Glacier Bay: A Land Reborn

Glacier¹ Bay: A Land Reborn

This week in our travels through America’s national parks, we revisit the state of Alaska. The northernmost state is home to eight major national parks.

Today, we visit one of its most famous parks – Glacier Bay. This huge park in the southeastern part of the state covers more than 1 million hectares of Alaskan wilderness³. It includes mountains, glaciers⁴, fjords, and even rainforests.

Glacier Bay supports hundreds of kinds of animals, including many species of birds, fish, bears, whales and sea lions.

As its name suggests, much of Glacier Bay National Park is covered by glaciers. A glacier is a large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley, or over a wide area of land. Glaciers cover more than 5,000 square kilometers of the park.

Glacial ice has shaped the land over the last seven million years. The glaciers found in the park today are what remains⁵ from an ice advance known as the Little Ice Age. That period began about 4,000 years ago.

A land reborn

During the Little Ice Age, the cold weather caused the ice to grow and advance. That growth continued until the 1700s, when the climate began to warm. The hotter temperatures caused the ice to start melting. That melting led the huge glacier to separate into more than 1,000 different glaciers.

The extremely tall and jagged mountains seen in Glacier Bay National Park were formed by the ice advancing and then melting over time. The melting of the ice also created water that filled in and created the many fjords within the park. Fjords are narrow parts of the ocean that sit between cliffs or mountains.

The huge amounts of water from the melted ice killed off many kinds of plants. Vegetation returned to the area over the next 200 years. The regrowth in plants also brought back many animals to the land. This return of life to Glacier Bay is why it is sometimes called “a land reborn.”

A people of tradition

There is evidence that people have lived in the area for several thousands of years. Glacier Bay is the homeland of the Huna Tlingit people. The Tlingit are an Alaskan Native tribe. They live throughout southeastern Alaska. They began settling in the Glacier Bay area after the last ice age, once the glaciers began to retreat.

Today, the Tlingit people live a modern life. But they also practice traditions unique to their culture. In the past, the Huna Tlingit harvested gull⁶ eggs every year. Gulls⁷ are large gray and white birds that live near the ocean. Gull eggs are an important type of food for the Huna Tlingit. Family harvest trips served as a way to keep ties with their homeland and to pass on stories, moral codes, and cultural traditions to the younger generation.

In the 1960s, the Migratory⁸ Bird Treaty Act forced them to stop collecting gull eggs.

Together with the National Park Service, however, they have worked to create a sustainable way for them to continue practicing this tradition.

Discovery and protection

One of the first major expeditions to the area took place in 1794. Lieutenant⁹ Joseph Whidbey arrived near Glacier Bay aboard the HMS Discovery, a British Royal Navy ship. The expedition was led by Captain George Vancouver.

At that time, the bay was still almost completely filled with ice. The crew described the scene as “a compact sheet of ice as far as the eye could distinguish.”

In 1879 the naturalist¹⁰ John Muir visited the area to do research. He found that glacial ice had melted back almost 50 kilometers, and had formed a bay.

After his visit, Muir and other conservationists urged Congress to protect this special area.

In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge made Glacier Bay a national monument. It did not become an official national park, however, until 1980.

In 1992, Glacier Bay became part of a huge World Heritage Site along the border of Canada and the United States. The 9.7 million-hectare site is the largest internationally protected area in the world.

Coastal¹¹ wildlife

One-fifth of Glacier Bay National park is ocean water. And, no point within the park is more than 50 kilometers from the coast. Most animals living here depend on the water or shoreline.

Glacier Bay is home to brown bears and black bears. They are found in the forests, as well as along the coastline. They feed on berries and plants found in the woods. They also feed on the fish found in the waters.

Humpback whales also feed on fish in Glacier Bay’s waters. Whales are large mammals that live in the ocean. Humpbacks can weigh more than 35,000 kilograms. They come to Glacier Bay every summer for one main reason: food. They feed on small fish in the water. They eat more than 450 kilograms of food each day. They remain in Glacier Bay for about five months each year.

There are also 281 species of birds in Glacier Bay. These include gulls, guillemots, puffins, murrelets, and cormorants¹². Many of these birds make nests on cliffs. They eat small fish and other sea life.

Other animals found in the park include moose, mountain goats, Stellar sea lions, Harbor seals, Harbor porpoises¹³, and sea otters¹⁴.

Exploring the Park

Glacier Bay is a popular place for people searching for adventure. Some visitors choose to explore the park by kayak. The small, narrow boats offer visitors a chance to experience the park’s many fjords and its hundreds of kilometers of coastline.

Hiking and camping are also popular activities in the park. But, hikers and campers must have respect for the harsh and remote environment. Weather and water conditions can be extreme. Food can also be limited in this area. There is only one official campground, located in Bartlett Cove². But camping is permitted along any of the shores or forests found in the park. This kind of camping is called backcountry camping.

Another popular way to visit the park is by boat or ship. Cruise ships and tour boats make regular trips into the park. Passengers are able to see the park’s glaciers up close. These glaciers are always changing. Visitors may witness huge pieces of ice breaking apart from the glacier. This is known as “calving.” When the ice falls into the water, it creates a loud, thunder-like noise.

From glacial fjords to mountain peaks, Glacier Bay holds some of the continent’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders. It is a land reborn, and a place that continues to change with time.

Words in This Story

bay – n. a large area of water that is part of an ocean or lake and partly surrounded by land

compact – adj. closely or firmly packed or joined together

fjord - n. a narrow part of the ocean between cliffs or steep hills or mountains

glacier – n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land

inspiring – adj. causing people to want to do or create something or to lead better lives

jagged – adj. causing people to want to do or create something or to lead better lives

kayak – n. a long narrow boat that is pointed¹⁵ at both ends and that is moved by a paddle with two blade

naturalist – n. a person who studies plants and animals as they live in nature

retreat – v. the act or process of moving away

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

unique – adj. something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

vegetation – n. plants in general

1 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

2 cove   

n.小海湾，小峡谷

参考例句：

• The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。
• I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

3 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

4 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 gull   

n.鸥；受骗的人；v.欺诈

参考例句：

• The ivory gull often follows polar bears to feed on the remains of seal kills.象牙海鸥经常跟在北极熊的后面吃剩下的海豹尸体。
• You are not supposed to gull your friends.你不应该欺骗你的朋友。

7 gulls   

n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A flock of sea gulls are hovering over the deck. 一群海鸥在甲板上空飞翔。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The gulls which haunted the outlying rocks in a prodigious number. 数不清的海鸥在遥远的岩石上栖息。 来自辞典例句

8 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

9 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

10 naturalist   

n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)

参考例句：

• He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
• The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。

11 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

12 cormorants   

鸬鹚，贪婪的人( cormorant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The birds are trained cormorants. 那些鸟是受过训练的鸬鹚。
• The cormorants swim down and catch the fish, and bring them back the raft. 鸬鹚又下去捉住鱼，再返回竹筏。

13 porpoises   

n.鼠海豚( porpoise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A shoal of porpoises are well on the feed. 一群海豚正在吞食。 来自辞典例句
• In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. 1928年有人把这些海豚象海狸那样把一床浸泡了水的褥垫推上岸时的情景拍摄了下来。 来自辞典例句

14 otters   

n.（水）獭( otter的名词复数 )；獭皮

参考例句：

• An attempt is being made to entice otters back to the river. 人们正试图把水獭引诱回河里去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Otters are believed to have been on Earth for 90 million years. 水獭被认为存活在地球上已经9千多万年。 来自互联网

15 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。