Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 08/13/2012 - 08:20
Forums
High Arctic Change 2012

I am in 7th grade at St. Mark's Catholic School in Florida. I wanted to know what you think when the weather conditions make it hard to leave to your next location?

Thu, 08/16/2012 - 05:45

Dan Frost

Hello and thanks for the question!Weather conditions in the arctic can be frustrating. You are constantly at the mercy of the weather and some situations are tougher than others. On a day to day basis you generally go with the flow and dress accordingly but when it is time to move camp weather logistics become more important. I've been stranded in the Canadian arctic before due to bad flying conditions but in Svalbard it all comes down to the seas. When we were about to leave Kapp Linne this last week, I was looking forward to getting a chance to be back in Longyearbyen as I like those kind of transitions anyway. I was however very concerned because the forecast called for big winds over the weekend and if we were pushed back that might have meant changing or plane tickets home which would not have been fun at all. The weather held out though and the relatively sheltered fjord we needed to travel was just fine. So, I think the weather conditions when moving to a next location can be a cause for concern but one that you constantly have to remind yourself to not get too uptight about because you know you'll eventually get where you're going.
Thanks for the question,
Dan