|
2009 Alaska Floods
The 2009 Alaska floods were a series of natural disasters taking place in the United States state of Alaska during April and May 2009. The floods were a result of heavier-than-normal winter snowfall and above-average spring temperatures that resulted in rapid melting of the winter snowfall. The resulting high water levels were magnified in places by the development of ice dams which caused catastrophic flooding. The record-breaking flood that affected Eagle, Alaska in early May is the best example of an ice dam causing flooding beyond the norm. Causes The winter of 2008–2009 brought unusually heavy snowfall to much of Alaska. Kotzebue, on the Bering Sea coast, received a record 102 inches of snowfall—more than double the average of about 40 inches. In other locations, winter snowfall did not set records but still was heavier than average. Fairbanks, Alaska's second-largest city, received 71.5 inches of snow and experienced unusually cold temperatures for the first thre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eagle, Alaska
Eagle ( in Hän Athabascan) is a city on the south bank of the Yukon River near the Canada–US border in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. It includes the Eagle Historic District, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The population was 86 at the 2010 census. Every February, Eagle hosts a checkpoint for the long-distance Yukon Quest sled dog race. Geography Eagle is located at (64.786022, -141.199917). Eagle is on the southern bank of the Yukon River, west of the border between Alaska and the Yukon Territory of Canada at the end of the Taylor Highway, near Yukon–Charley Rivers National Preserve. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Climate Like most of Alaska, Eagle has a subarctic climate (Köppen ''Dwc'') with long, severely cold, dry winters occasionally moderated by chinook winds, and short, warm summers. In the absence of chinook moderation, winter temperatures can be dangerously cold: in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Delta Junction, Alaska
Delta Junction ( uk, Делта-Джанкшен, Delta Dzhankshen) is a city in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 958, up from 840 in 2000. The 2018 estimate was down to 931. The city is located a short distance south of the confluence of the Delta River with the Tanana River, which is at Big Delta. It is about south of Fairbanks. Native inhabitants are Tanana Athabaskans. History For at least 10,000 years, Athabascan indigenous peoples have inhabited portions of the interior of Alaska. Early inhabitants survived by hunting and fishing. The early history of non-native settlement in the area occurred at the river crossing at Big Delta and is found at the entry, Big Delta, Alaska. In 1904, the town first served as a telegraph station. In 1928, a herd of 23 bison were brought from the National Bison Range in Montana to an area south of Big Delta to provide an additional game species for hunters. Buffalo C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Pole, Alaska
North Pole is a small city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Incorporated in 1953, it is part of the Fairbanks metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,243, up from 2,117 in 2010. Despite its name, the city is about 1,700 miles (2,700 km) south of Earth's geographic North Pole and 125 miles (200 km) south of the Arctic Circle. Description The city is a summertime attraction for tourists visiting nearby Fairbanks and, due to its location on the Richardson Highway, those traveling to and from the Alaska Highway and Valdez. North Pole was home to two oil refineries, the town's major industry aside from tourism, but closed because of sulfolane contamination in groundwater. The larger refinery, operated by Flint Hills Resources, was a major source of jet fuel for Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Tanker car traffic on the Alaska Railroad, entering and leaving the refinery, frequently bisects the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fox, Alaska
Fox is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census the population was 417, up from 300 in 2000. Geography Fox is located at (64.953979, -147.628325), on the bank of Fox Creek as it enters Goldstream Creek Valley, northeast of Fairbanks. Steese Highway and Elliott Highway intersect in Fox. Established as a mining camp in the early 1900s, Fox functions as a bedroom community today and most residents work in nearby Fairbanks or at Fort Knox Gold Mine to the northeast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land. Demographics Fox first appeared on the 1950 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It did not appear again until 1980 when it was made a census-designated place (CDP). As of 2007, there were 353 people, 119 households, and 71 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 22.1 pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chatanika River
The Chatanika River (Lower Tanana: ''Ch'edenano'') is a tributary of the Tolovana River in the U.S. state of Alaska. The Chatanika River is a clear or lightly tannic stained rapid-runoff stream that has its headwaters in the White Mountains and flows westward through valleys between summits and uplands for about four-fifths of its length before it enters Minto Flats.Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Rivers of the Lower Tanana Management Area"The Chatanika River"Accessed August 7, 2008. Once in the flats—a marshy area in which multiple streams, rivers, and lakes are located— the Chatanika joins the Tolovana, which flows into the Tanana River and on to the Yukon River. The Chatanika is thus a portion of the Yukon River drainage basin. During the first portion of the 20th century, the Chatanika was dominated by the gold-mining industry, which used its flow to operate gold dredges. The most visible example of this was the construction of the Davidson Ditch, a dam-an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastlines. The purpose of a levee is to keep the course of rivers from changing and to protect against flooding of the area adjoining the river or coast. Levees can be naturally occurring ridge structures that form next to the bank of a river, or be an artificially constructed fill dirt, fill or wall that regulates water levels. Ancient civilizations in the Indus Valley civilisation, Indus Valley, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and China all built levees. Today, levees can be found around the world, and failures of levees due to erosion or other causes can be major disasters. Etymology Speakers of American English (notably in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Deep South) u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salcha Fairgrounds
Salcha ( Tanana: ''Soł Chaget'', Tanacross: ''Saagescheeg'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,095 at the 2010 census, up from 854 in 2000. Geography Salcha is located at (64.520455, -147.011452). The village was first reported in 1898 by the U.S. Geological Survey as "Salchaket", deriving from the Tanana name ''Soł Chaget'' meaning "the mouth of Salcha". It is about south of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway. It is next to the Salcha River, a popular fishing destination. It is also next to the Tanana River. Salcha has its own post office. The ZIP code for Salcha is 99714. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.59%, is water. Climate Salcha has a dry-winter continental subarctic climate ( Köppen Dwc). Demographics Salcha first appeared on the 1980 U.S. Cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sand Bag
A sandbag or dirtbag is a bag or sack made of hessian (burlap), polypropylene or other sturdy materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification in trenches and bunkers, shielding glass windows in war zones, ballast, counterweight, and in other applications requiring mobile fortification, such as adding improvised additional protection to armored vehicles or tanks. The advantages are that the bags and sand are inexpensive. When empty, the bags are compact and lightweight for easy storage and transportation. They can be brought to a site empty and filled with local sand or soil. Disadvantages are that filling bags is labor-intensive. Without proper training, sandbag walls can be constructed improperly causing them to fail at a lower height than expected, when used in flood-control purposes. They can degrade prematurely in the sun and elements once deployed. They can also become contaminated by sewage in flood waters ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salcha, Alaska
Salcha ( Tanana: ''Soł Chaget'', Tanacross: ''Saagescheeg'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,095 at the 2010 census, up from 854 in 2000. Geography Salcha is located at (64.520455, -147.011452). The village was first reported in 1898 by the U.S. Geological Survey as "Salchaket", deriving from the Tanana name ''Soł Chaget'' meaning "the mouth of Salcha". It is about south of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway. It is next to the Salcha River, a popular fishing destination. It is also next to the Tanana River. Salcha has its own post office. The ZIP code for Salcha is 99714. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.59%, is water. Climate Salcha has a dry-winter continental subarctic climate (Köppen Dwc). Demographics Salcha first appeared on the 1980 U.S. Cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ice Jam
Ice jams occur when a topographic feature of the river causes floating river ice to accumulate and impede further progress downstream with the river current. Ice jams can significantly reduce the flow of a river and cause upstream flooding—sometimes called ice dams. Ice jam flooding can also occur downstream when the jam releases in an outburst flood. In either case, flooding can cause damage to structures on shore. Overview An ice blockage on a river is usually called an ''ice jam,'' but sometimes an ''ice dam''. An ice jam is an obstruction on a river formed by blocks of ice. Defined by the International Association of Hydraulic Research (IAHR) Working Group on River Ice Hydraulics an ice jam is a "stationary accumulation of fragmented ice or frazil that restricts flow" on a river or stream. The jam may effectively create a dam with an accumulation of anchor ice on the bottom of the river. On rivers the obstruction may be a change of width, structure, bend or decrease in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salcha River
The Salcha River (Lower Tanana: ''Sołchaget'') is a tributary of the Tanana River in the U.S. state of Alaska. Rising in the eastern part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough east of Fort Wainwright, it flows generally west-southwest to meet the larger river at Aurora Lodge, southeast of Fairbanks. The Salcha drains an area of , making it the second-largest tributary of the Tanana. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline crosses under the Salcha approximately east of the mouth of the river. Recreation Accessible by boat or on foot from the Richardson Highway, which crosses the lower river near the mouth, the Salcha River is a popular sports-fishing stream. The main species are king salmon, caught mostly near the mouth, and Arctic grayling, caught mostly further upstream. Catch and release fishing for Chinook salmon averaging can be good on this river. Summer-run chum salmon and fall-run coho salmon also frequent the Salcha, as do smaller numbers of northern pike. The Salcha River State Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanana Valley
The Tanana Valley is a lowland region in central Alaska in the United States, on the north side of the Alaska Range, where the Tanana River emerges from the mountains. Traditional inhabitants of the valley are Tanana Athabaskans of Alaskan Athabaskans. Climate The region experiences great extremes of temperature during the year. During the winter months, the air is prone to stratification due to temperature inversions, leading to thick fogs. During the summer, the surrounding plains are generally boglike, and include much permafrost and many pingos. Communities The Tanana Valley is the most populated area of Alaska north of the Alaska Range. Its largest city is Fairbanks. Other communities include: *College *Chena Hot Springs *Eielson AFB *Ester *Fort Wainwright *Fox *Manley Hot Springs * Nenana *North Pole * Tok * Two Rivers * Pleasant Valley *Salcha Archaeology According to James Q. Jacobs, Tanana Valley has the earliest evidence of human occupation in Alaska. "At least thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
