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Subzero temperatures annually generate only about 27 inches of snow, but gales whip it into 20-foot drifts, burying buildings.
Permafrost, a layer of perennially frozen ground, penetrates to fantastic depths.
The summer weather, averaging about 39 degrees F in July, thaws the top few feet of tundra into a liquescent marsh. Swarms of mosquitoes hum in the 24-hour daylight north of the Arctic Circle. To funnel the oil from this harsh environment, three major petroleum firms will build an 800-mile, 48-inch-diameter pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to the Gulf of Alaska. The $900-million line, scheduled for completion in 1972, will serve West Coast markets.
Huge tankers may carry the Alaska petroleum through the fabled Northwest Passage to eastern consumers. The companies have outfitted a large vessel with an icebreaker bow and other special equipment to try the treacherous route in June or July 1969.
Ice is Destructive
It promises to be a severe test for the tanker. Summer ice packs near Point Barrow can grind against reinforced hulls, snap propellers, and flood engine rooms.
The Northwest Passage challenged generations of seafarers before Norway’s Roald Amundsen mastered the savage
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