total amount of terrestrial water on the Earth is in our oceans, the majority of the fresh water is contained in the higher and lower latitudinal areas especially the North and South Poles. Fresh water comes from higher elevation areas where glaciers and ice sheets have formed. With the warming of our planet, whether it is completely caused by humans burning fossil fuels or not, our fresh water which is locked in ice is melting. Scientists have found evidence of periods of global warming before the industrial revolution by investigating the layers of a section of a tree. They have seen this same type of evidence while looking at layers in ice with sediment in them. However, since the this industrialization period many human activities have increased the Earth's current warming trend.

This module was full of visual evidence of melting snow and ice. When you talk about the reduction of sea ice, the visual is shown by the Arctic Sea boundaries changing from year to year. But, when you talk about the reduction of terrestrial ice, there is many more opportunities for you to see visual evidence of that occurring. From the permafrost ice caves of Tunnel Man, to the ice going out on the Yukon River and the pre and post pictures to glacier's advancement.

See photos below.

The Alaskan indigenous cultures have a challenge

ahead of them. For so many years in the past, they have interacted with nature. They have made observations of the land, the climate, the oceans, the lakes, the rivers and the plant and animal life that survived those particular environmental situations. They have forged a living on the land. Now they have decisions to make. Their land is becoming unstable under the permafrost. The fishing lakes are disappearing into rivers from the melting of permafrost. The rivers are running into the oceans. The oceans climates are becoming to harsh for survival. The sea is moving farther away from the land, making it difficult for the web of life in that area to continue. The rivers have become more fierce at break up with warmer weather causing more melting at the rivers head waters. And, with all of this occurring simultaneously, the sea level will rise and swallow up land that has been part of Alaskan indigenous way of life for many, many centuries. It seems as though it is a disaster. Is it in fact part of a cyclical process of our dear Earth's interaction between the ocean currents, volcanoes, earthquakes, atmospheric processes, rotational processes, all in relations with our big bright star? It truly makes sense that it is being exacerbated by too many humans, too many factories, too many automobiles, too much pollution of our nature water sources and so on.

P.S. After 33 years of entering the Tanana/Nenana Ice Classic I'm wondering if this might be my good luck year.