When I arrived here in Svalbard over a month ago, the amount of time ahead of me at Isfjord Radio and the Linne Valley appeared to be inordinate, but looking back at all that was accomplished and all that could still be accomplished, the time here was actually too short. We had the time to visit places in the Linne Valley that most people will never experience, and had the unique opportunity to investigate the inner workings of the glacier, river, and lake system in order to truly understand how this system operates. And yet the more we delved into the system, the more we wanted to investigate. The wonder of science left us with more questions than we could answer in our brief visit to the outdoor laboratory of the Linne Valley; questions we'll leave for the next cohort of...
As this expedition comes to a close it's time to recap and pull together the various scientific endeavors that took place in the Linne Valley during the past month. There were 2 purposes for this expedition; one was providing a rich field research experience for top level undergraduate students, and the second was the continued investigation of the glacier, lake, river system of the Linne Valley in order to better understand climate change within the valley. Svalbard being located in the high Arctic is very sensitive to climate change and because of its barren lands the evidence of climate change is readily observable. "Proxy records" (natural phenomena that are climate dependent, such as sediments, lake varves, stable isotopes, etc) are well preserved up here and hold the...
Clouds, snow, gentle breeze, then sun, then snow..
The process of science begins with the creation of a focused question or questions about a phenomenon or observation, and these questions are the basis for the development of a study. All the students here had research questions that provided them with structure of their projects. At this point in the process they have all done most of their background research into what has been done in the past, and they have collected their data or samples using their selected methods. Now the fun begins as they start to put their data to work to determine if in fact they can answer the questions they posed.
Back here in Longyearbyen the students are working on their presentations for Friday's symposia where they are all expected to give a 15 minute talk about their projects. This...
The process of science can be used to figure out the mechanisms behind a phenomenon, event, or observation, or it can be used to determine if a new tool can be used for analysis of an event or phenomenon. One of the Svalbard REU students from UNIS, Leo Sold from Germany, has chosen to test the adaptability of an image analysis tool to the study of glacial ablation. Leo was intrigued by the plume cam photos and used his Photoshop skills to analyze the amount of snow in an image. No one has done this before with the plume cam photos and therefore Al and Mike were excited at the prospects of Leo's ideas.
Every couple of days during our field season Leo visited a snow patch that existed in the plume cam photos, and during this time, the plume cam was still taking pictures of the snow patch...
Our boatmen arrived the night before and joined us for dinner and that's when we learned that the seas were going to be rough heading back to Longyearbyen. Since taking a boat is the only method of transportation back to Longyearbyen this time of year, we are extremely dependent on the weather and the effects of the weather on the bodies of water. We were lucky to be getting out today since the weather for the next few days didn't look promising for boat transportation. We packed all our personal belongings in plastic bags before putting them in our duffels in order to protect them from getting wet during the boat ride.
Our departure was scheduled for 7AM which meant the boats were "leaving" at 7AM, and our belongings needed to be on board by 6:30AM. Fortunately we...
Cloudy, drizzle, cool, then sun with clouds and br
Our morning meeting had a pretty full agenda of items that needed to be done before we leave tomorrow morning at 7AM. Megan, Kristen, and I stayed at the station to inventory all the supplies and equipment and to create piles for garage storage at the station and for UNIS. The task took the majority of the day since everything needed to be counted and repacked.
Emily, Maya, Anthony, and Dave went up to Lake Kongress to take care of the boat. The engine, running tank, and gas can all had to be brought back down to the Lake Linne, and the boat needed to be dragged up onto the beach where it will stay for the winter. This required using frame packs to carry the running tank and gas can, and a couple of pieces of wood to carry the engine. Everything went well, and they...
Sun, cloudy, drizzle, and rain and snow on the gla
We gathered in the living room of the main building at Isfjord Radio to discuss the tasks of the day and who was to be each team, the most important of which was Jesse's ice coring team. Megan, Antoine and I were to stay at the south hut to deploy a couple of items into Lake Linne, and to start shuttling supplies across the lake to the north hut and the boat docking area. Mike and Steve were to go up onto a couple of moraines near the Linne Glacier, and the balance of the Svalbard REU team went onto the Linne Glacier and continue the ice coring process and assist Kristen with the last of her glacial ablation measurements.
Our hike out to the lake was absolutely exquisite since the snow from the night before left a coating on the western facing slopes of the ridges around our...
Today's objective was to assist Jesse in collecting samples. We divided into 2 teams with 10 of use heading up the glacier. We were on a mission and the persistent drizzle/rain wasn't going to stop us. First stop was the red hut at the south end of the lake to drop off Megan, Emily, and Leo to collect a couple of cores and measure Leo's snow patch one last time. We also dropped off some provisions for Jesse and Anthony who planned on working through a part of the night. There are not too many places on the Earth one can work in the field 24/7!
We marched up the outwash plain to the glacier, over the streams, through the mud, hopping boulders, climbing moraines. We divide the trek up into thirds, with the first stop being the "boot station" where we switch...
With only 3 or 4 days left for field work it's time to assess what needs to be done so that everyone has their samples and/or data to take home. Today we divided into 5 teams instead of the usual 2 or 3. Al and Mike went with Anthony to a moraine near the Linne Glacier for quartzite samples for Anthony's project; Kristen and Emily went up the glacier to measure glacial ablation; Jesse and Leo went to a snowfield to dig snow pits for Jesse's project; Maya, Steve, and Antoine went up to Lake Kongress for short sediment cores and more samples for Maya's project; and Dave, Megan and I cored Lake Linne for Megan's project and for a core for me.
Murphy's Law of Fieldwork says that what can go wrong will go wrong, and this has been the case with Jesse's project. It was decided that the best (...
(Wind Update: It began to die down late in the afternoon today!)
On any given day there is usually one or more people taking a day off from the field. Field work can be physically draining, especially when you're outside for 8 to 10 hours in all kinds of weather hiking over all types of terrain. It's better to take a day off here and there than to be a danger in the field because of mental and physical fatigue. Most people here take one day off for every 5 or so in the field, except for Al and Mike. They've only taken one day off each since getting here! Those heading up to the glacier tend to make more days off because of their grueling hike to gather data.
A day off from the field can be defined as a chance to get to a number of tasks. For instance, we have an extensive...
Remember the discussion in the last journal entry about the wind up here? Well, it's still here and it felt as if it was blowing against us no matter which direction we hiked! Although we were all dressed for the wind, after a while it can wear a person down hiking against it in the cold air. When the cold wind hits uncovered skin, it can be chilling experience that can lead to frostbite and other related cold weather effects on humans. The wind chill effect combines air temperature and wind speed to produce a temperature value related to the rate of heat loss of uncovered skin. In order to thwart the impact of the wind chill we all dressed in multiple layers with Gore-Tex on the surface, and protected our faces with balaclavas, neck gators, hats. Even with all this protection we...
As mentioned in a former journal entry, the weather here is very changeable. For instance today we walked out to Lake Linne wearing light clothing since the sun was shining and the crisp air was still. Our clothing choices were great for a good part of the day; up until about 3PM when the wind started. We have no idea who invited the 20mph headwind to our nice day on the glacier, but we had no choice but to deal with it for our entire trek back to the station! Fortunately the wind was only wind and not an icy cold precipitation event which would have been more of a challenge to deal with. In regards to clothing for wind like this, Gore-Tex really is the key to keeping the drafts from sneaking into our under layers. As far the effects of the wind on completing our tasks for the day...
(Ole is Ole Humlum, a scientist from University of Oslo and UNIS who provided us with a lecture on the climate of Svalbard and joined us part of our stay in Kapp Linne while gathering data for a permafrost study.)
On our first walk out to the Linne Valley we came across these odd shaped ground moraines and were in awe at the symmetry of their patterns. Being field geologists of course we questioned the origin of these strange phenomena only to left with more questions than answers since the size and shapes of these structures vary quite a bit around the tundra.
These sorted circles are approximately 2 meters across and are raised anywhere from 10 to 30 centimeters above the ground. The rocks that make up the rings (or other shapes) tend to somewhat uniform in their size and...
Cool with gentle breeze, foggy, then sun, then fog
Physically not us, but something is needed to retrieve our sediment cores! Read below for the process of taking a lake sediment core.
Today Kristen, Al, Megan, and Antoine were up at the glacier downloading weather data, and measuring stream discharge and glacial ablation. Steve, Leo and Jesse were up valley closer to the glacier taking altimeter readings, and searching for ice core moraines. Mike, Dave, Maya, Emily and I were up at Lake Kongress taking sediment cores. At this point of our expedition most students have collected their data or samples or are in the midst of doing so. Our luggage is going to be so heavy!!!
Up at Lake Kongress Maya recovered 2 of the 3 cores she needs from the lake, and Dave and Emily each recovered 1 core for their projects. The process of recovering...
Since we've been at Isfjord Radio there have been other scientists here too. Hanne Christiansen and Ole Humlum from UNIS were here working on their permafrost studies (Thermal State of Permafrost in Norway and Svalbard - TSP Norway), Trine Holme and Espen Donali from the University of Oslo were here working on their limnology studies, and Anne Hormes form UNIS was here to install a plumecam at Lake Kongress. We also had a visit from about 25 Norwegian officials who are on a two week cruise around Svalbard, stopping at a number of ports to investigate the activities taking place on Svalbard. It's been a treat for us to interact with the visiting scientists since their work is different from ours although all related to Polar Science.
Three of us, Maya, Jesse and I, went to Lake...
We awoke to blue skies and were psyched at the great possibility of witnessing the solar eclipse while here in Kapp Linne. It was decided that the best view of the eclipse would be from the north end of Lake Linne. But when we got to the east side of the lake where the boats are kept, we changed our minds when we saw the fog was rolling in from the fjord. Off to the south end we went and there we were free from the fog.
The excitement mounted as the clock ticked closer to the eclipse time. We snuggled on the lee side of the shack bundled in most of our outerwear in order to stem off the brisk Arctic air. Sunglasses on, cameras ready, and then it happened. The moon began to appear on the solar disk, and within about 20 minutes, the solar disk was about 90% covered (what we...
This is not an Abbott and Costello skit, but we do need to be sure our bases our covered when we head into the field. After dinner we start our discussion of what we are doing the next day, and the discussion picks up again the next morning after breakfast to reconfirm the decisions. Usually there are about 3 teams per day heading in different areas of the Linne Valley, and these planning meetings help to decide where the teams are going, what they will be doing, and who is in each group. On any given day there may be a few team members who do not go into the field, and they use the day to get caught on their research, work with samples and data, wash clothes, and rest their feet.
As you know there are ten projects going on simultaneously along with the projects of the two PI's and not...
We are in the pathway of a total (93%) solar eclipse this Friday at approximately 11AM! With this special event coming up, I thought it would be good time for an entry on Earth-Sun-Moon system as related to Svalbard.
Normally most of us don't think about the position of sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset, and we intuitively know that the sun and moon rise in the east and set in the west. We also know there is variation in the length of day throughout the year, and the angle of the sun throughout the day and year. Above the Arctic Circle, intuition doesn't work because as you know we are here during a period of 24 hours of light! Although what is the same for us up here is that the sun is in the eastern sky in the morning and in the western sky in the late afternoon/evening.
...
After a long day in the field, all anyone wants is a warm shower and a delicious meal before getting a good night's sleep in preparation for the next day in the field. Staying here at Isfjord Radio on Kapp Linne we are spoiled with these accommodations. Of course Al and Mike will make comments about what it was like in the 80's when they had primitive living and working conditions, and we remind them that thankfully it is no longer the 80's!
In 1932 Isfjord Radio existed as a lighthouse and in 1933 the first building, a radio station, was erected on the property. During World War II the old station, which is where Svalbard REU has their work stations, was built, ruined, and then in 1946 was rebuilt. When it was rebuilt it was equipped with telephone service, radio broadcast equipment,...
....not quite a catcher's mitt, but you'll get what I mean!
There are a number of instruments placed around the Linne Valley continuously gathering data. For instance, the cameras placed above Lake Linne and closer to the Linne Glacier take 2 pictures per day throughout the year, the data loggers in the stream and in the various weather stations gather data multiple times per hour, and sediment traps in the lake gather falling sediments non-stop until they are removed from the lake approximately one year later. Here's a little more about the sediment traps.
The sediment traps appear simplistic, although to someone studying the sedimentation of the lake floor, they are quite ingenious. They are comprised of a funnel attached to a clear tube that collects the sediments that fall into the...
How about a peek into a day in the life of Svalbard REU? At this point of the expedition, we've gotten into a "routine" that's anything but routine given the nature of field research. Here we go...
7AM: Wake up
8AM: Enjoy a Norwegian style breakfast buffet & pack a big lunch (up to 5 sandwiches for some, only 1 for me), including filling a thermos with hot tea, and finalize plans for the day. Dress for the day (base/skin layer, middle layer, and outwear), and pack a variety of clothing for the day because the weather here is like in Cape Cod, it changes every 10 minutes, although it is much colder here!
9:15AM: Muster around the garage while gathering supplies and equipment. At this point the students know what data they need to collect, and are gathering...
In past journal entries I introduced the physical geography and some of the geologic past for this area. Today I want to introduce you to the recent geology of our study area and the detailed reason why we are here. I suggest going back to that tutorial on geologic time posted in a previous entry for a review of the concept of deep time.
The focus of this entry is on the period of time known as the Quaternary Period, which includes the past over 2 million years (a small amount of years geologically speaking!). Keep in mind that Svalbard acquired its current shape by the end of the Tertiary period (time of coal formation), and that here the Quaternary Period is known for its repeated periods of glaciation that left behind all the beautiful glaciated features we see here at Kapp Linne...
Today we begin a two part introduction to the Svalbard REU students and their work. I know you will find them all very fascinating and that they are extremely bright young scientists.
Anthony Novak: A junior at Oregon State University majoring in Geology and minoring in Oceanography, Anthony applied to the Svalbard REU Project because it is a “great opportunity to meet people in the science world, research quaternary climate, and be in the Arctic!” His project is titled “Developing a 10Be chronology for glacier fluctuations in Linnevatnet, Svalbard,” where the goal of the project is “to better constrain the ages of older moraines in the valley, which mark deglaciation. Right now there are no real ages for the older moraines, and hopefully my project will fix that.” After college...
This entry introduces the other half of the young scientists of the Svalbard REU team along with their work here in Svalbard.
Maya Wei-Haas: A junior at Smith College in Massachusetts, Maya is majoring in Geology and minoring in chemistry. She applied to the Svalbard REU project because ... "Why not? I am a geology fanatic, and love fieldwork! The Svalbard REU is an amazing opportunity to apply what you learn in the classroom to real world situations. I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to conduct my own research project, from collection of samples to playing with data sets." Her project title is "Relation of Holocene climate evolution to sediment provenance in Kongressdalen, Spitsbergen, Svalbard." She states the goal of the project as ".......
The skies were a little more accommodating for field work today, including lake work which requires calm waters for the boat. We awoke to the news that there was a polar bear at a beach in the area feeding on a dead shark. This put us on a higher safety alert to ensure the field safety of everyone. Everyone had their eyes focused on the open plain of the tundra, and we carried three rifles, three flare guns, and multiple forms of communication with us. Of course we carry these instruments with us every day in the field, but as mentioned we needed to be totally aware of our surroundings at all times.
Once we arrived at the lake the Svalbard REU team divided up and went their separate ways today in order to start their individual projects. Up at Lake Kongress, three students surveyed...
Distances here are unbelievable. You can see for miles and miles if there aren't any obstructions and getting anywhere is beyond perception. It's been mind boggling how big/vast this place is coming from New Jersey where there are visual cues all around to a place like the Arctic tundra where there are no visual cues. I suppose I may still be in the "surreal" stage of being here if the distances still have not registered. To give you an idea of distances, the Linne Lake is 5 kilometers long and our hike back to the station is also 5 kilometers long. Go to the photo gallery for pictures of the lake and the station from the lake and try to conceive these distances. If you are from a developed state like New Jersey I think you will find it to be a challenge!
As a team...
This little saying is borrowed from a friend of mine who is the National Guard currently serving in Afghanistan. Hi Ron! I think you get the picture about the weather here and the point that if we head into the field - rain or shine. The fact of the matter is that field work is expensive and scientists need to maximize their time in the field, especially when in a remote location. So long as we're wearing the appropriate clothing, it's just another day for us.
After we arrived at the lake we split into 2 teams; the lake team and the glacier team where the lake team performed a number of tasks at the lake, and the glacier team hiked to the Linne glacier to survey the Little Ice Age terminal moraine. I remained with the lake team to gather data from a number of sensors that have...
Sunday journal entry...(Here is a link to the hourly forecast for Isfjord Radio from the Norway Meteorological Institute. It even has an English version. http://www.yr.no/sted/Norge/Svalbard/Isfjord_radio/time_for_time.html)
While our fearless leaders ventured back to the lake to complete a number of tasks, Saturday was used by the Svalbard REU students to prepare their proposals for their field projects. In the evening we heard half of the proposals, and the rest were saved to this evening. You will hear about these projects as the expedition continues. I can tell you that I was impressed, and if they were my students I would be very proud of their ability to think like scientists and to take on physically ambitious projects. Stay tuned!
Important to field research is an...
Yesterday you were introduced to the climate of Svalbard, and today the lesson will switch to the geologic history of Svalbard. Before we begin, I suggest brushing up on the topic of deep time because we will be talking about durations of time quite a bit longer than an imaginable life time. Go to the University of California Paleontology Museum tutorial at: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/gtpage1.html or the tutorial on the Athro website at http://www.athro.com/geo/hgfr1.html for quick lessons in geologic time.
We'll start with a geographic orientation. The Svalbard archipelago is part of a vast continental shelf on all sides except to the west where the continental shelf drops off to a trough between Svalbard and Greenland. The bodies of water...
It’s time for a physical geography lesson about Svalbard and our study area, and we’ll let the climate drive the lesson since it involves all aspects of the physical geography of Svalbard. You may want to have that map or globe ready!
First of all, we have to remember that most of us live in the middle latitudes with the “westerlies,” and the Arctic is far north of there! Let’s start off by talking about the temperature ranges here is Svalbard which range from cool to cooler to cold and colder! Actually the winter temperatures range from an average of -26°C to -3°C (hmmm, what’s that in the Fahrenheit scale?!) and the summer temperatures range from an average of 4°C to 7°C. The average daily temperature during our stay here in Svalbard is 6°C. Keep in mind that the sun remains...
Our lectures today had us chomping at the bit to get out of town since we saw pictures of the study location, the field equipment and the data from previous years. Al provided us with a terrific talk on the types of data we can gather, and in a discussion on the lake sediments posed a number of challenging questions about our study location.
The lake sediments settle in layers called varves, where each double layer is considered one year. Theoretically there should be a light colored layer of coarse material from the spring when the glacier produces a lot of meltwater, and a dark layer from the rest of the year created by clay particles that have either settled on the frozen lake and sank when the ice melted or have been transported by wind or the meltwater. In reality layers are...
Our first day in the field began with a wonderful smorgasbord for breakfast at 8AM which consisted of homemade bread, numerous toppings, cereals, juices, fruits and vegetables. This is similar to what we eat in the United States, although a few of the items we consider lunch items as opposed to breakfast. It's been great trying new foods and routines (this 24 hr day thing is still in mind boggling!) although the latter is more of a challenge than the former!
By 9:15AM we were gathered at the storage garage to pick up our field equipment, and Al mentioned that the goal for the day would be to set up the boats and download some data. Everyone took a few items since our legs are the only mode of transportation to the study site. Al shared the routine for the day and we set out on our...
Go to the UNIS website (http://www.unis.no) to read the story about the REU students.
The article will always be available as a PDF file on the PolarTREC website at http://www.polartrec.com/resources/article/4839
What a gorgeous day in Longyearbyen! The skies were clear and the air temperature was in the mid 40's - not too bad for the high Arctic!
Today we heard a couple more pre-field lectures where Al Werner spoke about the geologic evolution of Svalbard, and Mike Retelle spoke about glaciations and isostasy. The lectures were teasers because all we wanted to do afterwards was head into the field and figured out the unanswered questions. That will come since we are leaving tomorrow for Kapp Linne!
The rest of the day was used by the students to work on the background...
While in Longyearbyen, the journal entries have all focused on orientating the readers to the expedition, and this one will do more of the same since it will talk about safety in the field.
Today we attended our mandatory safety training provided by the Logistics Department at UNIS, and it started with a lecture covering all aspects of safety while pursuing Arctic research. Here are the highlights given you a sense of how to prepare for the Arctic summer.
• Weather: 2-12° Celsius in the summer; Arctic fog is prevalent in the summer; the prevailing winds are from the west; the weather changes rapidly; and wind chill is a year-round factor• Clothing: the same as the Scandinavian autumn; windproof is more important than waterproof; carry spare clothing and plastic bags. The plastic bags...
Today was a preview day for the expedition. We heard a few excellent lectures that oriented us to UNIS (Dr. Hanne Christiansen), the weather of Svalbard (Dr. Ole Humlum), and paleoclimatology (Dr. Al Werner) before we went on a hike up the local glacier, Longyearbreen. (breen = glacier). You never saw a happier bunch of people than our group walking through snow and ice on the glacier!
I want to use this journal entry to introduce you to the Principle Investigators (PI's) of this expedition and also fill you in the program the undergraduate students are involved in here on Svalbard. A quick clarification point for those out there who may think this is a different program. The PolarTREC name for this expedition is High Arctic Change 08, but the students here are part of a...
The team (minus Principal Investigator Dr. Mike Retelle) was assembled by Wednesday evening to spend some time getting to know each other at a barbeque. Here we met a couple prominent paleoclimatologists (Dr. Ray Bradley and Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette) and listened intently as they told stories about their experiences in the Arctic. You could see the smiles of anticipation surface on everyone's face as we thought about our upcoming expedition.
Referring back to the previous journal entry, preparing for a trip such as this is a challenge. Thursday was spent at Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley MA gathering equipment. Keep in mind that the 7 students on this trip (more on them later!) are working on different Arctic field projects and the PI's have ongoing projects. This was the last...
After our long journey getting here, we used today to get adjusted to our surroundings, including trying to sleep when the sun is out! Our bodies want to keep going although the clock on the wall says to sleep. With the aid of good curtains and eye masks, we finally got a good night sleep. There was nothing scheduled for the day other than to tour around and make any necessary purchases for the field. We knew when we left Oslo, we were replacing all the trees and green grass for the barren and snow covered hilltops of the fjords of Svalbard. At the moment the landscape appears so surreal, but in time it will be as real as the trees and grass from our hometowns.
Longyearbyen has a population of approximate 2000 people and was founded in 1906 by the founder of a coal mining...
This journal entry was constructed on the first leg of my journey to the Arctic although the intent was to fill you in on the days leading up to the start of the journey. The past few days were absolutely packed with to-do list items keeping in mind that the list constantly morphed as items were completed and new items were added.
The Principle Investigators of this expedition (Al Werner, Mike Retelle, Steve Roof) created a very informative website for this trip that included pictures, reading list, packing list, and links for additional information. The packing list was terrific as it creatively described the importance of each of the items on the list. (Check this website for our packing list and trip itinerary http://www.mtholyoke.edu/proj/svalbard/participant.shtml). I was...
It's about one week before we embark on our journey north and the challenge of preparing to leave for almost six weeks has become a reality. What to pack, how to pack, visits with family and friends, putting personal tasks in order, testing equipment, communicating, etc.... are all on the prep list. The biggest challenge in preparing has been how to prepare for the unknown field conditions, especially when it's in the 90's here in NJ and it will be in the 30's and 40's in Svalbard! Fortunately I've had numerous hints on how to pack from the PI's, previous participants, and personal experience in the various field conditions, but it remains to be seen whether it will all fit into one piece of luggage. I'll let you know!
Preparing for this experience not only means preparing for field...
We will all be using a variety of technology tools while in the field. For instance I will be using a laptop, audio recorder, digital camera, and satellite phone. Each of these has their own software, and then the PolarTREC program has their own protocols for transmitting our communications. We've had a lot of opportunity to practice and have asked numerous questions to ensure we can stay in touch with you when we are in our remote locations. While in Svalbard this summer, I will be using a satellite phone if or when the ethernet connection fails. The technology of the satellite phone is fascinating, but there is a downside to using it; my transmissions will be a bit slower.
Halfway through the training we spent the afternoon visiting a couple of nifty places around Fairbanks. At the University of Alaska Fairbanks Reindeer Research Program we learned all about reindeer as a domesticated animal that can be raised as a source of nutrient rich meat. Greg Finstad has been working at this research farm for over 25 years and explained the breeding program to us. After that we had a chance to visit with the reindeer and feed them lichens. Lichens are a terrific source of energy that the stomach of reindeer can easily digest. We all fell in love with these gentle animals. Visit this website to learn more about the Reindeer Research Program http://reindeer.salrm.uaf.edu/
Our second stop was at the US Army Corps of Engineers Permafrost Tunnel Research...
What a whirlwind of a month it's been - from being told that I've selected to interview for a PolarTREC expedition, to being accepted for an expedition, to taking part in the participant Webinar, to being in Fairbanks for training! I'm in Fairbanks with the other teachers learning how to use all the technology we'll be using while in the field.
Next stop Svalbard, Norway to study Holocene climate change. Halfway between Norway and the North Pole, the glaciers of Svalbard are a key to understanding the rates of climate change. We will be monitoring the outflow of these glaciers and investigating the traces of these glaciers left behind in the lake sediments in hopes to recreate past climates as a way to understand the future of global climate change. Stop back in July and follow us to...