www.alaskagiant.com

How Often Will A Glacier Calf Into The Water

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

It begins as a restless creaking and ends in a thunderous roar; there is little in nature as awe-inspiring as a magnificent tidewater glacier calving massive chunks of ice into the sea. Most visitors lucky enough to see this spectacle consider it a highlight of their trip to Alaska, but timing a viewing can be tricky; it can be hard to predict exactly when a glacier will calve into the water.

When more snow accumulates than melts over a great number of years, tremendous pressure turns the snow to ice and a glacier is born. Gravity then causes the glacier to flow downhill; if the ice doesn’t melt before it encounters the sea, calving occurs. Glaciers relentlessly continue their journey forward, traveling mere inches to hundreds of feet each day. All of the ice will eventually reach the calving point; how fast this occurs and how frequently nature puts on her incredible show depends chiefly on the steepness of the surface the ice is flowing down.

Additional factors that affect the rate of calving include the temperature and thickness of the ice, the roughness of the surface it is moving over and the directness of the route; however, there are other variables weighing in that are not yet fully understood. So, there is no way to know exactly how often a glacier will calve, but if you patiently stand by long enough, there’s a good chance that you will experience one of nature’s greatest shows.

Your Alaska Vacation

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Your day is full of the small tasks of everyday lifepicking up the kids, researching http://www.electricitycompaniestexas.com/ and dealing with your bossdon’t you owe yourself a vacation? Alaska is just the place to take your family (or just your spouse!) for some much needed R&Rhere are a few things to remember when planning your trip. Aim for Summer or Fall – Alaska is snowy, yes, but not year round (well, the WHOLE state isn’t.) If you plan your trip for the warmer, more moderate months you’ll be in good shape to enjoy the outdoors without your parka most of the time! Think About a Cruise – Particularly if you’ve never been on a cruise, consider one for your trip! It’s a convenient way to cover a lot of ground and you won’t have to worry about things like meals. Even have some of your day trips combined! Do Something Out There – If you’ve never whale watched or toured a glacier (and really, who has?) now is the time! Locals all over the state will be happy to set you up with a proper guide, just ask them what’s a tourist trap and they’ll be honest with you for sure.

Why Are Alaskan King Crabs Not Sold In Alaska

admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Alaska is known as the country-s last frontier. However, there are still many mysteries regarding this outdoor paradise. For example, why aren-t Alaskan King Crabs not sold in Alaska, is one question that can raise an eyebrow or two. Fortunately, the answer to that question lies in economics. Let-s see if we can solve at least one Alaskan mystery. The Alaskan king crab is an Alaskan product that is harvested and distributed throughout the world for sales. The reason it is not commercially sold in Alaska has to do with supply and demand. Since this animal is native to Alaska, the local inhabitants do not consider this particular food source a delicacy. The supply is high and the demand for Alaskan king crab in Alaska is low. It does not make sense from an economic standpoint to sell a product that is expensive to harvest to a population that will not pay much for the food source. Conversely, demand outside of Alaska is high for the delicacy and the supply is low. Therefore, it only makes sense to sell the product to a market willing to pay a high price. Hopefully, this solves at least one Alaskan mystery for everyone.

What Makes Beluga Whale Eggs So Valuable As Caviar

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Caviar, which is derived from the Persian word Khaviar meaning “bearing eggs”, is the roe of any one of several species of sturgeon. These sturgeons are broke down into three main types of caviar, the first being beluga which considered to be the best caviar available as well as the most rare. , This is mainly due to the rapid depletion of the beluga sturgeon from the Caspian Sea as well as the length of time and work required to acquire makes get these eggs the most rare caviar.You can find a quick rundown here Causes for this include to an increased amount of poaching, pollution, and over fishing. Beluga eggs are the largest eggs used for caviar. Beluga caviar comes from the female Huso, which does not bare eggs until the age of twenty-five. Beluga sturgeons can range in size from 80 to 400 pounds with the largest being nearly 2,000 pounds. Second is the Sevruga caviar, which is taken from small sturgeon that weigh about 50 pounds or under and last the Osetra rare golden caviar, which comes from the Acipenser guldenstaedti sturgeon. These sturgeons range from 40 to around 160 pounds. Most of this caviar production is done in the center of the Caspian Sea. During the turn of the century caviar was so plentiful that it was offered in Saloons and bars just as peanuts are offered today.

Five Things To Know About The Alaskan Dall Sheep

admin — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

1. Both male (Rams) and female (Ewes) are approximately 3 ft tall measured from their shoulder. Rams will weight 200-250 lbs full grown while ewes will weight considerably less at 110-150 lbs.

2. The proper name is “Dall’s Sheep”, but most people say Dall sheep. This particular species of sheep was named after scientists William Dall though E.W. Nelson actually named the sheep. Their probably called Dall’s sheep because the Latin translation of their name which includes the Latin word “dalli”.

3. Dall’s sheep will travel many miles to find mineral licks.The full explanation can be found at http://squee.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/08/30/cute-animals-veritable-dall/ They’ll do this during the spring months to fix any mineral deficiencies they may have accumulated over the harsh winter months. They’ll actually eat the soil, so if you hear someone say that Dall’s sheep eat dirt it’s actually true!

4. You can tell a Dall’s sheep’s age by their horns. Similar to money trees, you can tell the age of a Dall’s sheep using “growth rings” on the horns. The sheep’s horns will actually stop growing during the winter months which leads to the formation of the rings. So to tell the age you just count the rings.

5. Dall’s sheep will fight among each other to assert their dominance. This is only done during breeding season and helps to decide who the “alpha” sheep is. The sheep with the largest horns is generally the leader.

What Is The Ethnic Composition Of The Eskimo People

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Eskimo people of the great state of Alaska are a group of indigenous, aborigional peoples with origins in Canada, Siberia, Greenland and the land mass now known as Alaska. The Eskimo’s live in tundrous areas and originally sustained their diets with fish, walrus, caribou, polar bears, birds and seals. The animals of the colder regions in which they live are still used today for food and clothing.

Often times you will hear the Eskimo people referred to as Inuits. Eskimo is more of a comprehensive term and includes indigenous people, in addition to Inuits, who reside in other areas, and not just in Alaska. Inuit is the preferred term in Canada and Greenland, and Eskimo has fallen out of favor there because native people consider it derogatory or uncomplimentary.

The Inuit Circumpolar Council is a United Nations recognized Non-governmental Oganization (NGO). The organization includes groups from Canada, Greenland, Alaska and some of the indigenous groups from Russia’s Siberia.

Each group maintains their sovereignty and claim themselves as distinct, and even practice their own languages. Eskimo’s have their own unique culture, and face challenges when it comes to travel, trade and providing for their people, even today in our modern society.