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Utqiagvik, Alaska

student in the arctic

The PHYS 450/PHSC 420 project took place in Utqiagvik, Alaska, the northernmost city in the United States. 

  • Utqiagvik (UUT-kee-AH-vik), formerly Barrow, was renamed in 2016 by the native tribe Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation, which has inhabited the land for thousands of years.
  • With a population of about 4,500, Utqiagvik has a total area of about 21 square miles.
  • Utqiagvik is located 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle. 
  • Its cold, dry climate sees below-freezing temperatures 245 days a year.
  • Utqiagvik experiences 67 days of darkness in the winter and 80 days of sunlight during the summer. 
  • Utqiagvik is surrounded on three sides by the Arctic Ocean. 
  • The city is a desert and averages less than 30 inches of snow a year.
  • It is one of the cloudiest places on earth -- the city is completely overcast approximately 50 percent of the year.
  • The average high temperature is 17 degrees Fahrenheit with a record high of 79 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • The average low temperature is 6 degrees Fahrenheit with a record low of -56 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • The average high temperature in March is -6 degrees Fahrenheit while the average low is -19 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • The city is only reachable by airplane, as there are no roads leading in or out of Utqiagvik. 
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