Minto

Location - Minto Flats

Minto sits on a bluff above Minto Flats, a large wetland complex of lakes, ponds and sloughs.

The ALISON observatory at Minto was set up on a slough about 2 km northeast of the village near Grandma Hill. The geographic coordinates of the observatory are 65° 9.528’ N, 149° 19.294’W.

Because the slough flows sluggishly, the ice cover is undeformed, level and ideal for an ALISON observatory. It looks almost like an ice-covered lake. The ice cover in a more rapidly flowing channel would likely be deformed, rough and less appealing for an ALISON observatory site.

The Minto ALISON site was located on the Minto Flats. The location of the transect is indicated by the red star.

A satellite image of Minto (southwest corner) and a portion of Minto Flats.

People

The Minto observatory was operated by Joan Jones and her 5th and 6th grade students at Minto School. Joan has taught in Minto for six years. Prior to that she taught in Fairbanks at the UAF Downtown Center and before that at Monroe High School. Originally from Long Island, New York, Joan has been teaching for 25 years; 22 years in Alaska preceded by 3 years in Washington State. Joan has received GLOBE training and was a participant in the UAF-based Observing Locally, Connecting Globally (OLCG) GLOBE program.

Data

Download data for these graphs and other ALISON data.