Overview:
This 2-day field trip provides an in-depth view of the
landscapes, water resources and development along one of
the most scenic highways and wildest landscapes in North
America. The trip starts in Anchorage where we will travel
by van along the rugged shoreline of Turnagain Arm of Upper
Cook Inlet whose extreme tides are under study for potential
for tidal energy. The route traverses across one of the
northernmost coastal rain forests and through both Chugach
State Park and the Chugach National Forest stopping at various
sites along the way including Portage Valley and Glacier,
Turnagain Pass, Snow River-Kenai Lake, and finally arriving
in Seward along the shores of Resurrection Bay. On the second
day, we will tour the Seward Sea Life Center explore the
efforts for hydropower related project to alter stream temperatures
to improve the productivity of Cooper Creek. The return
trip to Anchorage includes a stop at the Wildlife Conservation
Center located in coastal wetlands, a stop to examine the
use of automated avalanche detection along the Alaska Railroad
and then a close look at mining/ski town of Girdwood. While
in Girdwood, weather permitting, there is opportunity to
take a short flightseeing trip over the magnificent Chugach
Range coastal mountains and view the fjords of Prince William
Sound. The major themes of the tour include water resource
and ecosystem variation along the coastal range, variations
in energy sources, and history of the area.
Schedule:
Day 1, April 28th (Thursday)
Meet at 8:00am at the Hotel lobby
Themes:
- Seward Highway and Alaska Railroad Corridors: Hydrology,
Development, Power. Cook Inlet Basin Energy and Water
Dynamics, Crude, Natural Gas, Coal, Wind, and Tidal
- Overview of the terrain, glacial geology, climate, hydrologic
conditions, and ecology on the south side of the Coastal
Range.
Stops:
- Road Trip from Anchorage in the heart of the Upper Cook
Inlet Basin through the Chugach coastal mountains to the
historic Port of Seward Alaska.
- Anchorage Area: Water and Power Upper Cook Inlet Basin
- Portage Glacier and Valley: Examine the dynamics of
the classic glacial valley and proglacial lake and coastal
mountain weather.
- Portage and Placer Valley Coastline: Tectonic subsidence
and rebound. Great Alaska Earthquake and Recent Tectonic
Activity
- Turnagain Pass: Watershed Divide Glacial evidence
- Snow River: Glacial Outburst Floods
- Seward Area Dynamic Hydrology
- Port of Seward on Resurrection Bay
- Stay at Hotel Seward in the heart of old town
Day 2, April 29th (Friday)
Themes:
- Coastal Range: Glacial history, ecology, permafrost
conditions.
Stops:
- Sea Life Center in Seward: Coastal Ecology (Day 2)
- Cooper Lake: Hydro Power and Stream Temperature Regulation
- Whittier Tunnel- tie into Prince William Sound
- Alaska Railroad Avalanche monitoring, detection and
warning systems
- Wildlife Conservation Center
- Girdwood: Water Resources and Northern Rain Forest,
Turnagain Arm Tidal Extremes. Option for Prince William
Sound Flightseeing or Tram ride to upper Alpine terrain
and Turnagain Arm overlook.
- Return to Anchorage (Arrive at Hotel at approximately
6:00pm)
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