Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 06/27/2008 - 12:55
Forums
Greenland Atmospheric Studies

Hi - Great pictures and scientific information on you June 26 blog.  I was just wondering about the background on the "Changing the Guard". Is it a hydrolic lift on a building that can be raised when the snow drifts?  How and when does it work?  Who decides when things like that are needed?  Do you think you could bring some of the backlit snow back to Billings to show the kids.  Did you find out about bringing back a "bunny suit"?  Very interesting science!  Viv (your mom)

Sat, 06/28/2008 - 09:49

Craig Beals

Hello Viv (your mom),
The building was designed to be lifted through a series of cranks, chains and pulleys.  However, according to the staff, it only worked one time, several years ago!  Now they have to dig down to the guy wires and to the lift points, torch the metal braces, lift it up, and weld in risers.
Luckily I will be up here for most of the lifting process.  A welding crew from Alaska came in on the last flight  and they are in the process of digging down to the bottom of the guy wires (15 feet down!).
Don't worry, I am taking pictures all along the way to document how they pull off the amazing feat of lifting a building up another 20 feet into the sky! 
Any guesses why they have to lift a building? 
 
Stay Warm!! 

Sat, 06/28/2008 - 15:02

Viv

My guess is that you have to stay above the snow drifting.  How did I do?

Mon, 06/30/2008 - 05:43

Craig Beals

YOU ARE CORRECT!
 
Drifting snow is a huge problem at Summit. 
Each year the average accumulation of snow is 67cm (26 inches), so eventually the snow would pile up and the buildings would be covered...
...But...in the wind (which we have plenty of) blowing snow is slowed down by the buildings and falls to the ground and builds up even quicker.  The CAT bulldozer operator spends the majority of his time moving snow drifts so that the buildings don't become completely engulfed by the snow!
 
 

Mon, 06/30/2008 - 11:32

Viv

What has the drifting snow done to your tent?  Have you had to move it to keep from getting drifted over?  How much snow has fallen and/or drifted since your arrival?

Tue, 07/01/2008 - 04:50

Craig Beals

 
What has the drifting snow done to my tent?
I am now sleeping below the top of the snow pack.  The drifts have surrounded my tent, so I have to step down about 2 feet to get to my door flap.  When I lay in "bed" (the plywood floor of my tent) I can see the snow edge against the tent about 2 feet above the floor.  My pillow sits against one wall and often has ice on it because is is touching the frozen outside snowpack!
I haven't had to move the tent but I have dug it out 3 time so I can reach the door flap.  The "Tucker" Snow groomer makes a pass through tent city once a week to knock down the dirfts and to help make the tents accessible.  
The tricky part comes when it snows and blows while I am asleep.  Sometimes I have to kick the drift away from the door flap from the inside.  One person who's tent was especially drifted in after a storm had to kick at the door flap from the inside for 15 minutes before she could get it open!  She now sleeps with a knife...just in case she has to cut her way out!
Accumulation?
I am not sure how much snow we have accumulated.  In fact, (accurate) snow accumulation is one one of the harder things to keep track of up here for the staff/scientists.  The wind blows snow and drifts build up.  The wind shifts and the drifts move on and then it snows and the....you get the picture.  There is a place called the "Bamboo Forest" where there are rows and rows of bamboo stuck in the snow.  Once every two weeks the science techs ski out to the "Forest" (.5 miles away) to check snow depth and accumulation.  I will check with them to try to get an answer to your question. 
On my way out to a snow pit east of Camp, I stopped by the Bamboo forest as Kathy and Steve were checking snow accumulation.  The process of pulling up the bamboo poles and measuring their depth is repeated every other week and recorded as long term science data. 
 

 
 
Stay Warm!!