For
thousands of years, Iñupiaq Eskimos have hunted
bowhead whales from the sea ice. Now this hunting platform
is becoming thinner and more dangerous.
The
Iñupiaq Eskimos live in a warming land - the
North Slope of
Alaska.
As global climate change continues to heat up the Arctic,
the Iñupiaq culture faces an uncertain future.
In
Arctic Thaw, you will meet some of the scientists who
study climate change, see Iñupiaq villagers come
together to harvest a bowhead after a successful hunt,
and enjoy Kivgiq, a festival that brings villages together
to celebrate the Iñupiaq whaling tradition.
Peter
presents the essential science of one of humanity's most
exciting challenges - global climate change - and an intimate
view of a culture that's facing it head-on.
Kirkus
Review Feb 1, 2007
What
happens to the peoples of the Arctic who follow native
hunting traditions as the polar ice cap shrinks? In this
timely photo-essay, an inveterate traveler describes three visits
to northern Alaska in which he follows scientists from
Indiana investigating climate change, as well as Inupiaq
Eskimos waiting for the return of the sun and the whale
hunt and then harvesting the first whale, more or less
as they have for generations. Opening with a helpful map
and a note about the terms used to describe the people
he visited, Lourie tells about his trips in a chatty first-person
voice, illustrating them with color photographs, mostly
his own. He introduces the reader to individuals—earth
scientists and biologists, whale captains, and a man who
straddles both worlds—and
ends with a personal vow to change behaviors that may be
contributing to global warming. Helpful backmatter includes
a glossary, suggested reading, index and short list of
simple things the reader can do as well to fight global
climate change.
Journey
to Barrow, Alaska
April,
2005
april
 2005
out
on the ice
the
Inupiat are cutting through a particularly jumbled pressure ridge to get
out farfar enough to set up camps and wait for the spring migration of
the bowheads
 
jumping
the road photos
_______________
September
2004
More
photos from the arctic
 February
2005
In
September, February, and now April, I made three trips to Barrow to research
for a book on climate change. Here's a great site to learn more about
Inupiaq whale subsistence:
The following discussion and associated images of the scientific study of
bowhead whales are derived from presentations given by J. Craig George of the
North Slope Borough, Department of Wildlife Management.
2004/2005
barrow
project photos
Barrow
project updates
weather
in Barrow right now
  with
Dr. Shepson, February 2005
Visiting
with Jean
Craighead George and her son Craig in Barrow 
Arctic Climate Impact
Assessment (ACIA)
This
year I'll be making three trips to Alaska to write about global warming. I
hope to record
the work of atmospheric scientist Dr.
Paul "Shep" Shepson of
Purdue University and his graduate
students who are conducting experiments through the
winter in Barrow. I
also intend to document the native views on global change,
and collect information in words and on video tape that
can be used for educating children around the world about
this important issue.
Check out this Oct. 7, 2003 article in
The Christian Science Monitor (Alaska's
not-so-permanent frost by Yereth Rosen).
You'll notice some comments here by the son of the children's
book writer Jean Craighead George. Craig George lives
in Barrow and has been studying whales there for nearly
a decade. I'll be visiting him next fall when I accompany
Professor Shepson to Barrow.
Why
the Hole is Over Antarctica
Why is the ozone hole over Antarctica?
That is one of the first questions that comes to mind
when people think about the ozone hole/
During the Antarctic winter, an oval-shaped
polar vortex is formed over the south pole area. The vortex
brings ozone-rich air from above, and ozone-poor air is
pushed out. The vortex is extremely cold, reaching temperatures
of -80 degrees Celsius (-86 degrees Fahrenheit), and these
cold conditions help cause large clouds to form in the
atmosphere. The clouds in the extreme cold gradually absorb
nitrogen oxide, which is stored in crystals of nitric
acid inside of the clouds. As the cloud of water
and nitric acid starts to grow, it can grow to the point
where it covers the entire Antarctic region. When
sunlight passes through the cloud, ozone-destroying chlorine
and chlorine oxide are formed from the inactive chlorine
and nitric acid in the cloud.
Is this clear? Actually, I'm
still lingering back there on the question itself....
The chlorine and chlorine oxide can count
for up to 70% of the ozone depletion over Antarctica each
year.
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