The sun sets on November 18 or 19 and stays below the horizon for approximately 65 days. This creates a polar night that lasts until the sun rises again around January 22 or 23. During the first half of the polar night, the amount of twilight decreases daily, and on the winter solstice (around December 21 or 22), civil twilight in Barrow lasts only 3 hours.
The sun does not set from early May to the first of August. More than 90 days of direct daylight hours.
Polar bears
Polar bears live along the coasts and on the sea ice in the icy Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, in addition to pregnant females, come out onto the ice to hunt seals. Polar bears have been spotted on sea ice hundreds of miles from the coast. When warm weather causes the sea ice to melt, polar bears return to shore.
Polar bears mainly feed on seals. Polar bears often rest silently near the seal’s breathing hole in the ice, waiting for the seal in the water to surface. When the seal rises, the bear jumps and sinks its serrated teeth into the seal’s head.
Sometimes a polar bear tracks its prey. It may see a seal lying near its breathing hole and slowly move toward it, then pounce on it, biting its head or grabbing it with its massive claws. Polar bears can also hunt by swimming under the ice.
Bowhead whale
Whales are a significant part of the Barrow lifestyle. Bowhead, gray, killer, and beluga whales migrate near Barrow every summer. Continuing a long-standing Inupiat tradition, an annual bowhead whale hunt and festival is held each spring.