Our group accomplished a lot on our trip and each day we
were able to check off one or more items on the list that David put together
before we left Tennessee. In summary, we...
1. Safely drilled
more than 35 permafrost cores from the Barrow Environmental Observatory; these
cores will keep Taniya, Beth, and others working on the project busy for months
to come,
2. Built several
sections of wooden boardwalk to protect sensitive tundra from foot traffic; we
will position these at strategic locations during a trip to Barrow after snow
melt,
3. Saw a polar
bear; it was several hundred yards out on the sea ice and we were able to view
it from a safe distance courtesy of the North Slope Borough Wildlife Office and
Barrow Police, and
4. Gave a
community lecture on the topic of how field and laboratory experiments and
observations can help improve climate models.
I was also able to sit down with Eric from UMIAQ and
layout logistical needs of others on our NGEE Arctic team who will be traveling
to Barrow beginning April 26. A group of 10 scientists from LBNL, LANL, and UAF
will spend two weeks conducting a broad geophysical survey of the subsurface
environment at our field sites. They will undertake a series of measurements to
better understand local hydrology and lay the groundwork for additional
hydrological monitoring that will occur during snow melt.
For now, our team is heading home knowing that we
accomplished our goals and that we will soon return to continue our studies in
support of improved climate prediction.
