Module II: Natural History

Essential Questions:
How does the knowledge of natural system inform our understanding of cultural systems?

Knowledge of our natural systems most definitely affects and will increase our understanding of cultural systems. With the state of Alaska sitting on the edge of the ring of fire, the areas are prone to volcanic, earthquake, and tsunami activities. Researchers have to fully understand and calculate inundation lines in order to provide a safe place and altitude for its residents to escape natural disasters, such as tsunamis and floods.

When I lived in Idaho, our small community was along two joining rivers and there were dykes that kept the water away from residential areas, businesses, and farm land. In 1996, the dyke broke in several areas and flooded our town, I think I was around 8 years old at the time. I remember one of the evacuation sites was where my mom worked, and Elementary school which stood at a slightly higher elevation, but could provide shelter to a lot of our residents.  My dad helped build a sandbag wall to protect the downtown businesses, while my mom, sister, and I stayed at the Elementary. It was very sad seeing our friends having to evacuate, and not being able to return to homes for quite some time. In learning the hard way, many thought twice about how and where they would reside. Whether you want the luxury and beauty of living on the water’s edge, and building on stilts, or move to a higher elevation outside of the inundation zone; some stayed put and just rebuilt.

 Residents in Alaska have modified their culture and way of live because disasters, such as flood, to inhabit areas where others might never think about living. Those of us looking in, can distinguish how, for example, Southeast Alaska’s culture is much different than the Artic North, by studying this module. Also, learning how and why plant and animal patterns change due to the fluctuation of the environment, such as ice melts, thawing permafrost, receding glaciers, and increasing water levels, goes hand in hand with the necessary changes people will have to make too.

Examine Questions:

Whittier USGS

How are tectonic forces responsible for earthquakes and tsunamis?

During this module, I really liked the interactive sites with the explanations on how nature disasters, like earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis, occur. In a short explanation, earthquakes and tsunamis are a prime representation of cause and effect. As the plates float on the molten lava, they habitually run into each other.  The stress and tension that builds up between any of these 7 major tectonic plates can result in an earthquake. The Tectonic Plates, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes, provided in this module, is a great little video that highlights all the activities along the ‘Ring of Fire’ and between other plates. Another good, interactive website to check out is on earthquakes.   

Furthermore, it was interesting to learn about the Aleutian Trench and how the Pacific plate is moving under the North American plate at a rate of 2 inches per year. This fault process is called subduction.  Another highly active location is the San Andreas Fault that runs along much of the west coast. This type of fault is considered a strike slip because the North American and Pacific plates collide and slip past one another, causing approximately 10,000 earthquakes per year along this particular fault line.

Tsunamis occur hand in hand with earthquakes. When there is a sudden shift in the Earth’s crust, usually because of a massive earthquake, tiny ripples start from the region of impact. Out in the sea, they look harmless, but that’s because the water is so deep that the sudden water displacement is hard to notice. However, as those ripples make it to shallower waters it greatly intensifies.  For example, the devastating Alaskan 9.2 earthquake that occurred March 27, 1964 created a tsunami that plagued coastal towns and villages.  According to the Alaska Tsunami video, the surges can travel at speeds of 500-600 mph through the water. 

Extend Question:

Describe the geography of the place where you live:

The geography of Juneau is beautiful. Living in a temperate rainforest, I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to like all types of precipitation, especially that of rain, or you’ll go crazy. I never truly appreciated the variations of rain from a light mist to horizontal, drenching showers.  As described on Alaska History and Cultural Studies, Juneau is part of the marine division that encompasses Southeast Alaska. Furthermore, weather systems are obstructed by the high, coastal mountains, causing torrential downpours of snow or rain throughout the year.

A picture I took of a glacier at
Mendenhall Lake

Despite how much rain Southeast Alaska receives, the beauty attracts many to the area. There are multiple glaciers around the region to enjoy, some receding and some still growing. One glacier in particular in Juneau is a hot spot for tourists during the summer and that is the Mendenhall Glacier. This last summer,  I was lucky enough to have several opportunities viewing glaciers just south of Juneau on the Taku River by float planes.  Seeing glaciers and parts of the ice field from the air is spectacular!  I look forward to viewing glaciers by other means of transportation, like the Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm by boat. That’s one of my goals for my 2^nd summer season in Juneau.

A picture I took of the East Twin Glacier on the River last summer

Besides the glaciers, there is so much more that composes Juneau’s geography. The highest elevation is approximately  3,800-4,000 feet .  Here’s Alaska Trekker that includes biking, hiking, and leisure trails in the area through our terrain. With being a coastal city, Juneau residents had to adapt to live along the waters edge and still maintain many of the activities and more, from subsistence fishing to whale watching. 

Evaluation:

I really enjoyed this section, especially all the numerical facts. I didn’t know that Alaska provides 1/3 of the U.S.’s fresh water supply. I knew a larger percent of Alaska’s fresh water was in the form of glaciers, but didn’t realize that it was 75% , and 5% of Alaska consists of glaciers. Since living in Alaska for only a year and a half, I’ve gotten to view many glaciers, first around the Prince William Sound and mostly around Juneau. The colors, sound, and magnificence never get old. It is sad, however, talking to individuals who have grown up with the glaciers and mention how much the glaciers have receded, ex. Mendenhall Glacier. Another topic area that I was not familiar with at all was permafrost. Having a very vague idea, I enjoyed reading about the massiveness of the layer of permafrost, spanning over 80% of Alaska and reaching depths of 2000 feet.

I took a lot of notes in this section, not necessarily to help write question responses, but also for my personal knowledge. I plan on relaying these links and resources to some of my colleagues and my mom who teaches a section of Alaska history to her 5^th grade students. 

Blog Comments:

Niki Underwood's extend question in regards to the 'Sleeping Lady'. When I first visited Anchorage, that was one of the first features that was pointed out to me, yet I never knew how this geographical feature received its name. The story link within the blog provided a lovely story, thank you Niki.

I liked in Marg Clabby's Module I responses to the connection between people and place in her community. definitely can relate to the information posted on the the lumber mills. My small community in Idaho relied on logging and we had two plywood mills. I used to work at the Potlatch mill when I was home from college during the summers.

In Peter's blog, I like reading about his extend question with his stay at the military base in Dutch Harbor. Describing the trenches that were still there with barb wire gave me chills. What an experience though to be able to stay at the barracks and see this piece of history before it was demolished.