The expedition members will visit several research sites in Greenland as part of an initiative to foster enhanced international scientific cooperation between the countries.
A very full and busy week in addition to internet challenges made for the lack of continued journal entries. Look for posts by the end of the week to fill in the activities from the day our Education team made it to Kangerlussuaq from the Summit Station. We enjoyed our last day together with a hike to the edge of the ice, a picnic and a very meaningful debrief session to plan for next year!
I'm in Kangerlussuaq very briefly, awaiting my flight back to the U.S. via Copenhagen. More stories to follow... with details about meetings, adventures, visits and establishing educational contacts in Nuuk, Aasiaat and Ilulissat!
Yes, we made it! More journal entries to follow...Russell Glacier, Nuuk, Aasiaat and Ilulisaat!
Our 4am alarm was fifteen minutes too early...Trine and I packed our gear, rolled up our sleep kit and had everything nearly ready to go when we got word that the plane was delayed due to weather and visibility. We had to decide whether to pull out the gear and go back to sleep or go ahead and walk to the Big House. The idea of hot tea and a potential flight was too tempting!
So despite a hopeful wind we still sit here at 9am Greenland time waiting for word of a plane. From the information we receive after each half hour weather report the flight crew still has possibilities for flying until around noon. After that they have to change crews and we're probably on a different schedule. Still, we wait and feel hopeful with games of Trivial Pursuits, catching up on email and journals, visiting with each other and enjoying cups of strong coffee and breakfast choices.
Joe Spollen had his own perspective of the day... read on to hear about it!
Today began at 4:00 a.m. to an ominously foggy view of the camp causing the postponement of the 7:00 a.m. flight back to Kanger. Some chose to go back to the tents for some additional sleep. Others felt that retrieving and setting up their packed sleep kits was too much of a hassle. These folks headed for the Big House and kept busy playing board games...for 7 hours. Others kept busy reading, eating or working/playing on their laptops. I have to rely on second hand information here as I chose to go back to sleep. I got the most sleep I've head since arriving in Greenland!
This brings up a question; is fog at 10,000 ft. altitude really fog or is it a cloud?
Waiting for the fog to lift the clock eventually reached lunch o'clock. We ate while keeping an eye on the weather conditions outside.
After seven plus hours of board games some people started getting restless. A game of arctic ultimate Frisbee started up between the Danes and the Americans. The Americans thought they had the advantage. We were wrong. Final score: Denmark 3, Americans 2. Peter and Dan tried their hands at arctic golf. As a viewer I can tell you it looked pretty ugly. But, now they can add another item to their list of lifetime achievements.
A rumor of a predicted clearing spread through camp. We got word that the Air National Guard was sending a plane. Later in the day we heard the sound of a plane overhead. It continued for a while but couldn't land. The official announcement came during dinner; no flight today. A general sense of disappointment was felt but I think we came to realize that Summit Camp is not the worst place to have a layover. We ate some more, continued some mixed pairs (American and Dane) board games and settled in for a mellow evening in the Big House.
Our immediate future will be determined by a quick view out the window tomorrow morning. Let's hope for the best.
We started our day with a check in about group education projects at an 8:30am meeting. The students are gathering information from scientists and staff here at Summit Station and feeling very positive about their work. I am excited for these teams - to have resources, scientists and examples right in their environment makes for a great experience. After breakfast the teams spent most of the morning gathered together working. It was a productive time and I'm really pleased with everyone's enthusiasm for a presentation. In addition to presenting to each other in Kangerlussuaq we're also hoping that the projects can be posted on the web so that others can learn from their experience.
I used this time for finishing the writing of yesterday's journal. I was up late last night hoping to have a fast internet connection from the Summit Station for posting photos. Maybe back in Kangerlussuaq. It was good to connect with scientists in the Big House to clarify information, set up interviews and write down contact information for later.
An additional journal posting will include quotes from teachers and students on the Education in Science trip specifically about their highlights here at Summit Station.
We had fun creating a photo of the whole group - all 14 of us on the stairs and under the U.S., Danish and Greenland flag on the east side of the Summit Station building.
After lunch we got organized in two teams to go out to the snow pit and snow sampling area. Student drivers took us safely to the site via snow machine. Seven of us crawled down into the snow pit and Steve gave us background information as we looked at and tested out each of the many layers that represented approximately two years time. First the students learned how to use the Kelly cutter and put their snow sample into a plastic bottle. Teachers completed the task and we will all weigh these later to compare the density of the snow in the layers we sampled. Photos of the backlit snow pit show the gorgeous blue glow of the wall.
Our other snow sampling activity collected surface snow for the lab in Reno, Nevada that will be sent along with other samples that are collected two times a week here. These snow samples are tested for ions and dust and give a record over time.
After our trip back to the Big House we joined Steve and Lana to weigh and record the mass of the snow collected. Our bottles represented 16 samples from the different layers and gave us evidence of snow with 29% water to the maximum of 40%.
Another great dinner and we then had a Summit meeting with the whole crew in the Big House. Renee Crain gave an overview of the vision for Summit Station, information about the Joint Committee, inspirations for the Education group and the commitment from NSF to continue science support on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Everyone had an opportunity to ask questions of Renee or make a comment about Summit. Students spoke honestly of their experiences this week - starting with "terrifying" feelings at the beginning as they landed on the snowy runway and summing up their thanks for having lots of support for learning the science at Summit, experiencing the commitment of the entire staff and enjoying great meals.
Kathy gave us the information about our plane for in the morning. We have to be packed up and ready to go at 4:30am. We'll have our sleeping kit and personal gear on the pallet by tent city and come into the Big House for some breakfast. The 109th in the LC- 130 are aiming to be here at 5:30 am but they have fuel to off load before they are ready for us. We hope to be on the plane and on our way by 7am.
Students, teachers and scientists learning together in the snow on top of the Greenland Ice Sheet...
We started our day with a general overview of the science done at Summit Station by Sandy Starkweather, station manager. She gave us a thorough background of the importance of the research done at this high elevation research facility. Under the Joint Committee Agreement, the U.S., Danes and Greenlanders work together to promote science, education, tourism and stewardship of Greenland. The Summit Station is a unique facility given the high elevation, clean air and environment as a resource for the entire polar science community.
Researcher Brie Van Dam from the University of Colorado and Louisa Kramer, Michigan Tech then gave us information about their projects with the FLUX station here at Summit; Flux and Mid-Latitude Ozone Flux and Chemistry. Brie described flux as being the amount of something that moves through a given area during a given time, giving the example of heat flux.
In Brie's example she talked about the greenhouse gas, ozone. With the surface of the ground as a reference point, she considers the concentration of ozone above the surface (40-50ppm) and below the surface (10ppm). Her studies look at the amount of flux (amount of ozone) through the surface.
Louisa talked about the ozone and the atmosphere. When the ozone is in the troposphere it's a greenhouse gas. Her studies involve the sampling of nitric oxides and ozone to determine the formation of the gas. Brie and Louisa showed us photos of the instrumentation we would see later in the afternoon.
Our morning then turned to a hands-on inquiry of ice cores and students were able to take a close up look at some older discarded cores. Steve made orange juice and poured it over the ice cores and we listened for sounds of the bubbles- gases trapped in the ice being released. Students were able to gather around the table to look at the ice, feel it, take photos and taste it in their orange juice. We also investigated iced coffee and other liquids that were warmer and made it easier to hear the bubbles.
We were able to watch a movie on the GISP 2 project - Greenland Ice Sheet Project. The movie presented some information that has since been updated but gave us a background for the coring project that reached bedrock on July 1, 1993. Conversations and insights about the information from the ice cores led us into the lunch time break.
After lunch we split up into two groups with one group walking to the Flux Station for information from Brie and Louisa, and the other to the TAWO (temporary atmospheric watch observatory) building for information from Lana and Steve about the weather data. Both stations had interactive activities for the students to do to help build understanding of the science happening here on the ice sheet at Summit.
After a cookie break Dan towed us out with the snow machine via a sled to the Danish Meteorological Institute's site and we got to see them set up the last of their instruments on a tower. Peter towed us back for a mini-lesson from Steve on what's coming up for tomorrow - snow sampling, learning about snow density and a preview of the snow pit investigations we would be doing tomorrow.
The students got a huge treat after dinner - they were invited to join staff on an adventure with snow machines. They had the opportunity to ride out to the 3 mile marker used for visibility in reporting the weather. There are polar bear shaped markers that the crew at Summit designed for this area to the north. The students were super excited to have this time on machines and they came back into the Big House with huge grins and rosy cheeks!
The evening presentation was given by Joe, Peter and Dan about their home and school in Niskayuna, New York. We learned about the New York area as well as the areas in Arizona where they have been able to go on field trips in early spring.
Hennig Thing then gave a presentation on IPY as well as related stories from his experiences in polar research over the many years. Henning has been an important resource on our team this year, providing scientific information as well the historical significance of polar exploration.
Information and hands on investigations – outdoor classrooms!
We started our day of July 9th by getting up at breakfast at 12:30 am! Once we got our gear stashed, it was time to get on the bus to the airport at 1:30. Our LC-130 took off with everyone for Greenland near 2 am with great views out the side windows right away. The windows in the rear were even bigger and everyone had an opportunity to move to the back to take photos and look at the ice. A little over two hours later and we were landing on the ice sheet at the Summit of Greenland! Smoother than Alaska Airlines landing in Juneau!
Clothed in our cold weather gear; snowpants, boots, parka, gloves and hat and carrying our backpacks we moved slowly as we made our way to the Big House. Even with the excitement of arriving it was evident that the elevation, thin dry air and reflection from the snow were quite a dramatic change from being at sea level. The team moved slowly and eventually we met around the tables for a check in with the medic and some brief information about staying hydrated, keeping our bodies moving, breathing deeply and eating well especially during this first day of acclimation. Some of us ate some breakfast as we listened in on the orientation from Camp Manager, Kathy for our first day at Summit.
It was still very early in the morning and we finally were going to get to sleep for more than a couple hours. Sorting out the gear to the tents and getting settled in meant having time to sleep until noon. I'm sharing a tent with Trine, a student from Denmark. We are in an Arctic Oven tent and it definitely heated up by mid-day.
After a great lunch, the Summit Staff gave us a thorough tour of the entire Summit Camp. There are lots of projects going on and in addition to watching our steps for drifted snow, we were also on the look out for machines and areas where it's not safe for walking. Our team now has an idea of some ideas for projects, videos and investigations!
The great part of our schedule here this first day was incorporating rest with activity. It's important to take it easy and know that we have time to get acclimated. Great meals, good people, incredible support for understanding the goals and daily work of the Summit Station! We also had presentations and learned from Tom, teacher from Aasiaat and Lars, teacher from Copenhagen about their home places, landscapes and communities.
A full day in Kangerlussuaq started with a hearty breakfast at the cafeteria in the airport. Once we got back to the KISS building it was time to get our gear packed, thinking about what we needed of personal gear to take to the Summit. Loading up with personal items and curiosity for the day in front of us, we headed over to the warehouse to get fitted for cold weather gear. Robbie had already bagged everything up according to our predicted sizes but we needed to try it on, check zippers, and make sure we had everything.
Once we got back it was time for our whole group ED Team Meeting. I felt it was important to hear from everyone - so we all had a chance to talk about our goals for this trip, ideas we'd like to be able to do at Summit and then expectations for the outcomes. See attached goal document for each of our thoughts on this day! What an opportunity for all of us to come together for this exciting adventure as we learn about the science happening in Greenland and specifically at the Summit Station.
After lunch we were gathered and ready for the very informative Live Webinar created for the ED Science Team. It was a time for us to get important background information for our week ahead. This was also a time to ask questions of the very generous scientists who are doing research in Greenland and it initiated discussion and more questions for our continued quest for understanding after the Webinar. Huge thanks to the scientists who gave of their time and energy to inform us and others who joined in! If you missed it and want the information, this Greenland Science Webinar is now archived on the PolarTREC site.
Evening was time for more information. First came our safety meeting w/Sandy about being at the Summit Station. We received information about being at high altitude, keeping aware of boundaries and places we could go, tent life and other important aspects of living with a large group in a scientific station at 10,000 feet!
Our last interesting and informative presentation of the day was on Ice Cores, from Sune Rasmussen of NEEM. More to contemplate as we take off on our expedition to the Summit. The entire ED Team prepared for a very short night as we knew we had to be up at 12:30 for some quick breakfast before heading to the airplane by 1:30am!
What do you need for a three day trip to the Summit Station of Greenland?
