Barrow, Alaska

Barrow is the northernmost city in the United States. Over 4,400 people live here on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Barrow is the hub for many services on the North Slope as the area north of the Brooks Range is known.

Long Day, Long Night

At higher than 71° North lattitude, Barrow is well above the Arctic Circle (66°). So close to the top of the earth, Barrow is tipped strongly toward the sun in the summer and away in the winter. This results in summer days where the sun dips close to the horizon but never sets. Conversely, there are days in midwinter when the sun never rises. At mid-day, pale dawn light is followed immediately by dusk. The pictures on this page were taken in December, 2008 around 11:00 am. The photo at left show the Arctic Ocean stretching away to the left. The picture at the top was taken facing south.