VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
PRINTED AT PALMER, ALASKA, EACH THURSDAY
By the Matanuska Press, Inc.
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21. 1947, at the post office at
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Publisher. Business Manager
Editor
A1 J. DeJulio
Lucilie Kennedy Mick
Associate Editor
Virginia Gallant
Barbara Carter
Wasilla Correspondent
Subscription Rates 50c a month. $5 a year
Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
Go North, Young Man, Go North
BY DR. TERRIS MOORE
The following is a guest editorial written by the president
of the University of Alaska for the Fairbanks News-Miner.
“The Arctic is growing warmer” is a frequently heard comment
today, which if true, could obviously be of great importance to Alas
kans. Just how reliable is this statement? How much warmer has
it actually been getting here in Alaska, even more to the point, how
much warmer is it likely to get, and how soon?
When I was an undergraduate, during the late nineteen twenties,
a slight rise was being noted in average temperatures for that dec
ade, but the best opinion among scientists at that time was that it
had not yet exceeded other minor ups and downs of the preceding
hundred years of scientifically recorded temperature data, and thus
was “probably not significant”. But since the nineteen twenties,
however, there has been a continued steady rise in the temperature
averages noted at most meteorological stations of the northern hemi- j
sphere, and a somewhat different view now prevails.
Although these changes have amounted to only a few degrees in
the yearly averages, nevertheless because of the “marginal” nature
of many northern activities, some of the effects have been striking.
The slight warming of the North Atlantic during recent years has
brought cod fisheries up the west coast of Greenland. The east
coast of Greenland, completely blocked by ice during the past hun
dreds of years, has been almost free of ice during the last two dec
ades. The open shipping season at the coal mines on Spitzbergen
is reported to have increased from an average of 94 days during the
1907-17 period to as much as 192 days several decades later. The
“Northeast passage”, north of Russia along the Arctic Ocean which
was so difficult in 1878-80 that the first ship to make it (the Viga),
had to winter twice, has now become so open that in 1936 a convoy
of 14 Russian ships made the passage, and during World War II
even warships did so without difficulty.
Notable effects already have occurred in Alaska, even during the
short time that official records have been maintained here. For
example, the length of the summer growing season in the Tanana
Valley has been recorded yearly at the Experimental Farm since
1905. And recent analysis shows that this season has lengthened
from an average of 87.7 days for the 1905-1920 period to 90.2 days
for the 1921-35 period, and up to 116.1 days for the period 1936
through 1951. Moreover, the number of years which had less than
75 days growing season, and thus might be called “potential crop
failure years”, were 3 during the first period of our records here, 3
during the second, but none during the past 15 years.
At Anchorage records apparently go back only to 1917 and with
a gap for the period 1926-29; but it is interesting to note, that limited
and lacking in significance though it may be, the mean temperature
for the 1917-1925 period at Anchorage was 33.16, that for 1930-1940
it was 35.4 degrees, and for 1941-48 it was 35.6 degrees. Ocean
graphic reports also indicate that here in Alaska-Pacific waters, as
in the case of the North Atlantic, warm water fish have apparently
been moving further north in recent years. The latest item from
this source being the report of large schools of tuna sighted 47 miles
off Cape Yakatega, tuna having apparently never been reported pre
viously north of an area 300 miles off Baranof Island. And the
extensive recent retreat of most Alaskan glaciers is well known.
How long will this warming movement last, and how far and
how fast will it go? This of course is the important question but
unfortunately the one to which scientists have as yet little in the
way of reliable answers. Several different theoi'ies are under con
sideration by scientists. Research studies in the various sciences,
for example in glaciology in recent years on the Juneau Ice-cap,
constantly reveal new detail. But until much more has been learned,
we will probably have to content ourselves with those basic long
term historical facts which are definitely known as follows:
Without much doubt there was a peak of warmth in the Arctic
about 850-900 A.D. Snow and ice were then little known on the
coasts of Europe. At that time the Vikings sailed freely over north
ern seas and monks went back and forth between Ireland and
‘Thule” or Iceland. When Eric the Red voyaged to Greenland, ac
cording to the Sagas (probably in the year 984), there is no mention
that he was hampered by drift ice, nor is there mention of drift ice
anywhere about Greenland during that period. Moreover, the early
Sagas speak of the abundant fruit of excellent quality growing m
Greenland then, and the number of cattle which could be pastured
there. But these bland climatic conditions began to deteriorate; we
are told that in the thirteenth century the Sagas for the first time
contain warning that those who sail for Greenland should not make
the coast too directly west of Iceland on account of ice in the sea.
By the end of the fourteenth century the old sailing route was
abandoned and new sailing directions were given for a more south
westerly course that would aboid the ice. Sometime in the next
century, all travel between Greenland and Iceland ceased, possibly
due to ice. The Greenland colonies died out, and judging from frag
mentary evidence, quite probably due to a harshening of the climate.
The records suggest a similar condition in northern Europe, for they
say that in the winters of the early 1300’s, packs of wolves crossed
on the ice from Norway to Denmark; and that the entire Baltic
froze oyer forming a bridge of solid ice between Sweden and the
Danish islands. Pedestrians and carriages are described as crossing
that part of the frozen Baltic, with hostelries put up on the ice to
accommodate them.
The present day apparent warming has spurred interest as to
what similar warming up and cooling off periods may have occurred
at periods in history prior to the 1950-1400-850 general dates already
mentioned. Investigators point out evidence which, though frag
mentary and not convincing, is nevertheless suggestive. For example,
It is noted that the melting away of snowfields in the Opdal Moun
tains in Norway has exposed wooden-shafted arrows of a type used
about 400 to 500 A.D., thus suggesting an open and warmer period
of light snow cover there then. And for the next stage back into
history, some believe a preceding cold period may be indicated, fof
example in the writings of Pytheas, who when he journeyed to the
seas north of Iceland in 330 B.. spoke of the maze pigrum, namely a
sluggish congealed sea.
Though this evidence and more (for which there is no room here)
is too fragmentary for responsible scientists to be ready to make a
prediction as to our future climate, nevertheless, this layman is will
ing to take the intellectual gamble and say, “Go North Young Man,
Go North!”
LETTERS TO THE
EDITOR
Turnouts for the Basketball
games at Palmer have been very
poor. Town support has become j
almost a thing of the past. Let’s
show our high school athletes
that we’re all behind them and
ready to cheer them on to Vic
tory and I am sure our boys will
show their appreciation in the
way they play the game.
The next game will be played
next Friday. December 21 be
tween the Palmer Moose and the
Military Police. Let’s support our
home team.
A P. H. S. Student.
FLYING TO OAKSDALE
Mrs. Lowell Simpson and her
daughter Ree left the Valley this
week for a holiday vacation with
Ree’s grandmother, Mrs. Charles
Simpson of Oaksdale, Washing
ton. They expect to return to Pal
mer the latter part of January.
The Simpsons are homesteading
near the Knik river bridge.
New 1952 Pontiac Features Performance
First of the General Motors divisions to announce 1952 models, Pontiac is currently display
ing what’s new for ’52 in dealer showrooms here and throughout the country. Shown
above is the popular Super DeLuxe Catalina. Higher standards of performance and fuel
economy are achieved by a newly designed ‘‘power train”.
Open All Night
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, Fridays and Salurdays
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MASONS INSTALL
NEW OFFICERS
Installed as new officers in
Matanuska Lodge 293 of the Free
and Accepted Masons Tuesday
night were Worshipful Master
Grayson Murphy, Senior Warden
M. E. Burgan, Junior Warden
Charles Wilson. Treasurer Wil
liam Head and Secretary Wayne
Wheeler.
Appointive officers installed in
cluded C. Ivan Branton. Senior
Deacon; Bill Roark, Junior Dea
con; Walter Teeland, Chaplain;
Lew E. Hanks, Marshall; Clarence
Hoffman, Senior Steward; Lee C.
Nelson, Junior Steward: and
Lloyd Severns, Tyler.
Valley Frontiersman Classifieds Get Results
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Palmer, Alaska, Phone 4
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