I have travelled to Alaska, and Barrow, several dozen times
in the last three years. The trip is always exciting as I enjoy the
anticipation of field research. The 4,600 mile flight, however, never gets any
shorter or quicker. It still takes 16 to 18 hours; sometimes longer. My flight
left Knoxville at 7:05am and, after a short layover, departed Chicago several
hours ago, bound for Anchorage, and then to Barrow with stops in Fairbanks and
Prudhoe Bay. Thanks to what I understand are 16 hour days right now and quickly
getting longer, I will arrive 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle with plenty
of sun still above the horizon.
While people like to talk about the science we are doing as
part of the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE Arctic) project, they
are also quick to ask me about what clothing I take at this time of year to
stay warm. Fortunately, experience and sage advice from others including our
Chief Scientist Larry Hinzman (UAF) has given all of our team a good idea of
what is required when working outside all day in sub-freezing weather. My
Arctic insulated parka, insulated bibs, and tundra boots are all kept in our
team “dry” storage area in Barrow. Most people on the project do that as well.
It’s great not to pack those bulky items every time we travel. All other
clothing including base layers, fleece, insulated vests, anoraks, wind pants,
gloves, headwear, and goggles all fit into a couple of weatherproof duffle
bags. The goggles and headwear come in especially handy because of the strong
winds the blow across the open tundra and when riding snow machines to and from
the field site which is located just a few miles to the southeast of Barrow. If
people on the team forget an item or two there is a slim chance that it can be
purchased in Barrow. Best advice is not to forget anything…
My flight does not arrive into Anchorage for another four
hours; then northward to Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, and finally Barrow. I have
plenty of time to prepare for Wednesday’s advisory board meeting for the Barrow
Environmental Observatory (BEO). I’ll write more about that and my arrival into
Barrow tomorrow. For now, I have plenty of time to read through Taniya’s draft
Global Change Biology manuscript entitled “Stoichiometry and temperature
sensitivity of methanogenesis and soil respiration from saturated polygonal
tundra in Barrow, Alaska”. In this manuscript, Taniya and her co-authors report
on the mechanisms, as determined by incubation studies across a range of
temperatures that underlie CO2 and CH4 release from
active layer soils and permafrost. Taniya, David, Beth, Baohua, and others draw
some interesting conclusions about soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition,
microbial metabolism, and iron reduction. It is great to see tangible progress
being made in so many areas of the project!
