July 6 & 7 – Barrow’s Quirkiness

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 74 Location: Barrow, AK

Well, the past two days have been fairly uneventful as far as science work goes. Kim, Jenny and I have gone to BEO both days and the generator started like a dream and we were able to get each day’s data file from the tower without incident. We also went to CMDL to get data and today Jenny did the UNISPEC readings there. The UNISPEC measures the reflectivity of the tundra and I will learn how to use it and more about how it works next week when I go to Atqasuk, where SDSU has another CO2 Flux tower.

Tomorrow we will do the soil moisture and thaw depth measurements at CMDL again and then Jenny and Kim will do the same at BEO on Friday when I go to Atqasuk. While I am there I plan to learn more about what Kim, Jenny and Kirstin do with all of the data. They do a bit of pre-processing of the raw data before sending it down to SDSU and right now all I know is that they open it, run a macro that does MANY fancy calculations and makes a bunch of graphs and then they go through and remove much of the bogus data that is erroneous. Kirstin, who is in Atqasuk now (they take turns going down for 10 days each), has agreed to spend some time explaining the details to me. So STAY TUNED!

Today the Aerosonde group left so we spent some time looking for souvenirs in town. We stopped by KBRW the local radio station and learned from the station manager that it is the largest bush radio station in the United States. They cover an area equal to the size of Minnesota, from Barrow to Canada and all the way south to the Brooks Range. Much of that is through relay towers and some is through satellite even. I have been listening to KBRW in the mornings when I get up and it is very eclectic. They have NPR and play a huge range of music, from Mardi Gras to Classical, from Hip Hop to Oldies, from Lawrence Welk to Gospel and Country, I have heard it all. They also have a lot of local information including the Birthday Program in the evenings from 7-7:30 pm where anyone in Barrow can call in and wish people a happy birthday. They have a website at www.kbrw.org which has a lot of interesting community information as well.

KBRW Radio Station

So since I have so little of interest tell you about our science today, I thought I would pass on some of the Barrow Quirks that I have learned and observed while I have been here.

1 – People don’t typically walk places. Especially in the NARL area it is unusual to see anyone on the road walking to and fro. This makes it seem that most of the area is deserted because everyone is inside building or their vehicles.

Where is everyone?

2 – Non-truck vehicles are very rare in Barrow. Most everyone has a vehicle that is either a truck or an SUV and is usually a bit beat up. They are also typically muddy and have cracked windshields. All of the trucks have extended cabs to carry more people in them who are not walking places. A small car, like a Toyota or Honda is an odd occurrence, unless it is a four-wheeler.

3 – Almost no one wears a seat belt when they are in a vehicle. (Don't try this at home, kids.)

4 – It is very muddy everywhere so you always take your shoes off before entering homes or living spaces.

5 – Everything is expensive. Gasoline is $3.15/gallon, milk is about $4/gallon, bread is $5.25 per loaf and eggs are $3 per dozen. But coffee at the Stuaqpaq is still $1 for regular.

6 – One of the toughest things to get used to in Barrow is the concept of time. Things happen slowly and not on a strict time schedule. Get used to leaving late, starting late and ending late in Barrow. Everything takes longer than you think and schedules always get pushed back. Plans change, so be flexible. I don’t know if it is the 24-hour daylight or just a cultural quirk, but patience is a virtue. Going out to dinner takes about 1 ½ hours because the food comes slow and the bill comes even slower. HOWEVER, this quirk absolutely does not apply to the cafeteria. They close ON TIME and no exceptions!

7 – Unfortunately, in Barrow there is a lot of garbage around. There is just no place for it to go. Everything that is not hunted or caught on the tundra or on the ice/ocean is shipped to Barrow via air freight (remember there are no roads that go to Barrow and there is only two barges a year with shipments). As a consequence, much comes into Barrow, but due to the expense, little leaves. There is no recycling program, because it is too expensive to send the stuff out. There are also broken down cars, trucks, snow machines and four-wheelers in most every yard. They are used for parts or simply have no other place to go. It is unfortunate, but there is not much of a solution.

8 – There is little or no actual industry here, since there are no raw materials. Most people live on subsistence hunting and Native Alaskans are permitted to hunt or catch whatever they need to eat for themselves, within certain limits of season for breeding or spawning and some quotas, like on whales. So as you drive around town (because you don't walk), you see caribou strips drying on racks behind the houses, animal pelts of all kinds large and small being stretched and dried, bones of animals in the tundra or on the beach, especially whale bones, antlers and baleen.

Typical house in Barrow

Whale vertebrae near beach

So as you can see, being in Barrow is not only an interesting science experience for me, but a new climate and cultural experience as well. Barrow has its own feel and flow created by a mix of scientific intensity, Inupiat culture and Arctic climate.