Kuluk Bay also known as Khulukh Bay
is a small
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
located at on the northeastern side of
Adak Island
Adak Island ( ale, Adaax, russian: Адак) or Father Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, Alaska, Adak, is located on the island. The isl ...
, one of the larger
Andreanof Islands
The Andreanof Islands ( ale, Niiĝuĝim tanangis, russian: Андреяновские острова) are a group of islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwestern Alaska. They are located at about 52° North and 172°57' to 179°09' West.
Geogr ...
of the
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
.
[ The bay is significant for its ]ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
, role in the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and various examples of contemporary military and administrative action regarding the bay. Kuluk Bay borders the most developed portion of Adak Island; on its western coast lie the industrial and residential areas of the settlement of Adak.[ Kuluk Bay is also important for recreation on Adak Island, since beach combing and other beach activities are common on its sandy western shore.][
Adak's coastline is characterized by steep downward slopes which continue well offshore; leading to extreme depth increase in Sweeper Cove and Kuluk bay with distance from the shoreline. In Adak, ground ]water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
is not typically used as a source of drinking water. Among other reasons, ground water may not be used because it is believed that Adak island's fresh ground water overlies saltwater which enters the aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...
from the adjacent depths of Kuluk bay and Sweeper Cove.
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
, for a variety of species, is another common activity in Kuluk Bay. During August and September, pink salmon
Pink salmon or humpback salmon (''Oncorhynchus gorbuscha'') is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon. The scientific species name is based on the Russian common name for ...
runs occur in streams flowing into the bay.[ The bay also contains extensive ]mussel
Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...
beds along the coast at low tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide t ...
, although these do not appear to have been tremendously exploited as a food source.[
Tests on ]blue mussel
The blue mussel (''Mytilus edulis''), also known as the common mussel, is a medium-sized edible marine (ocean), marine bivalve mollusc in the family (biology), family Mytilidae, the mussels. Blue mussels are subject to commercial use and intensiv ...
s from Kuluk Bay have found a significant amount of arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...
contamination, and rock soles in the bay have been found to contain hazardous amounts of PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...
(particularly Aroclor 1254). Subsistence fishermen and others have therefore been advised to restrict their consumption of them.[
]
Ecology
Emperor goose migration
Perhaps most environmentally significant is Kuluk Bay's role in emperor goose
The emperor goose (''Anser canagicus''), also known as the beach goose or the painted goose, is a waterfowl species in the family Anatidae, which contains the ducks, geese, and swans. It is blue-gray in color as an adult and grows to in length. ...
migration. Emperor geese inhabit many of the Aleutian Islands and congregate in numbers as large as 1,000 at Kuluk Bay during the winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...
.[ This congregation is especially interesting because emperor geese are typically grouped sparsely and in small numbers during the winter; large gatherings are uncommon.][ During the winter, Kuluk bay is an important migratory area and serves as a wintering habitat for as much as 1% of the entire emperor goose ]population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
.[
]
Sea otter population
Between 1993 and 1997, the populations of sea otters
The sea otter (''Enhydra lutris'') is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smalle ...
at Clam lagoon and Kuluk bay at Adak island were studied and compared. In order for study to take place, a naval restricted area was established in the northwestern section of the bay as of April 29, 1993. This restricted area is defined in The Code of Federal Regulations
In the law of the United States, the ''Code of Federal Regulations'' (''CFR'') is the codification of the general and permanent regulations promulgated by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States. ...
Title 33-Navigation and Navigable Waters, part 334 Section 334.1320.
In the study Clam lagoon is noted as being a closed aquatic environment, inaccessible to killer whales
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pa ...
, while Kuluk bay is noted as an "open coastal environment". During the six-year interval, it was observed that while Clam Lagoon sea otter population remained relatively stable, population in Kuluk bay decreased by a dramatic 76%. When taking into account the caloric needs of a killer whale, the study concluded that merely 5.05 attacks would have been required at minimum in order to lower the sea otter population to the documented extent. 6 attacks where observed.
History
The history of Kuluk bay extends as far back as Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
expansion into Alaska; the name of the bay comes from a 1936 transliteration of the Aleut
The Aleuts ( ; russian: Алеуты, Aleuty) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleut people and the islands are politically divided between the U ...
name for the bay, first recorded by Captain Tebenkov of the Russian Imperial Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from a ...
in 1852.
Among other locations on Adak island, Kuluk bay has a relatively substantial history in Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
action by the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
during WWII. One such example is the WWII airfield along Kuluk bay whereupon, in 1942, fighter planes
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domination o ...
often landed to protect against the possibility of a Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese offensive. Various locations on Adak island, including Kuluk bay, were fortified during the Second World War. At Kuluk bay There existed a Gun Battery and other large gun emplacements, which used 155mm shells and had a range of 17 miles. These emplacements not only served to protect the bay, but also Adak Harbor to the South.
During 1942, many US military missions also took place at Adak island, at least three of which took place at Kuluk Bay. On August 30, an American Army operation took place in order to build Adak airfield which ran along Kuluk bay; On September 2, an 11th Air Force escorted reconnaissance mission took place over Kuluk bay; finally, On September 3, after bombing Kiska Island
Kiska ( ale, Qisxa, russian: Кыска) is one of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is about long and varies in width from . It is part of Aleutian Islands Wilderness and as such, special permission is required ...
, the group of 11th Air Force Bombers and Fighters flew to provide air cover over the bay, however 7 aircraft aborted due to inclement weather conditions.
Contemporary military activity
MEC Investigation
As a part of a large scale MEC (Munitions and Explosives of Concern) investigation on Adak island from 1996 to 1999, the shoreline of Kuluk bay was investigated for the presence of WWII and Cold war
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
era land mines
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automatic ...
. During the investigative process. The region about the settlement of Adak was divided into three regions of priority, the area along Kuluk Bay was investigated as a part of the priority three region. Following the main, six phased investigation of the priority three area, a potential minefield located along Kuluk bay, where six active gun emplacements existed, was searched. Ultimately 89 anomalies were excavated in the beach area, three of which were discovered to be MEC items.
Sea-based X-band radar
The Sea-based X-band Radar (SBX 1), a missile defense radar system. Prior to its completion in 2003, was planned to be located in Kuluk bay. The SBX was developed for the United States by Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
, with Boeing subcontractor, Manson Construction, responsible for creating the Sea-Based radar mooring site Kuluk bay. Large anchors and other components were placed in the bay using cranes, barges, and tugs. The mooring site was reportedly completed three weeks in advance to the deadline. In preparation for the SBX, roughly 26 million dollars in underwater rigging was prepared in the summer of 2007 in Kuluk bay. The rigging consisted of steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
chains connected between eight 75-ton
Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses.
Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean
* the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds
...
anchors fixed beneath the bay. Despite its supposed positive economic implications for Adak, as of 2010, the SBX was not located anywhere near Adak island nor did there exist plans to relocate it to Kuluk bay.
In preparation for the SBX, a US army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
restricted area within a radius of 1000 yards about the Sea Based radar mooring site was outlined within the bay. This army restricted area was established in the Code of Federal Regulations
In the law of the United States, the ''Code of Federal Regulations'' (''CFR'') is the codification of the general and permanent regulations promulgated by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States. ...
Title 33-Navigation and Navigable Waters, part 334. Section 334.1325 as of November 23, 2007. This restricted area was proposed in July 2007 by the US Army Corps of engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
, battles =
, battles_label = Wars
, website =
, commander1 = ...
in anticipation of potential movement of the SBX into Kuluk Bay per the Missile Defense Agency
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. It had its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) which ...
. The restriction was intended to better secure the SBX, its crew, and other vessels transiting the area.
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination
From 1999 through 2011, the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
has sampled polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in both Kuluk bay, and sweeper cove within Kuluk bay. The sampling references a type of fish, rock sole, and a type of shellfish, blue mussel, in order to measure the reflected environmental levels of PCBs within the area.
The sampling of PCB levels took place as a part of the Superfund law (CERCLA). Rock sole and blue mussel were chosen because they are common and readily available sources of seafood on Adak island. After testing, both rock sole and blue mussel were found to contain relatively high amounts of PCBs. As a result, an advisory to limit consumption of either species from Sweeper Cove or Kuluk bay went into effect.
After initially monitoring PCB levels for 5 years, in 2003 a decision was made by the United States Navy to monitor PCB levels every other year until 2009; this date was extended to 2011 and then again to 2013 after further samples were collected and examined. As of February 2012, following cleanup of potential contaminants, facilitated by the US Navy, PCB contamination was expected to decrease slowly with time.
Throughout the documented course of study, average levels of PCBs were shown to decrease gradually from their initial high in 1999; however as of 2012 had not decreased below the benchmark maximum concentration of 6.5 ppb (parts per billion) of PCBs. The study also noted that PCB levels were highest in Kuluk bay's sweeper cove, near which contaminants existed with relative proximity.
Activity as of 2019
As of September 2019, the US Navy was considering resuming operations and exercises in Kuluk bay. Recent operations in Kuluk bay are a part of a resurgence in military activity in the Aleutian Islands for the first time in more than 30 years. These new military exercises are designed to test arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
and cold-climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
capabilities of the US Navy. Adak island once was the site of an active military base with roughly 6,000 service members and families, now with a trend of rising sea levels and average temperature, the arctic is becoming more easily navigable, and Kuluk bay is again being considered for naval and other military activity.
References
{{Authority control
Andreanof Islands
Bays of Alaska