It has been almost 5 months since we were
last at our NGEE Arctic field site in Barrow. During that time air temperatures
dipped to -35F in late December, but otherwise have been mild for locations
throughout the North Slope of Alaska. NOAA reports that January was
unseasonably warm across much of Alaska.
Although warmer than average, we still
expect cold temperatures and snow as we conduct field work during the April 16
to May 4, 2014 period. I will arrive in Barrow ahead of others for a two-day
meeting of the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) Science Advisory Board.
The BEO is approximately 7,500 acres of pristine tundra that the Native Village
Corporation set aside for national and international Arctic research. It is a
tremendous resource and one used by many research projects, including NGEE
Arctic. Once the BEO Science Advisory Board meeting concludes, then I will be
joined by other scientists from Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratories, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. As we have done
before, this group will undertake almost two weeks of field research that will
include geophysical characterization of land across the BEO, sampling of deep
permafrost using a hydraulic drill rig, and then preparations by our team of
hydrologists for the upcoming spring snowmelt.
If you are new to the NGEE Arctic blog – welcome!
You might be interested to know that Barrow, 330 miles north of the Arctic
Circle, holds the distinction of being the northernmost city in the United
States. It is also listed among the top 10 northernmost settlements in the
world. Barrow has been home to Native Inupiat people for over 1,000 years and was
named after Sir John Barrow, an English statesman and writer. Barrow is ca. 1,300
miles south of the North Pole.
In addition to our two weeks of field
research, we will also be hosting (hopefully) a live Google Hangout broadcast
from Barrow on April 24, 2014. Join us for that if you can. I will be sure to
post details as that date gets closer and as details are finalized. We expect
to broadcast live from the field as researchers conduct geophysical surveys
using snow machines and collect cores of frozen soil or permafrost using a
sled-mounted drill rig. We will be joined by scientists from two research labs
in California. Plans also include talking about research in the Arctic, live with
students from two high schools, one in Berkeley, CA and another in Anchorage,
AK.
Stay tuned as it looks to be a busy trip as
the NGEE Arctic project begins our third year of research on the North Slope of
Alaska.
