Tracking Changes in Photoperiod Around the Globe

Introducing Mystery Class #2

Background Information About Barrow
Barrow is at the top of the North American continent and is approximately 350 miles north of the Arctic Circle at 71 degrees 17 minutes north latitude and 156 degrees 47 minutes west longitude. The slogan, "Top of the World" is used quite often to describe our village, officially City of Barrow. Statistics of our census varies, but approximately 60% of our 4,000-some inhabitants are Ioupiat Eskimos. More than twenty other cultures represent the remaining 40% of our human population. The Ioupiaq name for this place is Utqiagvik which refers to snowy owls which often frequent the tundra in great numbers.

Bowhead whales were and still are plentiful; that is the 'reason for the season' of whaling, which occurs here both in spring and fall. Bowheads=ED legacy wasn't always as secure as it is now. In the 1800's, the community was visited and in fact inhabited by a number of whalers from other places who prized the bowhead for its vast stores of fat. It is one of the slowest-swimming cetaceans and therefore easy to hunt. In 1826, the first white people (in western record) sighted the spit of land now known as Point Barrow, named after a Secretary of the British Admiralty. Presently, the International, Alaskan, and Barrow Whaling Commissions allot each subsistence community a given number of whales to hunt each season. These decisions are made with cooperation of peoples in native and scientific communities around the circumpolar world.

We have about 28 miles of connected roads, but don't have any roads to or from Barrow. Jet service is provided by a few carriers, but only one jet serves passengers. The majority of air traffic transports huge amounts of cargo for the expanding community. Smaller airplanes transport people and goods from other villages around Alaska.

Alaska's 'Last Frontier' is divided into boroughs (rather than counties); the North Slope Borough encompasses more than 88,000 square miles. In the summer, the sun shines for 24 hours and continues to do so for 82 days. Of course, what goes up, must come down. Winter months will show no sun for 56 days, with the last glimpse of the sun in early November. Temperatures are actually not as cold as they are in more interior regions of Alaska. Scientists have referred to this part of the world as a desert; The mean annual precipitation is only 4 inches (10 cm) and average annual snowfall is 20 inches (51cm).

Because the native-owned Arctic Slope Regional Corporation privately owns more than 5,500,000 acres of land, Barrow's economy is booming. Dividend returns on wise investments provides a generous flow of money in to the Borough's residents. Currently, a new hotel, Inupiat Heritage Center, store, and additions on two of the schools are being constructed and rumors abound with more new businesses starting up.

Tundra habitat provides millions of waterfowl a perfect place to nest and rear their young in relative safety. Predators of ground-nesting birds are generally limited to fox, birds of prey, gulls, and humans. Eiders, geese and oldsquaws flood the horizon in their pursuit to utilize the wealthy tundra and to take advantage of the long days.

Consider the following: if air masses concentrate over polar regions, what might happen to the polar pack ice? The global community is paying close attention to the variables in, on, under, and above the Arctic and Antarctic. Scientists flock here to study the atmosphere, arctic ice, ocean plant and animal life and the tundra. With improved satellite technology and radioactive testing procedures, it will be possible to unearth many mysteries about the effect global warming is having on our planet. We are seated in one of two best grounds for evaluating the health of our ozone. Continue to read scientific publications to learn the most recent results of arctic science.

"What's Barrow like?"
Grade 6 viewpoints
Ms. Berg
Hopson Middle School
April, 1997

"In Barrow it is getting warmer and I always play out side with my bike. In Barrow the snow is melting and I like it because I like summer than winter. Right now they are going whaling. They have caught seven whales so far. I don't like eating whale because I don't like the taste. My friend like the whale and then he try make me like it but I don't." Richie

"Barrow is a small place, but I like it. It is easier to get to know more people in a small place. Lots of people ask if we live in igloo's and we do. Igloo is just another word for house. We do not have penguins, but we do have polar bears. There are no trees in Barrow." Crystal

"Barrow is a small town in Alaska. We're the highest town in North America... As you can see, we have computers and cable. I guess living here is like living anywhere else. We have tundra, which are marshy places. There are a lot of really cool animals here. It isn't the best place in the world, but I got used to it. Some people might think that we still live in igloos. We don't. They make them for fun. We have cars and trucks up here. We also have motorcycles, ski-doos, four wheelers, etc. We're very civilized...We've been having real nice weather. Probably compared to where you live it's cold. We have been having 20 degrees above zero. (Fahrenheit). That's pretty nice compared to what we had in the winter." Brenda

"I have lived in Barrow all of my life...What's happening in Barrow right now is spring whaling. It's one of the things they do every spring. When our crew catches a whale, I have to help out a lot. Our crew is called the Aiken Crew. Just last weekend we had Spring Festival. I couldn't go 'cause I had the stomach flu... The community does a lot of stuff during the summer. I can't wait till 4th of July games. At the 4th of July games we have running races, 1-foot hop, gunny sack races, egg-throwing contest, 3-legged race, and wheel borrow race. We also have a parade at the games. You win money if you get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place...Well, you can ask me some questions about these spring things and I will get back to you." Andrea

"Are traditional way of life is to go whaling. In Barrow it is cold, so cold the ocean turns to ice. Than we fix our snowmobiles. When we know the ice is thick enough we load up the sleds and go set up camp...we go on it (ice) with ski-doo's and hunt whales. Before we go whaling we have to catch a lot of seals for the skin and the meat. Our crew goes all the way to an opening in the sea. If our crew catches a whale we share it with everybody in Barrow." Nuk

"...We don't have any trees, but we do have big bushes...There's deep snow in the winter. We play on man-made hills...There's whales in the Arctic Ocean. We hunt for them and eat the meat..." Annie S.

"...Here are some things I like about Barrow. I like the people, the sights, and places to go and the sun. Some things I dislike about Barrow is there is too much mud, not much colorful flowers, no big snow fence, nothing to do if you already did it..." Annie W.

"Barrow is a relatively small town. There are two sides, connected by the main road and the dam road, Browerville and Barrow. Barrow side is where most of the large stores, restaurants, barber shops, video places, etc., are. Browerville side is made up mostly of people's homes, but has a few small restaurants, a couple stores, and a video rental place. I like the fact that there isn't much traffic in Barrow and therefore it is not such a big deal if you don't wear a seat belt. What I don't like is that there are no malls here. I think there should at least be a small one." Daniel

"The population is about 4,000 over here. We have three schools: their names are Ipalook Elementary School, Eben Hopson Middle School, and Barrow High School. We also have three stores and their names are A.C. (Stuaqpak) Cash-N-Carry, and Arctic Coast Trading Post. Barrow is a really small town and it's at the top of the world. I kind of get bored staying in Barrow..." Kristine

"Barrow is small-you probably heard that already...pretty small compared to where you live. We have one vet/pound, one bank, and three schools. Our high school cost more then Alaska. Not to brag or anything. Barrow does not have cement roads, we have frozen roads. How do we Barry people? We use a Ditch Witch- (modified machine which saws the frozen earth)." Mandy

"Barrow is a place where polar bears try to eat the leftover of the Bowhead whale bones and the meat. We catch a lot of Bowhead whale during the spring and fall and we sometimes catch some belugas in the same time of the bowhead and we hunt on the ice in the spring using skin boats made out of seal skin or bearded seal and we hunt in the summer in a real boat. I go out in the spring and help cut up the whale." Robert A.

"...In the month of April we have Spring Festival (Piuraagiaqta) on a (frozen) lagoon... At the spring festival some of the games are: ski-doo races in a oval on the lagoon, Eskimo booty race, hockey games, cross country skiing, golfing on the lagoon, broom hockey, innter tube races and there is many more games and races. Before the games and races there is a parade." Robert F.

"Barrow has many different kinds of people. It also has lots of trash on the ground. People just throw the trash around. If there is one thing I can change about Barrow it would be the trash in the whole city. I would try and clean up the town in only one summer with most of my friends. I want to have a clean town. The reason why is because it makes it look like the whole big trash to me. Pollution is very bad for the ozone." Annie M.

"In the spring it smells great. In the winter it's very cold. In the summer it's very hot. There are a lot of bugs. In the spring and fall, crews from Barrow g out in search of whales. They go into the Arctic Ocean. Barrow is a nice place to go canoeing..." Annie S.

"In Barrow, it's just starting to warm up, around 10-20 above zero (Fahrenheit). It's just the right time to go whaling here. We go whaling for bowheads, about a week after spring. I think it taste pretty good if you boil it first. When we pull a whale up on the beach to cut it up we have to get tractors and tie a thick metal rope on the tractor and the other goes on the tail. You should come some time to see how it is, I don't really like it though. Come up here when it's summer, just a suggestion. It gets cold here if it's winter. The hottest it has ever gotten here that I know of is about 70-75..." Dylan

"A couple of days ago a whale was caught by the Ahmaogak Crew. Whaling is when a bunch of different groups of people go in boats looking for whales. There is about 6 people in a crew. I've never been whaling before. Today's weather was 25 degrees. This school I am typing in is named after my grandfather, Eben Hopson. Barrow is getting funner because school is almost over..." Chastity

Sincerely,
Ms. Berg's 6th Grade Class
Eben Hopson Middle School
Barrow Alaska

** P.S. Our last day of school is today, May 15, so we wish you a good summer vacation!