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'Then & Now' climate change exhibit concludes at Alaska Capitol

October 15, 2018

Jeff Richardson

An exhibit by �պ����� Research Associate Professor Ken Tape, “Then & Now: The Changing Arctic Landscape,” was featured in the lieutenant governor’s First Friday exhibit on Oct. 5 in Juneau.

Focusing on glaciers, vegetation and permafrost, the exhibit pairs historic photographs with recent images taken from the same vantage points to show changes in the landscape. The photos reveal sharp contrasts — glaciers that have receded or disappeared altogether, trees and shrubs growing where they didn’t decades earlier, and topography that changed as the underlying permafrost thawed.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Gallery in the Alaska State Capitol is likely the final destination for “Then & Now,” ending a journey that has included 10 other venues in eight states. It was launched in 2010 as a special exhibit at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, offering a fascinating and unique perspective on the effects of climate change in Alaska’s Arctic.

The show was inspired by Tape’s book, “The Changing Arctic Landscape.” He scoured far-flung archives and scanned countless Google Earth images to assemble the photos, which include 10 sets of paired images, quotes from Alaska Native residents of the regions and interactive 360-degree panoramas. Animations in the exhibit illustrate thawing permafrost and outline scientific research methods.

Knowledge of climate change, particularly in the Arctic, has grown significantly since “Then & Now” debuted eight years ago. However, seeing those changes illustrated in photographs still offers a striking visual aid, said Tape, who works with the Geophysical Institute’s Snow, Ice and Permafrost Group.

“It serves the dual purpose of introducing people to the Arctic and showing how much it’s changing in a way that everyone can understand,” Tape said.