After over a year in the Arctic Ocean, the R/V Polarstern returned to the Port of Bremerhaven, Germany yesterday, October 12, 2020. (Well sort of yesterday, time zones are confusing!)
To celebrate…
Migratory birds fly over Homer, Alaska. Photo courtesy Nina Faust, Kachemak Crane Watch (2020)
Here in Homer, Alaska signs of fall are all around us. Leaves are changing color, fireweed and…
After leaving the 'ice fortress' on July 29 the Polarstern motored slowly through the surrounding ice. Over the next few days, researchers and expedition crew from the Polarstern recovered equipment…
An Update from MOSAiC
The icebreaker Polarstern, nearby ice camp, and an atmospheric research balloon viewed from a helicopter. In early July, the ice floe was already riddled with many melt ponds…
The sun was still high in the sky when this photo was taken, at 5 pm on the June Solstice.
As I write this, it is the June Solstice. The exact moment of solstice occurred a few hours ago, at 21:…
On Fragile, Speedy Ice
The expedition jacket I have from the MOSAiC Expedition reads “A Year In the Arctic Ice.” While this statement was never true for any individual expedition member, it did…
Well, life has changed and I’ve been neglectful of my promise to post journals a couple times per month throughout the MOSAiC Expedition. I’m sorry. But I’m trying to be gentle with myself. Life…
Right now, it is easy for many of us to lose track of time and seasonal milestones. Indeed, with all the focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, I nearly missed one of my favorite seasonal milestones. It…
There Are Fish!
On October 23, 2019 I posted a journal about the different strategies MOSAiC researchers were using to study fish in the Central Arctic Ocean. Studying these fish is challenging.…
Note: Thanks to Maggie Kane and the students in the Odyssey School of Denver Middle School for asking some great questions! Among the 11 questions they sent my way, 3 guided this journal post: Are…
Sea Ice In the Bay, Like Seeing an Old Friend
As air temperatures dropped during the first weeks of 2020, areas of sea ice have formed in Kachemak Bay.
Approximately two months after the Akademik…
Finding North
As I wondered what to write about this morning, my partner and I joked about a North Pole-themed journal. It is Christmastime for my family; in books, movies, and holiday décor we see…