Field Notes
Field Notes blogs are dispatches from U of C researchers conducting field work around the world. They provide a personal, "behind-the-scenes" look at the fascinating, fun and sometimes frustrating aspects of doing research.
Arrival in Peshawar
July 7, 2008
I arrived in Peshawar the capital city of the Frontier Province of Pakistan a few days ago. The city is a wonderful mixture of faces representing Afghans, Pushtoons (the word Pathan was used by the British) and central Asians and others from different places that connect with the ancient silk road that passes through this part of the world.
End of semester in Bolivia
June 12, 2008
Though it’s hard to believe, our first semester is quickly coming to a close. In fact, I’ve finished lecturing my first course in Bolivia: physical hydrogeology! As I write this, our 12 students are busy taking their second module on GIS (Geographical Information Systems) applied to water resources. They’ve also been studying introductory geology, applied hydrology, and research methods. Next semester, we’ll take them out of the classroom and do our first field school at the site I visited in Oruro a few months ago.
Painting the town white
May 28, 2008
Last week my sister, Kate, said farewell to Sucre after a long and great visit! She was in the city for about a month learning Spanish before setting off on a grand backpacking adventure (to Potosí, the Salar de Uyuni, La Paz, Rurrenabaque, Copacabana, Puno, Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lima – to name a few places!) with her boyfriend, Kevin. Kate’s currently in Cochabamba volunteering with an NGO called “Water for the People” (see www.waterforpeople.org/canada) for a few weeks before she returns to Canada.
The research challenge
May 27, 2008
Understanding the rate at which the sun’s energy is transferred from the atmosphere – through the sea ice – to the ocean in a particular summer is important to understanding the reduction of sea ice during summer we’ve seen over the last 30 years (see figure from last blog entry) and for making projections of the fate of the sea ice and its effect on global climate into the future using models. It will also help us understand why, in the summer of 2007, we witnessed the lowest extent of sea ice observed during its summer minimum since we’ve been able to measure it with satellites.
Randy arrives for "summer"
May 28, 2008
On May 15 I joined up with Chris on the Amundsen as part of a small crew change over. I and about 10 other newcomers were flown from Inuvik, in a fairly small plane, to a makeshift landing strip on the ice near the location of the Amundsen in Franklin Bay, NWT. Franklin Bay is located roughly 300km directly east of Inuvik, at the southeastern extreme of the mighty Beaufort Sea.
