21 March 2022 Curiosity and Wonder List

Making a List of Questions and Curiosities

I'm getting rather excited to fly north to Utqiagvik on Sunday afternoon this week. I am in the middle of double checking my list of gear (lots of layers), snacks (filling and that don't freeze), electronic equipment (cameras, laptop, etc), a few science observation tools, postcard stamps, my journal, and much more.

And, my list of questions and curiosities is growing long. I want to share a few of them here, and also encourage you to share any of your questions and curiosities in the comments box below, and then hopefully over the course of next few weeks I'll be able to answer many of our collective questions.

My List of Curiosities So Far

• What does the Arctic Ocean smell like? Similar to being at the coast of other oceans or seas?

• How big is the tidal range at the Arctic Ocean? How does the sea ice interact with the ebb and flow of the tide?

• What does freezing fog actually feel like on my face?

• Will it be a dry cold or a wet cold in Utqiagvik? Will it be different when miles north of land on the sea ice?

• What does the Utqiagvik community do with their trash? Is there a landfill in the permafrost? Do they have an incineration system? Do they put it on a barge and send it out somewhere else when the sea ice breaks off from land?

• Where does the drinking water come from? Wells, surface water?

• Is this a good time of year to witness the Aurora Borealis (northern lights)?

• Will the constellations be in different locations in the sky above the Arctic Circle? Will the north star be aligned differently than what I'm used to seeing in Colorado.

What are your questions? What are you curious to know about the Arctic, northern Alaska, the Arctic Ocean, and anything else? Please share them below.