STORM2K

Sun sets on Barrow, Alaska, won't rise again until Jan. 23

TUE NOV 18th 2003
BARROW, Alaska (AP) — The sun set on America's northernmost city Tuesday and won't be seen again for two months.
Now, residents of this city of 4,400 people on the Arctic Ocean, about 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle, may see a snippet of sun above the horizon for a few more days, depending on their elevation and the distorting effects of the atmosphere.

But they won't see a sunrise until 1:08 p.m. Jan. 23, 2004.

To mark Tuesday's sunset, Barrow held a ''Goodbye to the Sun'' two-mile run, bike, ski, and walk event beginning at the Ipalook Elementary School. It was timed so that participants could soak up the last few rays, weather permitting.

During the event, the National Weather Service's Barrow office reported that the temperature fell from 6 to 3 degrees above zero as 16 mph winds blew around the light snow that was falling By early Wednesday, the temperature was down to minus 14. (Related:Barrow's weather)

''I'm sad to see the sun go, and I look forward to its return next year. It will be great to have it with us again as we move toward spring,'' said Marie Adams-Carroll, who has lived in Barrow all her life.

She said she and her husband Geoff Carroll have a sled dog team, and even the dogs can be affected by the dark and the cold.

George Cowan, who lived in Barrow for 17 years before moving to Seattle, was back for a visit and reflecting on life in the USA's northernmost town. ''It's a bigger deal when it comes back in January after being down for all that time,'' he said.

''One time, when it was due to return, I walked to the Barrow airport to get a nice picture of the sun when it came up. Then when it happened, I missed taking the picture because both the camera and my fingers had frozen up.''

Even with the sun never rising, Barrow isn't as dark as you might think because each day brings as least around three hours of civil twilight, even in the middle of winter, until the sun rises again. Civil twilight is the time after sunset or before sunrise when it's light enough, unless it's cloudy, for outdoor activities without artificial lights.

Also, during the long night in both the Arctic and Antarctic, the nearly full moon and the full moon circle the sky instead of rising and setting as elsewhere in the world. For instance, on Jan 12, the moon, with 71% of its disc visible, rises not to set again until 1:27 p.m. Jan 20, two days after that month's full moon.

Barrow's winter darkness is compensated for by summer's midnight sun. After the sun rises again on Jan. 23, 2004, the days rapidly grow longer and longer until the sun rises at 2:06 a.m. on May 10, not to set again until 12:41 a.m. Aug. 3. After that Barrow sees daily sunrises and sunsets, with the days rapidly growing shorter until next its last 2004 sunset on Nov. 18.

Bob Bolger, who works with computers in Barrow, said Tuesday that he isn't concerned about being thrown into darkness for more than two months. ''The sun is greatly overrated.''

-justin-

very interesting article!

Imagine the electric bills up there during the winter...

That would be quite awkward.

That's why so many people in the high northern latitudes are affected by seasonal depression. They are treated with artificial light, a type of sunlamp that they have to sit around to get the benefits of a specific wavelength of UV rays which are absorbed into their pineal gland in their heads. Actually some people in the northern continental States suffer the same condition.

I think it would be neat to take a vacation up there and spend a week in dark! Maybe I'm just weird....lol

You aren't weird at all Jacki! I would love to spend a few days up there in early January - just to see what it is like in the cold and dark. I bet they have great views of the Northern Lights too! And then I would also like to spend a few days there in early July - so I could see what it was like to have 24 hours of daylight.

I have oftened wondered how this affects folks' sleep cycles
in areas like Barrow. Melatonin is a natural hormone made
by your body's pineal gland. (The pineal gland lies at the base
of the brain). When the sun goes down, the pineal gland kicks in
and starts producing melatonin. As melatonin production rises,
a person naturally begins to feel sleepy and less alert, and, they
experience a drop in body temperature, desiring sleep.
Then melatonin levels drop quickly with the sunrise, causing
a natural increase in alertness (for some folks, anyway!).
If melatonin levels go hand-in-hand with the light-dark cycle, then,
those people, more-than-likely, have more sleepiness during this
time, which probably contributes to the depression episodes that
Carona mentioned.

I don't think I could deal with that!

it's like the permanent 3rd shift lifestyle; sleep in dark, work in dark. i like it... p

Sounds really depressing to live up there to me! I'll stick to south!

seems rather interesting to have 24 hours of twilight and 24 hours of sunlight respectively. but that is what happens when you live above the arctic circle.

I'll stick to places like this one:

http://www.abaco.tv/abaco-islands-beach ... -beach.asp



I don't want the deep cold and dark, I want 84 degrees, 69 degree dewpoints and the warm ocean breezes and nice blue ocean colors!!!



-Nags Head/Bahamas JEB!!!