Arctic Adventure

Who would be crazy enough to go digging around in the snow (literally) in the arctic in winter? The Traveler of course:

Following are email dispatches from The Traveler on his adventure in the low arctic region of Churchill Manitoba as he participates in an Earthwatch supported research project monitoring changing environmental and climate conditions in the northern latittudes. A full travelogue with photos follows upon his return to San Francisco.

Feb. 13 – Is it Cold Where You Are?

No – it really isn’t. Currently -31C at 6:49am. Ready to start our 1st real day of work. Our first briefing from Dr. Kershaw was last night, so we all have a general overview of what we’ll be doing.

Almost didn’t make it in last evening. By the time the Saab Turboprop had made the 1000 mile journey up from Winnepeg the weather had deteriorated markedly. It wasn’t that good when we left. The 1st officer came on about 20 minutes out and said they’d "give it a try". I didn’t see the runaway until we were just feet above it, but they tried and made it.

When I got of the plane it took my breath away. Not for the sheer beauty of it. Who could see any of that? I’m surprised the pilot saw the runway. No, by the sheer gale force of it (hats off to the pilots for setting down a plane in such crosswind) and the sideways snow.

I’ve got my layers, I’m well rested, I’m ready.

More later.

-tds

Feb. 14 Blizzard Conditions Continue

Unable to do any serious snow sampling yesterday due to the blizzard conditions. We nonetheless ventured forth in our gear to test its mettle. Or perhaps it was to test our mettle. All went well, though there will be some tweaking of gear. It does appear as if I have brought enough layers. We’ll work on face coverage. The face mask thingy part that covers the nose and mouth is a bit of a pain. It’s nice to not have your nose fall off in the snow, but it’s also nice to be able to breath as well. Perhaps some strategically placed scarves.

After our spacewalk we got a lecture from Dr. Kershaw on climate change. It isn’t pretty. Despite what James Inhofe says. (You know, the idiot senator from Kansas or some damn place (ed. note – Oklahoma. A very nice place in spite of its representation in congress) who puts together lists of "scientists" that claim AGW isn’t real and who claims it is the "greatest hoax perpetrated on mankind") Funny, I’m here talking to a scientist that has been studying this for the past 30 years and he seems to have the impression the Inhofe is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind – along with Michael Chriton ("State of Fear") the science fiction writer of whom Kershaw can only say "it is scandalous what he has done)

My rant for the morning.

Today we start with continuing blizzard conditions and a wind-chill at -48C. The plan is to work in the lab and classroom this morning and go out to attempt a sample at one site this afternoon. Perhaps the wind-chill will have risen a degree or two.

I must go now. I have KP duty today and it is time for breakfast.

Don’t tell Jayne, but there is hopefully a Valentine’s Day surprise headed her way. Maybe someone could ask her if she’d be my Valentine even though I’m up here in the blizzard arctic circle…

-tds

Feb. 16 – Mush

Today was a day off.

So what does one do on their day off in Churchill in February? Go dog sledding of course!
A team of beautiful and eager dogs took the EW group, two at a time plus the musher, for a short but very beautiful ride through the Churchill countryside. I’d attempt to include a picture, but the computers here at the research center (at least the ones we’re allowed to use), are painfully slow and I’d be here until next week.

Yesterday was the first day in the field. We hit two sites in an attempt to make up for lost time.
The morning site was an old recovered gravel pit (though it didn’t look as such covered in snow), and in the afternoon "FEN", a frozen marsh wetland. One snow pit was dug at the morning site, to get our "feet wet" as it were, and the standard two pits at FEN.

It’s damn cold, of course, and it’s an exercise in regulating warmth whilst performing measurements and recording the data on a clipboard in -39C temperature. My headgear has now been completely replaced. Who knew? It was a much appreciated gift, but one simply doesn’t know what one is in for until one is in it. If you know what I mean.

I am protecting my eyes from the intense glare and UV with the goggles and sunglasses.

Actually the toughest aspect thus far is the quamitik or, as I now lovingly refer to it, the "dread sled".

Tomorrow we will be out all day, with lunch in the field. It’ll be a long day, with the longest dread sled ride, so I will be glad to have that bit behind me.

After the field work there are briefings and testing of snow core samples for pH and conductivity, so our free time from here on out will be limited.

All in all, it’s tough work and I’ll be glad when I am quietly sitting in my train cabin heading back to Winnipeg, then onto my parents in Denver, and then home to my sweet Jayne, but it is nonetheless going well. (the dread sled is a bit of a pain in the ass and this is is no rude colloquialism). It is a challenge, but I am glad to be doing this.

So let this be fair warning: The next time anyone wishes to debate me on climate change, they will be unleashing each and every bump I have felt and will feel on the dread sled! I’ve paid my dues. GRRRRRR…

Keep the faith.

-tds

Feb. 18 – Just Another Day at the Office

I have a few minutes before breakfast for an update.

Yesterday was a long ride in the dread sled to sample at the white spruce forest in the morning and then to the "burn" forest in the afternoon (forest fire in ’97). Two snow pits each. Snow depth average for our pits (we’re working in pairs or trios – my workmate is a Brit named Janet) was between 40 and 50 centimeters. Snow depth on the trail to some of the sights was up to my waist. Out in the field all day with a lunch break at a small cabin that someone was kind enough to let us use. Out at 9am in by 4:30. Data entry after dinner. Briefing at 7, processing samples until 10.

Today we are going out to the same neighborhood to sample at a "planted" burn forest (has been replanted since burn) and I can’t remember the second sight. We’ll be out in the field all day again today, with lunch in the field. I don’t think we get a cabin today.

We must keep up the pace due to the time lost in the beginning due to weather. I think the sights after today are close enough to the center that we can come home for lunch.

Time to eat. More later.

-tds

Feb.19 – Why Do They Call it Frost Bite?

Because it bites. In more ways than one. Wind chills yesterday down to -50C. It’s supposed to be getting warmer for the next few days. Thursday prediction of a balmy -11C.

Only a short Dread Sled ride today, but I may be confined to the lab processing samples to allow the frostbitten fingers to recover. I am typing this now with the famous two-finger method.

Not to worry, however, nothing turned black (only white "stage 1" frostbite), everybody that works here has regaled me with their frostbite stories and they seem to have recovered full use of their frozen parts.

It still bites though.

On  more positive note, we saw a full herd of Caribou on the ride out yesterday. It’s a beautuful country. Damn cold.

-tds

Feb 21 – Get Back Up on the Polar Bear and Ride

A paraphrase of a familiar expression, though taken literally would surely end in tragedy. And your head would be torn off before you’d be close to riding it. Though, the leaner among us would be more of a ptewy to a polar bear, preferring a plump specimen as fat is what they mostly consume in order to survive a cold (and I do mean cold) winter without anything to eat. They go for as much as eight months without a significant meal. So think about that as you’re trying to ride one…

And good morning to you too!

I am now typing with the eight and-a-half finger method, so the frost-bitten fingers are recovering, though I may have to delay plans for the concert pianist career a few months. I was not the only one that stayed in on Tuesday to recover from freezer burn. Nino from Japan has a nasty blister on a finger, and Will from the UK reported frozen thighs. I’m sure there’s a tawdry joke in there somewhere, but I shall leave it to you to sort that out.

I went out yesterday and sampled on a polygonal peat plateau in the morning and in the tundra in the afternoon. I devised a method of stuffing two hand warmers per mitten to keep the hands and fingers toasty warm (more or less). Actually, my butt was getting the most chill as one is required to sit or lie in the snow when the core and layer you are sampling is only a few centimeters thick, or you’re determining the type of snow crystals that make up the various layers.

Snow pits have ranged from a few centimeters to over my head.

In any case, we have one more pit this morning and the rest is lab work. I’ll be staying here after the rest of the team leaves (along with young Chris from the UK) to help continue the sample processing. The train for Winnipeg doesn’t leave until Saturday evening and I might as well make good use of the time.

We have now sampled and cored in ecosystems ranging from sub-arctic boreal forest to arctic tundra. I’ll explain what exactly it is we do later, or you can check out a recent post at www.globalwarmingisreal.com/blog where I go into some detail.

Time for breakfast and one last Dread Sled ride. I’m sore all over, frost-bitten, and a bit worse for wear, but I’m doing okay and glad to be doing it. And it’s getting warming! Only -21C at the moment!

-tds