The Noatak River ( ik, Nuataam Kuuŋa) is a river in the northwestern part of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...
.
Description
The Noatak River's headwaters are on the north flank of
Mount Igikpak in the
Schwatka Mountains of the
Brooks Range
The Brooks Range ( Gwich'in: ''Gwazhał'') is a mountain range in far northern North America stretching some from west to east across northern Alaska into Canada's Yukon Territory. Reaching a peak elevation of on Mount Isto, the range is b ...
in the
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is an American national park that protects portions of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The park is the northernmost national park in the United States, situated entirely north of the Arctic Circ ...
.
The Noatak flows generally westward for about to the
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea ( rus, Чуко́тское мо́ре, r=Chukotskoye more, p=tɕʊˈkotskəjə ˈmorʲɪ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west ...
at
Kotzebue Sound.
The river's entire course is north of the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at ...
.
Leaving Gates of the Arctic National Park the river enters the
Noatak National Preserve which exactly delineates the river's watershed. The ''entire watershed of the Noatak River,'' not just the river itself, lies within these two protected areas, from the headwaters to where it leaves the Noatak National Preserve, which is a point approximately 20
river mile
A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle ro ...
s upstream of Noatak village and 90 river miles upstream of the river's delta in Kotzebue Sound. Even on this last part of the river most of the watershed lies within either Noatak National Preserve or
Cape Krusenstern National Monument, with only the immediate river valley outside of these protected areas. The Noatak basin is the largest undisturbed watershed in the United States.
The Noatak National Preserve alone encompasses .
There are small inholdings of private land within the National Preserve, some of these have private cabins.
The only permanent settlement along the Noatak River is the village of
Noatak. The village has a lighted public gravel airstrip, several small stores, post office, and a school.
The Noatak is fed by a relatively large watershed: as for some other large braided Arctic rivercourses, rare severe rain events can result in temporary rapid inundation, to a depth of several feet, of normally dry river bars. There are a few small remnant glaciers in the Schwatka Mountains, their contribution to the water budget of the Noatak is negligible.
Name origin
Named ''Inland River'' by surgeon John Simpson of the Royal Navy on a map he prepared in 1853, his wording appears to be a general translation of the
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territorie ...
name ''Nunulak'', according to the United States Geological Survey.
The name ''Nunatak'' could also mean "new land" or "belong to the land."
"Wild and Scenic" designation
On December 2, 1980, the of the Noatak—from its source in Gates of the Arctic National Park to the
Kelly River
Kelly may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* Kelly (Kelly Price album)
* Kelly (Andrea Faustini album)
* ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap
* "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland
* ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...
in the Noatak National Preserve—became part of the
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...
.
See also
*
List of rivers of Alaska
This is a List of rivers in Alaska, which are at least fifth-order according to the Strahler method of stream classification, and an incomplete list of otherwise-notable rivers and streams. Alaska has more than 12,000 rivers, and thousands more st ...
*
List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers
This is a list of the designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers in the United States. Each river has been designated by Congress, or, if certain requirements were met, the Secretary of the Interior. A designation may include multiple watercourses ...
References
External links
National Park Service photos
{{authority control
Rivers of North Slope Borough, Alaska
Rivers of Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska
Rivers of Alaska
Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Brooks Range
Drainage basins of the Chukchi Sea