Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-07-19
AbOuI ALASKA.

rs Clishatc-yarying from Arctic Severity
to That of Wonderful Winter Mildness
Over Its Vast Ares-Its Climate Deter
mined by tho Great Seas ana Oceans
Alongsiio-Thc JapaneSe Black Current
Its Curious Effcots on Vegetation In
Alasks--Trees Growing In tho Air--Cav-
ing banks tho Yukon-Piaying Cro-
Quct In tho Rain.
In o country of such vast area as that Of
alaska, it is natural to expect that equally
vast differences OF climate should exist;
and such is tho case. There are points
within its domain that have winter tenn
peraturc milder or warmer than that of the
capital Of our country, and areas greater
than that of Ohio, which holds tho center Of
population, or Kansas, which contains the
geographical center of the United States,
having warmer mean winter temperature
than either, while on the other hand there
are places inland and along the Arctic
coast that enjoy (D polar climate in the
winter months almost equal TO any In that
zone famed for its low temperatures at that
season. II is seldom that during the sum-
NOR any part Of Alaska is exceedingly
warm, as the reverse side Of the question,
and yet have been upon the great Yukon
river, On that very small part Of II within
the Arctic sosions, too, and between the
sun beating down from overhead on July
day, and reflected in my face from the quiet
surface OF tho river, 1t made about as
disgrecabie q day for heat as I can re-
member.
The climate Of Alaska can easily be under
stood BY knowing tho relation and char
scter OF the great seas and oceans that sur
round its almost rectangular mainland on
the thrco sides of tho four. On the north is
the Arctic Ocean, whose waters hold drift
ing leo packs ard icc-nocs throughout the
summer even, and tho contiguous fiat coun-
try hnS polar climate which psrtakes Of
and dcpends upon these conditions, while
on the south tho Pacific Ocean has on un.
usually warm> temperature for so high
latitude, ind tho hilly, mountainous, Alpine
country Of that region Is tempered accord
ingly by these circumstances. Again,
Boring Sea, in between tho two oceans,
PARTICLES Of happy medium in Its climatic
characteristics, seemingly leaning towards
the Attic Ocean In the winter and towards
tho Pacific Ocean In the summer, and thus
having wider range of differences than
either of tho others.
Thc Arctic Ocean north of Alaska has no
cpprceablc outlet or ialct to or from other
bodies o. water except its own, which lie
edjacent TO Siberia on one side and British
North America on tho other. For many
years 1t was supposed, and so published in
scientific and other works, that o warm
current from tho Pacific Ocean across
Boring Sea poured northward through
Boring strait and made visible impress
sions on the ice-ladeI waters Of the Arctic
Ocean, especially in the summer, when this
part OF the polar sea was visited by whal.
ing ships pursuing their peculiar vocations.
The fact that the ice in the spring re-
treated northward faster Just above the
strait than anywhere else, bonding in a
bow, concavc to the south, from the Asiatio
10 tho Alaskan shore seemed to confirm this
theory that o warm current set northward
through this narrow way. This was dis
putcd by some who had investigated the
alleged current and who found, even ad-
uniting its truth-whch they dld not-that
Bering strait Is too narrow and too shallow
to admit of enough water pouring through
It TO have any appreciable influence on such
a mighty body as the Arctic Ocean eycn for
tho distance claimed to the apex of the con-
cave bow that determined the summer ice
limits in this sea. Without entering into tho
long wnded discussion, which might be tire.
some and show but little regarding the eli
mate Of any part of Alaska when settled,i Is
sufficient to say that the Arctic Ocean is al
most practically q closed sea and, as such,
with its polar climate,i it throws that climate
over the greater part of the northern pOr-
ton Of Alaska and makes itself felt clear
to the high mountain range facing the
broad Pacific Ocean itself
But tho warm water of the Pacific Ocean
changes this cool climate with wonderful
suddenness as soon as the Alaskan coast
range Of mountains is crossed, and we are
on the incline treading towards that great
body Of water, and the reason therefore is
much more definitely known than that for
any other part Of our immense colony. 1t
Ia found in an ocean current that pours its
warm waters on the shores Of this part of
Alaska, and this current has been mapped
out through nearly its whole extent almost