Barrow Bay, Alaska Flashcards
Population
4,500
America’s what?
Northernmost city
homes are built on what?
pilings
why are homes build on pilings?
to keep therefrom melting the permafrost
Where is it located
Against the Chukchi Sea, northern Alaska
how long has the ice substantially changed?
30-40 years
how much ice has disappeared sine 1970s according to National snow and ice data centre
3/4
by when is it predicted to be completely gone?
artic summer within the next 15 years
how much are temperatures climbing at?
twice the average global rate
over the past 20 yers how much have temperatures increased in December
4.7 degrees F
what doesnt ice offer anymore?
reliable footing
what do younger and weaker ice not do?
doesn’t anchor as firmly to shore and breaks away more easily from coastline
what problems is the city likely to face come the fall storm season?
floods and erosion
how will floods and erosion effect?
when shore is iceless and exposed - any anchored or drifting ice buttressing the coast would protect against incoming waves ad high winds - wont freeze until December (used to be October)
what thawing is much quicker?
spring of snow and ice
how much shore does persistent push and pull waves erode?
over 1 ft per annum but a single storm can chew up up to 35 ft
southerwesten city - why are homes in danger?
perch seven ft from edge of bluffs
what efforts are being made?
replenshish the beach with scooped up ocean sediment
what problems happened to the efforts made?
dealt a serious blow in 2000 when a storm sank the city’s main dredging barge
what happened in 2017
a storm surge cause millions in damage and prompted a federal disaster - authorised FEMA funds for repair
what is at risk of flooding which is important?
Illisagvik college - only federally recognised tribal college in Alaska
what does Illisagvik college provide?
low cost education to indigenous people
between 1978 and 2007 how much of the sea ice region shrank
40%
in 2008 what happened?
a wildfire broke out in the area north of the brooks range - no word for forest fire
what is a major consequence?
new arctic shipping route around top of Alaska expected to open - cutting thousands of miles off trips between Asia and Europe and Asia and E-USA
Why is the new shipping route a problem?
Northwest passage - Baffin Bay - eastern Canada to Pacific Ocean was frozen for cent. but last few summers so much has melted that is naviagable
Why will commercial shipping operations take Northwest passage?
require long term planning and can’t risk longer - so will take. A single container ship using the route to reach New York from china could save $2 mill on fuel and Panama Canal tolls - usable in 2050
what could shipping lead to?
more fuel/oil spills, subsistence of hunting and animal migration
what is point barrow?
a headland on the arctic coast
