Landscapes and Cultural Connections

Google Earth has to be the coolest thing since sliced bread. It is just a tad creepy though to think that anyone anywhere can look at my house and the fishing gear that is strewn across my yard. Luckily, resolution in Alaska isn’t good enough to positively identify all my husband’s “treasures”.

My undergraduate major in earth science and having taught it for years meant that I was already familiar with the concepts presented. BUT, the additional resources, especially the TD videos will be put to immediate use in my classroom. The fact that the videos are Alaska-specific makes them more interesting and relevant for Alaskan teachers/students viewing them. I have been flight-seeing in the beautiful Fairweather Range at the southern end of the Saint Elias Mountains so it was neat to see the geologic processes surrounding them and their relatively rapid growth. (TD Video: Tectonic Plate Movement in Alaska).

http://media.photobucket.com/image/%2B%22fairweather+range%22+%2B%22gustavus+alaska%22/glacierbaygraphix/WinterSunset.jpg

Fairweather Mountains (taken from Gustavus Beach)

All people everywhere throughout history have lived and continue to live near the resources that they require for their survival. I always find it interesting that areas that have been inhabited for 1000’s of years are always the most protected and offer the best access to resources like food and water (e.g. Auke Bay or Klawock) while areas only recently inhabited, mostly for the purpose of resource extraction as commerce rather than subsistence, are not (e.g. Juneau or Craig). Completing this module helped me to view why that is the case in a more insightful way.

Global climate change is going to affect where people are going to be able to live, both for those who live near the sea and along rivers in Alaska and around the world. Better understanding why people live where they do, especially if they have done so for a very, very long time, will be necessary if we are expected to transition to a warmer world without too much more angst than might already be present.

careglobalwarming.com