THE MAGAZINE OF THE HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019

Behind the Scenes of WE UP Climate Change and the Human Condition “Home” as Memories Two Decades of Sister School Exchange GRANT REPORT STATE OF CHANGE

Reflections on climate and the human condition in Alaska Text and photos by Joe Yelverton 6 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 7 idden in the Romanzof Mountains of Alaska’s Eastern Brooks Range are the chapters of an unfinished story.

North of the Arctic Circle, in an amphithe- He left the warmth and safety of his camp, ater surrounded by granite peaks, lies the leaving behind his unaware colleague, a McCall Glacier, anonymously recording our man he’d been working closely with for the history, compiling the weather and seasons past five months, and he walked down the of snowfall like pages in a mystery novel. A glacier about three hundred yards where he story about the holocene, the ways of man, sat down in the . The same spot where the way planet earth has changed. his frozen body was found a few hours later. In 1957 an esteemed scientist from Wash- This is where my fascination began—with ington State decided the McCall glacier had the purpose of Hubley’s work, and especially a story to tell. Dr. Richard Hubley believed the mystery of his death—leading me to dis- the McCall held important secrets, possi- coveries, as much about science as the hu- bly even insight into our future. The young man condition. micro-meteorologist was the chief scientist Long before the term “climate change” of a four-man project intended to last six- was coined, and before “global warming” teen months in the field, through the Arctic was a part of everyday vernacular, Hubley winter. believed there was a connection between At the 8,200ft level of this remote glacier, glaciers and climate. His research came long Hubley’s team set up camp in a modest re- before environmentalists began trying to search hut built on a layer of firm snow; “save the planet.” And before many scientists beneath that, deep ice measuring hun- were demonized, distrusted, and accused of dreds of feet thick, thousands of years old. having a biased agenda. The temporary shelter held a wide range Hubley also died long before the Arctic of equipment—radiometers, solarimeters, National Wildlife Refuge was established, thermometers, fundamental weather in- before Prudhoe Bay and the adjacent oil- struments, apparatus for surveying ice, and fields were developed, and long before Alas- shovels for digging snow pits. The team ka became flush with cash from oil royalties. stocked enough provisions to last through the winter. On a small bookshelf inside the BELONGING TO THE LAND hut, works from various philosophers, and The Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska is one poetry by Robert Service. of the largest intact and undisturbed eco-

Affixed to the top of the hut, sat a small systems in the world. Nearly 25,000 square Photo by Joe Yelverton miles of undulating terrain, covered in • anemometer, spinning in the wind. A sim- above: Qaiyaan Harcharek, an Iñupiaq whaler and resident of Utqiagvik, stands on the Arctic Coastal Plain, the frontline of climate • ple device, a poetic metaphor—measuring treeless tundra, bordered to the north by change. preceding pages: A boy pops a wheelie on the dirt roads of Utqiagvik. something we can’t see, attempting to un- the austere shores of the Arctic Ocean, and derstand a force of nature that’s invisible, ex- to the south by the foothills of the distant cept for its effect. We can’t see the wind but Brooks Range. Only one road crosses the We often think of land belonging to its inhabitants. In the Arctic energize every living thing. At midnight in Utqiaġvik you’ll see kids we can feel it, and we can see its manifesta- entire “North Slope.” The Dalton Highway, a they say the inhabitants belong to the land. jumping on trampolines, riding their bikes, doing all the things kids tions. Like many quandaries of science, even lonely ribbon of gravel that provides vehicle Sometimes the result, Qaiyaan Harcharek is a 35-year-old Native Alaskan Iñupiaq, born do at midday in an ordinary rural town. complex human emotions—sometimes the access to oilfields at Prudhoe Bay. and raised in Utqiaġvik, the northern most settlement in the United As we continued along on a road heading south outside of town, result, the aftermath, is the only thing that Despite the footprint of the oil industry, the aftermath, is the States, the place formerly known as Barrow. I was mesmerized by the passing view, an exposed landscape that gets our attention. the plains remain otherworldly. Harcharek offered to drive me on a tour of the village and its sur- evokes a sense of something sacred, but also a feeling of vulner- For a time the McCall scientists split into The Alaskan Arctic is as undeniably com- only thing that gets our roundings. As a former city council member, he sponsored the ordi- ability. two teams, Hubley and his fellow scientist, plex as it is fascinating. Also a battleground. attention. nance to restore his town’s original Iñupiaq name. What might seem I was hanging on Harcharek’s words, his stories about life in a Robert Mason stationed at the upper camp, Some people devote their lives to protecting like a simple thing was actually a powerful act: a step toward restor- place with a relatively unknown and sometimes troubled history. while two other colleagues worked at a low- the pristine wilderness and everything inex- ing one’s heritage. When it came time to vote on the change the town We discussed first contact with Yankee whaling crews, the epi- er camp. The teams worked independently, tricably connected to it. Others are focused was almost evenly split. In the end the anglicized name was traded demics and disease they brought. The slow tide of cultural geno- but remained in constant contact via radio. on undoing these protections, and extract- for one with greater cultural importance. The vote reflected a deeper cide brought by early colonialism, and boarding schools created by Except for a lone VHF radio the remote lo- ing its valuable resources. sentiment, and disparate ideologies. Christian missionaries that affected Natives all over Alaska. cation kept them virtually cut off from the Meanwhile the Arctic hangs in the bal- It was summer in the land of the midnight sun. Also called a polar There was a palpable sense of pride in Harcharek’s connection outside world. ance, warming at a rate twice as fast as the day—a single day that’s actually 82 straight days long, when the sun to his heritage, also an understandable undercurrent of resentment Late in the day on October 28 Hubley in- Southern latitudes. The frontline of climate circles the sky and never actually sets. This is a time of year when in some of his stories. He attributes his own personal struggles exorably altered the course of his research. change. the Arctic is flooded with an ambient quality of light that seems to with depression to historical trauma, unresolved grief passed on.

8 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 9 A manifestation of the wounds inflicted on Eventually our conversation hit the past generations, when crimes committed broader topic of oil, and since I was a for- against a society’s culture shapes the iden- mer oil-industry employee, at least this was tify of descendants. something I was fluent in. I asked if there As an English speaking white person I’m was anything oil-related that concerned not sure I’ll ever be able to appreciate what Harcharek. it’s like to be forcibly relocated, to lose my “Encroaching industry,” he answered, home, or my language, or to be living under “They’re moving east and west,” referring to the threat of punishment if I follow my cus- inevitable expansion of the National Petro- toms. Or to have any of that as part of my leum Reserve. ancestry. I’m not sure my customs are even “At the cost of what?” he added. sophisticated enough to pass muster as cul- “Our people are so reliant on money. Fuel, tural traditions, or for that matter if I even good health care, beautiful schools. Without have a culture, so perhaps true empathy is taxation from industry we wouldn’t have impossible in my case. that. But it’s on our land. We understand Last summer I read an article in the An- where our money comes from and it’s not chorage Press, “Of Shamans, My Ancestors, that we aren’t grateful.” and Genocide” by Alaska Native Johnny He goes on to talk about the ways he be- Tetpon. He wrote, “Non-Native writers who lieves his culture is facing a different kind of reiterate the things I am talking about— threat than in years past. Not just the threat sympathetic as they may be—do not know related to climate change, which in many really know what they are talking about. ways is more profound than anywhere else Their take is third-hand; mine is first-hand on the globe, but how the perceived benefits because I am the one who experienced it.” from industry are in some ways overwriting I thought a lot about his words, especially the Iñupiaq culture. these: “The search for truth for me, just for Harcharek’s sentiments reminded me of me, and not anyone else, took me back to- a passage in The Way of the Human Being, ward my ancestral beliefs.” written by southwest Alaska Native Harold I realized that’s what I’m looking for—the Napoleon. truth, not to translate the experience of oth- The way many of us live now is abnor- ers, but to explore our beliefs as a society, mal, like caged animals. We are fed, housed, and in a larger context—how our beliefs, watered, cared for, but we are not free, and and my own beliefs, relate to the current it is killing us. Since the early 1960’s, Native state of affairs, of our planet and human- people have seen their material lives improve. ity, and especially how people and societies Yet, as their physical lives have improved, the treat each other. quality of their lives has deteriorated. This pursuit has continually brought me back to a haunting question: COMMUNITY

Is the condition of our planet and the way When I arrived in Utqiaġvik I was as curi- Photo by Joe Yelverton we treat it merely a reflection of the way we ous about my own inherent judgments as I USGS geophysicist Shad O’Neel explains the nuances of time-lapse photography at Wolverine Glacier on the Kenai Peninsula. treat one another? Especially how people in was with the nuances of this northern com- power treat more vulnerable populations? munity. For decades we told young Native kids I walked everywhere, stopping to have and sea. Gregarious and from the most famous lineage of whalers, nity,” Lewis clarified. “I live in an apartment building in Manhattan.” that speaking their first language would conversations with anyone willing to chat. his name was Lewis Brower. “Do you know any of your neighbors,” Lewis asked. send them to hell. If that wasn’t bad enough Being a white guy with a big camera around After some small talk I asked about his whaling history. The “No, I’ve never met any of them except for bumping into them physical punishment sometimes followed. my neck, occasionally I got sideways looks. Is the condition of our conversation turned into a rich history lesson, fervently told, with in the hallways and elevators.” That was often the message of Alaska based A few people asked me, with some suspi- a seemingly infinite backdrop often referred to as the Top of the So Lewis responded to the reporter, “When you go home I Christian missionaries. This, along with cion, “Are you a reporter?” planet and the way World. want you to introduce yourself to your neighbors. That’s what other initiatives aimed at “civilizing” Alaska I came to learn about a perception, After an hour or so I asked Brower one final question. “What do we have that you don’t have. We have community. We rely on Natives, was administered with the blessing that nearly everyone visiting Utqiaġvik is we treat it merely a you think I should take away from my visit?” He responded, “Well, one another.” of the U.S. government per the 1819 Civili- thought to be there for one reason: to take reflection of the way we what have you learned?” zation Fund Act. something. Whether it’s stories, pictures, I shared a few things, my observations. TAKE A GOOD LOOK AROUND Variations of this act persisted long scientific data, or something related to oil. treat one another? Then he told me a story about a New York Times reporter who Craig George is a long time resident of Utqiaġvik and a marine through the 20th century. Not surprisingly, As I walked along the shore of the Arctic once asked him a similar question. So he asked the man, “Where biologist who studies bowhead whales, the world’s oldest mammal, this madness and the result is largely un- Ocean one afternoon, I thought about the do you live?” and an anomaly in a warming Arctic. “Unlike other less fortunate known outside of the affected communities. notion that most of us in modern society are “I live in New York City,” the reporter answered. species, he says, “the bowhead appears to be thriving.” As we drove down the dusty roads of “takers,” to quote Daniel Quinn. So Lewis repeated himself, sensing the man didn’t quite under- George was one of the early pioneers in bowhead research. “The Utqiaġvik I ruminated over social issues that At the end of my walk I was greeted by a stand his question, “No, where do you live?” bowhead whale fell off the moon in terms of science,” said his for- I’d been sheltered from my entire life, won- local man who appeared my same age. His “Well, I live in Manhattan,” he answered. mer boss. dering if being naive is a luxury or a curse. tan face reflected a life spent out on the land “No, you don’t understand, I want to know about your commu- When George’s career began he quickly realized that learning

10 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 11 about the environment was a prerequisite you might think he’s a generic outdoorsman. Originally from for learning about the mammals. It’s easy the UK, he migrated to Alaska for the adventure and almost to get killed in the Arctic without some un- unwittingly ended up with a PhD. That sort of happenstance derstanding of safety on the sea and the ice. partly describes his current conundrum, doing work he loves, And then he realized that to learn about the and doing it mostly behind the scenes, but having his research environment he’d first need to learn about end up being part of the most contentious debate in America. the people who knew it best, the Iñupiat. Mahoney is a reluctant harbinger of change. The irony is George was classically edu- “There’s no reverse gear on this,” he tells me, as if he’d just cated as a biologist, taught that researchers lifted his head from the microscope after observing the most were the true experts, even taught to disre- basic of irreversible biological processes. gard traditional knowledge from the field. He’s referring to the overwhelming loss of sea ice in the Arc- Living and working in a whaling commu- tic, particularly the thick and dense multi-year ice that’s disap- nity turned those notions upside down. pearing fast, leaving behind open water that remains for longer I was with the gray haired biologist in his periods every year. old Subaru wagon, headed back to his house “We’re not going to grow the ice back anytime soon,” he says. after a discussion on the beach. We went to “There’s going to be wholesale changes.” look at some stranded icebergs, enormous In some Arctic communities, he adds, “It will be the equiva- “ice islands” that drifted south from the ma- lent of drought in Africa.” Referring to diminished access to rine glaciers in the High Arctic. hunting and fishing grounds, which in many villages consti- As we were making our way through tutes basic subsistence. town, a crisscross of dirt roads, his neigh- “Or villagers can completely give up and move to the city,” he bors waved as we drove by. says. “And change everything that contributes to their identity.” I ask George how long he’s been in Mahoney has a PhD in and is an assistant profes- Utqiaġvik. “Oh… a long time,” he said. “I sor at the same department at the University of Alaska in Fair- came here to work in the 70’s and decided banks. He studies climate change, coastal dynamics, ice-ocean t o s t ay.” interaction, and the relationship between Arctic inhabitants The obvious question comes to mind, so I and sea ice. ask, “Why did you stay?” “Oh, there’s natural oscillation!” he says, jokingly, echoing “I can’t really explain it,” he said. “It’s sort the pseudoscience climate deniers. “There’s always been cold of like the song, ‘My Hometown’.” years, warm years.” But then in a more serious tone, he says, Thinking he might elaborate, instead the “But when you have forty-one years of warming in row, a cold scientist (who is also an avid musician), be- year now, that was an average year many years ago.” gins to recite Springsteen’s lyrics: It might surprise or even confuse climate change deniers, I was eight years old running with a dime but Mahoney is not an “environmentalist,” nor is he even re- in my hand. Into the bus stop to pick up a pa- motely close to an “activist.” He’s really just a scientist trying to per for my old man. I’d sit on his lap in the do good work. big old Buick. “There’s more lucrative ways to make a living,” he said, refer- And steer as we drove through town. ring to the popular theory among deniers and some politicians He’d tousle my hair and say “Son, take a Photo by Joe Yelverton who accuse scientists of perpetuating theories about climate good look around” This is your hometown… Wolverine Glacier in the Nellie Juan region of the eastern Kenai Peninsula. change for alleged financial gain. And then he stopped, apparently content Continuously studied by USGS since 1966, Wolverine is known as a “benchmark “It’s hard enough to get scientists to agree on anything, let with his answer. glacier” because it is scientifically representative of other glaciers in the area. alone the creation of a worldwide conspiracy,” says Mahoney. I learn that George is an enigmatic in- “The fact that so many scientists agree on climate change and dividual, a scientist-naturalist-historian, “The science message its causes, really says a lot.” seemingly focused on the bigger picture, But he admits, “The science message is a difficult one to get maybe even three steps ahead of you in the is a difficult one to get through, and using a stick isn’t the way to do it.” Mahoney sug- conversation, thinking about your ques- through, and using a stick gests what’s needed is an emotive persuasion. “As scientists, tion on a deeper level than you anticipated. if we think our message is that important, we need to look at But also possessing a rural sensibility, and a isn’t the way to do it.” other ways of doing it. And sometimes that involves more of a northern pragmatism. personal investment.” At the same time, he offers, “As a scientist I’m very cautious NO REVERSE GEAR about getting involved in advocacy. There is a line between the Even if we possessed the most accurate sci- t w o.” entific knowledge, we should not find it easy Among his peers Mahoney is known for exploring the to persuade them by the employment of such knowledge of coastal residents, especially those who know the knowledge. —Aristotle­ ice because of subsistence activities. Then he leverages this in his research. Andy Mahoney’s office looks like a gear “The scientific method has rigors, and is great for making room belonging to a typical adventurer, and decisions,” he said. “But it can’t answer all of our questions.” if you met him on the streets of Fairbanks He admits that it’s taken him almost 20 years to begin to

12 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 13 translate indigenous knowledge. “That’s sophical question: Why are you traveling Why are you traveling right: James Koonaloak (left) and what I’m most excited about,” he said. “Rely- across the rugged Canadian Arctic without Michael Thomas (right) outside the science division at Ukpeagvik Inupiat ing on traditional knowledge for hypothesis your family? across the rugged Corporation, an agency in Utqiag• vik creation. If we want to really understand As Huntington recollects, “Because, to Canadian Arctic that provides logistics support to what we should be asking, what we should this young Native girl, the obvious thing numerous science projects in the be looking at.” would be to bring the kids along. Why without your family? Alaskan Arctic In contrast to the Arctic, Mahoney’s ca- would that pose any problem whatsoever? reer began in Antarctica, an environment he She wasn’t quite old enough to dismiss me below: Alaska author Don Rearden refers to as “a bit sterile.” as an amateur, but at the same time she was (left) interviews Utqiag• vik resident Unlike the southernmost continent, he completely unimpressed.” Craig George (right) on the coast of says, “It’s in your face in the Arctic, because During his twenty plus years of doing Arctic Ocean. I traveled to Utqiag• vik people live there. And so there are stake- Arctic research, Huntington has many times with Rearden as he was doing research holders in your research.” stood at the intersection of human experi- for a new whaling novel. George is a As part of a team of editors/scientists fo- ence, where diferent cultures and the com- well-known expert on bowhead whales and a senior wildlife biologist with the cused on the Arctic, Mahoney contributed mon human condition meet. North Slope Borough. to a book called The Meaning of Ice, an ex- He counts this particular interaction with haustive compendium that explores the re- an Athabaskan girl as being one of the most lationship Northern communities have with insightful, a contrast of cultures. the frozen world around them. My path intersected with Huntington’s Serving as a compelling reminder about near his home in Eagle River, Alaska. With a our current public discourse, at the begin- backdrop of cars, and traffic, and busy lives, ning of the book is an author’s note: I learned about many of the unanticipated Translation from one language to another nuances of doing science in the Arctic, is an art. Even more so is the translation from around indigenous people. Through Hun- one way of understanding the world to an- tington’s stories, I gained insight into the other. culture of science in the Arctic, and how the trend is changing with regards to seeking CLIMATE CHANGE IS A DISTRACTION out traditional knowledge and then inte- Late in the winter Henry Huntington ar- grating that into research. rived in Tsiigehtchic, a small Gwich’in vil- As Huntington tells me, early Arctic ex- lage on the banks of the frozen Mackenzie ploration was undertaken by young, 19th River. Starting in Fairbanks, Alaska, he was century, European explorers chosen mainly more than 700 miles into his 2,500 mile trip for their physical attributes. A false sense across the Canadian Arctic. Driving a snow- of prowess was often traded for humility, machine with a sled full of scientific expe- when these explorers met well-suited Na- dition gear, he stopped in this Northwest tives adapted to hard living. Entire families Territory town and waited for his research traveling cross country, including grandma colleagues to join him near the local school. and all of the kids. And yet despite the re- A young Athabaskan girl approached sponsibility of keeping an entire family fed Huntington, no doubt realizing he was an and safe, often in harsh conditions, early outsider in a tight-knit community of 190 explorers described these encounters as people. puzzling. Two diferent groups traveling the The young Native girl asked, “Do you same exact country, but the Natives were at have kids?” “Oh yeah,” said Huntington. home, and traveling in harsh conditions out Obviously curious, she presses him, of necessity, and never complaining. “Where are they?” “Well, they’re at home,” In its purest sense the pursuit of science he answers. has led to amazing discoveries and, at the Even more perplexed, she asks, “Why same time, the scientists, who often remain didn’t you bring them with you?” outsiders, have historically remained dis- The exchange continued, the intersection connected from the environment that’s part of two diferent generations, and two difer- of their research, including any inhabitants ent cultures. who live there. Along with four other researchers, In that sense, Huntington is one of the Huntington was a third of the way into a emerging outliers. snowmachine supported expedition from His career as a polar scientist began with Fairbanks to Hudson Bay. The team was en- janitorial duties in Antarctica. Because he joying some confidence, a sense of accom- was primarily interested in earth sciences plishment in their adventure across barren he thought the frozen continent would be a and relatively unpopulated country. good place to start.

And then he was confronted with a philo- continued on page 38 Photos by Joe Yelverton

14 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 15 State of Change, continued from page 14 “sense of the land, but also when a trip to the hard work in areas we’re not accustomed to. how it protects and insulates plants, and in in the current situation. Probably little risk for GROUND ZERO store could take two months, and women giv- As in any other human endeavor you need turn makes some of those plants available to earth. But there’s a true risk for people and we The climate that sustains life as we know it Early on in his career, he admitted to form- ing birth in skin tents.” personal relationships.” animals as food. And how the loss of snow in don’t know the extent of it.” today lies closer to the freezing point of water, ing what he called, “The stunning conclu- He points out that in 1950 the life expec- Figuratively speaking, he suggests, “We the Arctic, both on tundra and on sea ice, is Meanwhile some say there’s an overwhelm- and much of modern civilization exists by vir- sion that people are interesting,” which led tancy for Alaska Natives was 47 years old. In need to learn to communicate in other lan- leading to an exponential effect on warming. ing interest among many political leaders to tue of a delicate balance between this climate to a completely different trajectory. He end- contrast, in the 90’s it was up to 67 years old. guages.” Also an expert on climate change, it’s the invest in the status quo—despite, or maybe and present snow and ice masses. We do not yet ed up taking a job doing a whale census in “There may be other problems but let’s not With the clouds passing in and out of the one subject where his passion takes a more because, warnings that the divide will only know enough about the causes of world climatic Utqiaġvik. And when he arrived he realized over-romanticize the past,” said Huntington. valley below us—a reminder of the value of stoic turn. deepen along cultural, racial, social, and eco- changes to be able to tell whether long sequence he knew nothing about whales, or even much “Natives who grew up poor understand this.” perspective—Huntington offered an apt sum- “I expected to be in backwater science my nomic lines. of Pleistocene glaciations has come at last to about the people, admitting that his basic Our conversation meanders toward cli- mation of the problem we’re facing. entire career. But then climate change over- Sturm possesses an unfailing philosophical an end, or whether a fifth ice age still awaits sense of the place was derived from “reading a mate change, a subject Huntington refers to “Is climate change the symptom of the fail- took me,” he says, admitting that he didn’t perspective on things, even with the founda- us some time in the future. The answers to this National Geographic.” as, “immensely fascinating and incredibly ure to relate? If we as society or as a species sign up to be a “climate scientist,” or worse, pi- tions of his academic training. question are hidden somewhere in glacier ice. His life experience added up fast after that. thorny.” can’t communicate in ways to solve problems geonholed as someone with an agenda, other “There’s an arc of people, there’s the ultra —, Edward Lachapelle. 1971 He ended up moving to Utqiaġvik, building a But he also takes a seemingly unconven- like this... If it’s not climate change it’s some- than simply wanting to do good science and liberals: I will save the earth by recycling plastic house, and eventually obtaining his Master’s tional position, saying “climate change is a thing else.” live a private life in the interior of Alaska. bottles. Or not using paper towels, or not using “It looks like a crime scene over there,” says degree in whaling culture. Later getting his distraction.” Adding, “We’re not saying it “Where are we?” he asks rhetorically. “Are Pampers for my kids, or any number of things.” Chris McNeil, pointing toward a steep section PhD in Polar Studies, and now working as the doesn’t exist, we’re not saying it’s not a big RINGING THE BELL we keeping ourselves optimistic by having And he adds, “On the other end you have of the glacier that melted so rapidly all that Arctic Science Director at the Ocean Conser- problem. But climate change is the slow burn.” There is an art to science, and science in art; this other perspective from ? If you some guy saying it’s all bunk.” remains is a giant scar. Dark earth, spanning a vancy. He cites other issues as having more immedi- the two are not enemies, but different aspects of want to tell yourself it’s natural that’s fine. But “Across that spectrum sprinkle in some sci- hundred yards wide, surrounded by blue ice. Huntington’s main research focus is docu- ate importance, saying “You have suicide, al- the whole. —Isaac Asimov I’m not sure how long that fiction is going to entists,” he says, adjusting his spectacles like a I’m with McNeil and his boss, Shad O’Neel, menting local knowledge, “trying to give coholism, you have 101 other problems right be maintained.” sage professor. both geophysicists with the US Geological credence to it,” whereas in the past scientists here and now. And if all we do is focus on Professor Matthew Sturm is a geophysi- Sturm is referring to the notion that warm- “The public doesn’t understand scientists,” Survey. O’Neel is head of the glacier research seemed to disregard anecdotal information climate change we’re missing an awful lot of cist who is most at home in the cold world. ing isn’t anthropogenic in nature, but part of he says. “We are not what the public thinks. program at the Alaska Science Center. We’re “as if it was some kind of slur or something.” what’s affecting people’s daily lives right now.” A place most people understandably lack an a natural cycle. They think we’re rational rather than passion- standing somewhere near the middle of the Huntington admits that while traditional Alaska often ranks in the top three in the affinity for but, paradoxically, what makes life He cautions, “Because there’s ample reason ate human beings. But at the same time we’re Wolverine Glacier, a decaying body of ice knowledge may have none of the “hallmarks nation for the number of suicides per capita, on earth possible for all of us. The cold world to be alarmed, but it’s pretty clear that ringing not environmentalists either.” tucked away between Prince William Sound of science,” there’s no denying that “Natives and the statistics are worse when comparing is where he pursues his craft, but also where the bell over and over again is doing nothing.” A wide grin on his face, Sturm admits, “We and the Kenai Mountains. stake their lives on their understanding of na- urban areas to rural Alaska, which is often he finds his muse. During my first meeting with him we chat- find ourselves sometimes being consulted but As the two scientists are working they’re ture; they survive stern tests.” twice as high. When Sturm talks about snow his entire ted over breakfast at Sam’s Sourdough Cafe, often times being ignored.” discussing how much the glacier has visibly “We talk about the tendency of scientists to “It’s not that we should ignore climate demeanor becomes an impassioned part of next to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Two months after my first meeting with changed in such a short time, as in significant be vested in their work, but not so vested in change but we need to keep in mind where it his stories, conveyed with an element of imag- campus where he works as a professor at the him I find myself back in Fairbanks, but this changes over the course of a decade that the the place where their field work is done, espe- fits into the much bigger picture,” says Hun- ination that makes you remember what it was Geophysical Institute. A big omelet in front time at his home that he built, tucked in the two men have been doing fieldwork on Wol- cially if there’s a community there.” tington. “Science is as susceptible to trends like being a kid in your favorite elementary of him, he seemed oblivious to his food, and shadows of a densely wooded birch forest in verine. I asked him what it was like living in a re- and herd thinking as any other human en- school class. An experience not unlike the more interested in sharing his passion. the hills north of town. I was there for dinner Strangely, their remarks seem incongruent mote village. d e av or.” first time you made paper snowflakes. Folding Our discussion began with the irony of with him and his wife, who is also an astute with the objective nature of their scientific “I lived there from 1988 to 1994, but still With an air of frustration, Huntington a piece of paper six times, forming a triangle, where we were, both literally and figura- educator. work. when I go back people say welcome home,” adds, “People start writing about climate and cutting out a pattern with unique intrica- tively—inside a classic American diner, dis- Instead of vexing questions about cli- For the previous two days I observed O’Neel he told me. “It’s a sense of community. A re- change in villages because it’s convenient and cies that were only revealed as you anxiously cussing what seems like a classic American mate change we talked for two hours about and his team of three scientists methodically markable feeling knowing I’m still somewhere the publishable Topic-de-Jour.” unfolded the paper. quandary: Most of us seem unable to grasp the early history of geophysical research taking measurements, making notes and cal- in their embrace.” A few weeks later I found myself on a tra- In a similar way, Sturm sees the natural what we can’t see with our own eyes, even in Alaska and Canada, a subject for which culations, surveying surface elevations, check- I ask Huntington how often he gets that re- verse of the Chugach Mountains with Hun- world with beginner’s eyes, and this carries despite wide-reaching ramifications, despite Sturm possesses great passion and fluency. ing the accuracy of data loggers—all of which ception here, back in Eagle River or Anchor- tington, an environment where he seemed to through in his stories. overwhelming scientific evidence, and even He loves good stories as much as he likes collectively paints a grim picture. age and he laughs. be fully in his element. This same blend of curiosity often leads despite consensus among something like telling them. But the telling part wasn’t the science, it was “If I left Eagle River and came back in twen- When we stopped for a lunch break our him to work in extreme places all for the sake 95% of scientists. The tendency to believe it’s Accidents were as common as scientific their emotional response. ty years I wouldn’t expect anyone to have the conversation wandered in and out of various of understanding how snow is changing, how not our problem if it’s not happening in our discovery. A long list of names punctuated the To be clear these aren’t ordinary individu- foggiest idea where I had been.” topics, one being how we tend to exist in silos, it’s changing our environment, and how it’s backyard. discussion, the pioneering scientists who were als. They are so singularly focused on pursu- Huntington goes on to talk about how that ideological or otherwise. affecting the people whose lives are depen- “The climate is changing, people aren’t all by default also highly competent moun- ing objective data that it permeates their exis- sense of community and culture is heightened Huntington suggested that the same thing dent on it. responding,” he says, proposing that it’s per- taineers. Their style of expedition-supported tence. With the exception of the mountainous when it’s under threat, as is the case with much happens within all the various scientific dis- “These are the things I’m passionate about,” haps, “a problem for social scientists.” research isn’t done as often these days, main- backdrop and their specialized skills to oper- of rural Alaska and the Arctic in general. ciplines. admits the bearded and affable, 65 year old Summarizing the predicament some sci- ly because of the advent of remote sensing ate in such a dangerous place, watching them “Grandparents spoke the language, kids to- “Can we push now? Can we force ourselves who looks every bit the part of a quintessen- entists have found themselves in, he says, equipment, better helicopters, and reliance on work is the same as seeing the scientific meth- day don’t. If it’s not there today, what’s left? It’s into this zone that’s really not comfortable for tial Alaskan woodsman. He’s made a seem- “As geophysicists we start out asking physics satellites for communicating field data. od unfolding. on their minds a lot more.” a lot of scientists? Which is to say let’s get out ingly obtuse form of research his life’s work questions, when does it freeze? Eventually the Ultimately I steered the conversation back But, as McNeil so eloquently put it, “I’m He admits that “seeing something different of our individual areas of expertise.” and, as a result, it has made him one of the historical perspective kicks in, hey is the ice to the subject of this essay, admitting that I human first, scientist second.” helps you see your own life differently.” According to Huntington there’s a funda- world’s foremost experts on the cold world. the same now as it used to be?” was struggling with the arc of the story. In September of 2018 I spent four days with “What did I learn from my grandparents mental piece missing in the story about cli- Sturm studies how snow is made, how it “Pretty soon, there you are,” he says. “You And Sturm offered this, “Find your own these glaciologists as they did their fieldwork that I don’t want my kids to miss? I hope they mate change. “What does it mean when we works, how there are dozens of general shapes started thinking you figured out how some- truth, look for the art in the story, because on Wolverine Glacier. Known as a “bench- have some connection with their heritage.” add it together? What does it tell us? So we’re of crystals reflecting how they were born and thing works and then you’re face to face with one thing is certain, the alarm story is not mark glacier,” research originally began there At the same time, Huntington points out telling one story.” the environment in which they exist, but also how it might be changing.” only overdone it’s boring.” in 1966. The Wolverine was chosen because what he calls a “misguided romanticism” of He even proposes there’s a benefit to “un- a nearly infinite number of uniquely detailed “And you landed in climate change debate.” “There’s no one to move by ringing the it represents the region in terms of ice mass, the past when there was perhaps a more true likely alliances.” Adding, “It involves a lot of snowflakes. How snow smoothes landscapes, Sturm cautions, “There’s an existential risk bell,” he finally added. meteorological environment, and streamflow. 38 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 39 “The unknown, unknown. That’s what “This is new,” he said, a pensive look concerns me the most,” O’Neel told me, bor- growing on his face. rowing the infamous phrase from Donald As he studied the glacier, I studied him. Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense. Contemplative and deliberate, he surveyed He was referring to one of his biggest areas the scene all around us, not saying a word. of research, described as “Icefield-to-Ocean Then he slowly started shaking his head, Linkages.” followed by a big sigh, as if the glacier was To be more precise, the linkages “Across exhaling through him. the Northern Pacific Coastal Temperate “She’s dying,” he said. Rainforest Ecosystem.” This is the title of a Eventually McNeil joined us again and paper he wrote along with twelve other re- the two men began working together, si- searchers, published in Bioscience in March lently. of 2015. In short, the abstract states: The complexity of the geography around Rates of glacier mass loss in the northern us, and the uncertain state of change, was Pacific coastal temperate rainforest (PCTR) poignantly reflected in the emotions and are among the highest on earth, and changes humanity of two scientists. in glacier volume and extent will affect the flow regime and chemistry of coastal rivers, as THE HUMAN CONDITION well as the nearshore marine ecosystem of the It wasn’t the circumstances of Hubley’s Gulf of Alaska. death that concerns me most, but what his death says about our own humanity. When THE UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN he sat down on the McCall glacier for the And the larger focus of O’Neel’s work, try- last time in the winter of 1957, we lost more ing to piece together a story. “Glaciers are than a good scientist. good at taking in weather and spitting out Using a syringe from the team’s first aid climate,” he says. kit, Dr. Richard Hubley, with a long career After a long day on the ice we begin de- ahead of him, injected himself with mor- scending toward the toe of the glacier. A phine, committing suicide in the very place steep icefall forces us off the glacier and onto that intrigued him. He froze to death, alone. an adjacent ridgeline. After navigating some His work unfinished. His fellow scientists, difficulties we finally arrive near the bottom, a short distance away, completely unaware. in a deep gully strewn haphazardly with “When found, many hours later he lay boulders and covered in glacial silt. It looks frozen on the glacier whose secrets he had like Ground Zero. sought to probe,” wrote Walter Sullivan, the “Two years ago the glacier was right here,” New York Times science writer who had says McNeil. Then he points to the adja- spent time with Hubley on the glacier. cent mountainside, a bare rock wall where Hubley’s secrets died, too, along with the a discoloration marks where the glacier demons he wrestled with. His team mem- once dominated the landscape. “It was up to bers reported no indication of Hubley’s in- there,” he says. tention to take his life; all they knew is that He was referring to the trimline, where he was “different” and “preoccupied.” the glacier affected the color of the underly- Climate change is a story full of meta- ing bedrock, once hidden beneath the ice. In phor, irony, hypocrisy, and dysfunction, and other words, for centuries the Wolverine gla- all that makes it equally as much about our cier remained in some state of equilibrium. own human nature, and the human con- And then something changed. It began dis- dition. And perhaps a study in pathology. appearing, quickly. For I worry that the global crisis that’s been Melting glaciers leave behind signatures predicted has in many ways already arrived. of their demise. Among these, trimlines are But we’ve become numb, tone-deaf, and out evident next to many Alaskan glaciers, just of tune with people and our surroundings. like Wolverine. Despite how compelling and fascinating We climbed back onto the glacier so the all my conversations have been with both two scientists could complete the last of scientists and Arctic residents, it was learn- their work for the day. McNeil broke off to ing about the hidden details of Dr. Richard do some work on his own as O’Neel and I Hubley’s suicide that has haunted me most. chatted. One man’s last, desperate act. And his un- We were about 500 feet directly above a finished story. lake at the terminus of the glacier. O’Neel Like the wind spinning that small ane- started looking around, commenting that we mometer on top of a remote research hut in were standing amidst an area that’s rapidly the Arctic, all that was seen—the manifesta- melting, and collapsing. tions, and the aftermath.■ 40 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2019 41