Make HowStuffWorks your homepage
Alaska Week 2008
 |
Why has part of the Alaskan wilderness been called the Bermuda Triangle? |
 |
How Glaciers Work Glaciers are massive rivers of ice that form in areas where more snow falls each winter than melts each summer. They're so massive, in fact, that they can carve out lakes, grind down mountains and reduce rocks to dust. How do these gigantic ice slabs form, and were they to melt, would it result in a fatal flood for mankind? |
 |
What if I were ice fishing and fell through the ice? You're standing in the middle of a frozen lake with your ice-fishing gear and your best buddy. You've done this a million times, and nothing has ever happened. All of a sudden, you hear a crack, then another, and another. Then bam! You've fallen through the ice and are immersed in freezing water. What now? |
 |
How Polar Bears Work Polar bears' shocking whiteness, ferocity and sheer size make them icons of purity and power. They thrive in frigid temperatures, and they love to take dips in the ice-cold ocean. They're at the top of the food chain in the Arctic, living mainly on seals. But if they're starving, and you're around, they'll eat you for lunch without thinking twice. |
 |
Are sled dogs a help or a hindrance in the Alaskan wilderness? With the invention of the snowmobile, is it really worth it to raise, train and run a team of dogs through the rugged Alaskan wilderness? Maybe, and maybe not. While sled dogs do have their advantages, they also have weaknesses that could prove to be an avalanche of responsibility. |
 |
How Igloos Work The word "igloo" literally means "snow house." But how do snow and ice protect Eskimos from the brutal cold? You'd be surprised at how little you need to make an igloo 40 degrees warmer than the temperature outside -- an oil lamp and your own body. Could you build your own? Sure. Should you run to the Arctic and try it? Not alone! |
 |
How the Iditarod Works The Iditarod, called the Last Great Race on Earth, pits one driver and a team of sled dogs against other racers -- and against the often cruel forces of Mother Nature. Temperatures range from 50 above zero to 60 below zero, and blinding snow and whipping wind aren't uncommon. So what's in it to make the racers bear such brutal conditions for days at a time? |
 |
What does global warming have to do with the decline in the polar bear population? The largest carnivores on land are getting squashed like tiny bugs. Polar bears are in a fight with the climate -- and they're losing. They live in the Arctic because of its freezing temperatures. So what happens as the Earth gets warmer, and everything in their habitat melts? |
 |
How Icebergs Work Icebergs dot high-latitude oceans like mines, and they can seem rather ominous -- after all, one of them sank the "unsinkable" Titanic. But there's a lot more to them. These seemingly sterile ice slabs also harbor complex ecosystems, and they shape the environments that they pass through. What kind of life can you have on frozen water? |
 |
What if the Alaska Pipeline blew up? |