Randy and Chris's blog

The research challenge

Randy and Chris — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:49:55 -0600

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"

Randy and Chris — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:45:53 -0600

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.

Breaking the fourth wall

Randy and Chris — Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 -0600

May 10, 2008

Photojournalist Christian Morel making me look scientific: Photo by Chris FullerOne of the things that didn’t occur to was that the interest of Canadians about the Arctic required science journalists, documentarians, and photographers to pass along what we are doing up here. A bit naïve on my part…I mean, where did I think all of the pictures and T.V. series about the Arctic came from? Being up here and giving interviews, being filmed, and having your picture taken in the midst of doing science feels a bit strange. I walk around Calgary, going about my business, and nobody stops and asks me about my work.

Helicopter work

Randy and Chris — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:57:08 -0600

May 7, 2008

The last few days have been filled with science. We are collecting snow depth data in transects on fast ice (ice that remains connected to the land). That means helicopter work!

Polar bears, fog and high winds

Randy and Chris — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:05:35 -0600

May 2, 2008

After a run of a few days of gathering data the winds have proven too much. 30- knot winds make it difficult to gather the data accurately, without contamination from blowing snow and wind effects on the open face of our snow pit sampling sites. Coupled with this, several bears have been seen in the area around the ship. Polar bears love to hunt in the fog and wind as it provides cover, which also makes being on the ice more dangerous.

Cold, hard data collection

Randy and Chris — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:35:43 -0600

April 30, 2008

The last two days have been a combination of data gathering and meetings regarding ship and science protocol and procedure. The time on the ice is exhilarating; snow science requires a high number of independent samples because snow properties are so spatially and temporally variable.

Setting sail

Randy and Chris — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:29:13 -0600

April 26, 2008

After leaving Calgary at 12:00 PM on April 23rd, I have finally arrived safe and sound on the CCGS Amundsen at 8:00 PM on April 24th at the southern tip of Banks Island (~Latitude 123°W, Longitude 71°N; near Cape Lambton and Nelson Head). The scenery is more spectacular than I remember from my time in Franklin Bay, though I am now located just across the Amundsen Gulf from my previous field work in April-June of 2004.