Notes from the Arctic

Expedition to Tunabreen

2008-03-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

This morning the class met at UNIS at 9 am for an excursion to Tunabreen and Von Postbreen, two big glaciers that empty into Tempelfjorden, a fjord northeast of Longyearbyen. The weather in town was quite good, and it was the first time we were able to see direct sunshine at the logistics facility. We used the big Yeti scooters, and once again pulled sledges full of students and gear. Francesco, Alessio, and myself traveled together and the three of us shared driving duties. I drove first and took us up Adventdalen. Unfortunately, the weather changed early in the excursion, and we had near white-out conditions for the vast majority of the trip. It was very difficult at times to see the other scooters in front of us. We were traveling at about 40 km/hr, and I was usually 5-6 seconds behind the scooter in front of me. I had to speed up numerous times to be able to see the scooter I was following, otherwise I would lose sight of them completely. Meanwhile, I had to remember there were other scooters barreling up behind us...

Francesco took the reins in Sansdallen and drove us to Fredheim, a little hut on the edge of Tempelfjorden. We stopped there, had some lunch, and prepared to venture out across sea ice to the glaciers. This was the first time we were attempting to cross sea ice so it was quite a thrill. We prepared to depart Fredheim, pulled out our ice spikes, and hung them around our necks–standard protocol when crossing ice, in case we fall through and need to use them to claw out of the ice-cold water. The safety and logistics crew were confident from earlier observations that the ice would be thick enough, but we wanted to be prepared just in case. Just before we left, Monica, our leader on this trip said a chilling statement: "Make sure you keep enough distance between us in case I go under the ice so you don't fall in too..." !!

Alessio took over driving responsibilities in this portion of the trip, and Francesco and I sat in the sledge on an unforgettable ride across the sea ice to the glaciers. We were told to keep our speed high all the way to the glaciers in case of thin ice, so the ride was incredibly rough. Several times we'd fly out of our seats as we'd go over drifts and ice thrusts. Luckily, the weather cleared slightly, so the views improved as we approached our destination. I could see holes in the ice right next to us along the way, and I saw several seals out on the ice. In quite a few places, the tracks revealed that the scooters in front of us had zipped through areas of slush, which heightened tension during the journey. Water on top of the ice was not a welcome sight...

Finally, we could faintly see the terminus of the two huge glaciers coming into view through the blowing snow where they joined together in the fjord. It was a majestic sight, and the sheer size of them was totally captivating - the entire structure was probably 3 km wide. Tunabreen had a brilliant, deep blue color with streaks of debris, chaotic ridges and blocks, and a mantle of snow. It was clearly active, mangled with huge crevasses, and showed signs of recent calving (the process where ice breaks off and floats into the sea - icebergs!).

The other, Von Postbreen was very smooth, and appeared to be quiet, glaciologically speaking. This was an outstanding location to observe the differences in rivers of ice that were immediately adjacent to one another. We observed that Tunabreen had recently surged, and because Von Postbreen was in a quiescent period, were able to get up close and look closely at the ice.

While we were there, a group of dog sledges pulled up about 1 km away from us to observe the glacier as well. During moments of silence, we could clearly hear sounds of barking huskies, echoing off the face of the glacier. I took a full-zoom picture, look closely you should be able to seem them–and they were a long distance away from the glacier. It was a magical moment.

Modeling Ice

2008-03-04T23:45:00.000-08:00

For the last two days, we've spend most of our time learning how to model ice sheets using spreadsheets and Matlab software. In glacier modelling, we use physics, math, and observational data to characterize, understand, and explain glacial dynamics. With lots of help from Ian and Nick, our lecturers for this week, we ran some models of the ice caps on Greenland and Antarctica to generate simulations that help us to visualize ice sheet formation and ablation over long periods of time. The models allowed us to change a variety of variables such as the temperature, basal drag (resistive sliding forces), and others; the model output included sliding velocity, ablation rates, accumulation rates, ice thickness, and even isostatic effects (how the formation of ice sheets and their weight can cause bedrock to sink into the Earth's crust). By using these techniques, we can make predictions of what may happen to the cryosphere in the future.

Update

2008-03-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the delays in the posts - I've been very busy, so my time has been limited. I will upload more images and stories soon.

Tasjansen

2008-03-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

This morning, Anne and I decided to hike to an ice cave in nearby Larsbreen and try going inside, but found the entrance to be drifted over. We dug for a half hour through the hard wind-packed snow, but didn't have any luck. Afterward, Anne, Jakob, Max, and I walked to "Tasjansen," a home-made sledge race that takes place on Hiorthamnin (a slope across the fjord from Longyearbyen). Tasjansen is one of many events that takes place during Solfestuka, a week-long series of partying, music, and celebrations that welcome back the Sun. The event is a huge tradition here, and most of the town's people gather. During our walk, we luckily caught a ride aboard a bus on sledges that was towed by an enormous track -type vehicle. It was warm inside and someone was playing an accordion. If you look closely in the picture below, you can see a huge number of scooters and people on the mountain...

Students from our brakke made a sledge that looked like the Seed Vault, and I must say, performed quite well on its trip down the slope!

Frostbite and Icy Streets

2008-03-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

Today I rested - I needed a break and man did it feel good to sleep in and get a little work done in the afternoon. Its amazing how fast time flies here. Several others went out on very long ski trips and hikes; they came back with great stories...and some with frostbite on their fingers and noses.

During my walk into town today, I came across a couple of examples that show how traveling by car or scooter in Longyearbyen is not without risk...

This scooter slammed right into the Nybyen sign!

Leap Year in Svalbard

2008-02-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by - Today marks the end of week 2 of my stay in Svalbard. The days are getting much longer, 20 minutes each day. I gave a presentation to the class on ice distribution in the solar system, which included images from spacecraft that show ice-rich surface features of Mars, and the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Today was very clear, and the views were outstanding. A group is planning on climbing the mountain in this picture tomorrow.

Epic Journey Through Reindalen

2008-02-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

Days like today are those that I will always remember vividly, for the rest of my life. On today's excursion, the class departed UNIS around 10 am on what ended up to be a 125 km journey that lasted 9 hours. The weather was very good, but cold. I got to drive again, and was the only person besides Doug who drove all day and stayed outside the entire day. Most everyone else rotated from the sledges/scooters to the bandwagon or vice versa. Riding the scooters is warmer than being on the sledge because they have hand warmers and you are closer to the heat of the engine which may only be sensible with your feet, but that didn't stop some who were driving from getting cold. We traveled an average of 20 km per hour but sometimes much faster, for good reason. I welcomed the responsibility of pulling a sledge of 4 students and our gear - its awesome experience.

We stopped at the base of Drønbreen, a recently surging glacier to discuss and observe its terminus features. After some lunch and a lot of ooohs and aaahhhs about how striking the landscape was, we proceeded to drive up the glacier. The slope seemed steep and we moved from plateau to plateau on the glacier, traveling very very fast uphill over rough deep snow. I maneuvered the scooter swiftly, shifting my weight side to side when necessary and slamming on the gas at the right times...I recall it being so surreal it was like a video game, seeing 80 or 90 km/hour during some of the most exhilarating moments...bear in mind the speed is required to navigate over deep snow, for if we did not achieve a critical velocity, we'd get stuck...and two scooters did get stuck. After a lot of work they were free. Luckily I was able to read the terrain pretty well and avoided getting stuck twice by stopping, unloading the sledge and proceeding with a lighter load in sketchy terrain.

As we approached the Drønbreen-Tellbreen pass, it was clear that the scooters were not going to be able to make the drive loaded–there was just too much weight and too much deep snow. We decided to unload everything and ferry the students over the pass to the top in the bandwagon. After the students were all taken up to the top, the remaining scooters pulling the empty sledges made their attempt. One by one, we started up the glacier. At one point, I was by myself, and would be the last one to make the attempt up Drønbreen to the pass. I started slowly and gradually increased my velocity until that Yeti was wide open. Roaring up a river of ice, mountains moving quickly by, I raced toward what I hoped would be a sunlit pass with my sledge bouncing behind me. I didn't know what lay ahead of me but I stayed focused. The scooters were disappearing one by one over the glacier, its horizon curving away and out of site. Closer and closer, brighter and brighter. I started to squeal. My view in front of me widened and lengthen tremendously as I rapidly approached the top–I started laughing because I was about to pass into direct sunlight, my first since I arrived in Svalbard. I stopped at the top; all had finally arrived. There was a celebration, dancing, and exhaustive play in the snow. I dropped down and made a snow angle myself. Nothing but smiles all around.

We proceeded on the next leg and longest part of the journey over Tellbreen and stopped at its terminus for discussion and observation. We continued down Reindalen, a massive valley with mountains on either side. As the name implies, it was loaded with scores of reindeer, some perched on extremely windy knolls, while others were grazing and roaming about. The wind was quite strong, but we were moving with it for several couple hours, traveling around 20 km/hour. Very few people have been in this area, and only this time of year once can actually access it by scooter. Along the way, we stopped at a pingo. These strange, large upwellings of ice-rich rocks and permafrost have been forced upward by subsurface hydrostatic pressure. These are interesting features that are found throughout the Arctic and Antarctica. The remainder of the journey found us zipping down Reindalen into the sunset. The imagery I saw during this section of the journey left me speechless.

Crawling Inside a Glacier

2008-02-26T23:52:00.000-08:00

I had to share this - this experience was totally amazing...Take a listen to the sounds of what its like to crawl through an englacial water channel.

Glacier Dynamics

2008-02-26T23:26:00.000-08:00

This week, Doug Benn has been lecturing to us on glacier dynamics and glacier response to climage change. He's a great teacher and can communicate complex topics in ways that are easily understood by everyone without losing important details that are critical in glaciology. In addition, students have been giving talks on their projects, so we've had fun listening to them as well.

Earlier this evening when I was coming home from UNIS, there were some reindeer grazing on frozen moss and lichens on a small exposure of rocks outside my dorm door. Its hard to believe they can survive out here. The deer back home don't know how easy they have it :) . Its amazing how much light there is now during the day. Pretty soon there's going to be lots of sun!

I am extremely excited about tomorrow–we are going on an lengthy excursion to Drønbreen and Tellbreen to discuss and observe features of polythermal glaciers, or those glaciers with warm and cold ice. These glaciers are also known as surging glaciers. I heard we may take a route that has never been attempted with the bandwagon ...true Arctic exploration!!

White Out

2008-02-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight the wind is roaring - and it has an eerie deep muted tone that seems to echo throughout the valley. Snow is drifting in huge clouds, 50 to 100 feet in the air. I saw a snow twister that was picking up big hunks of drift-packed snow on my walk home tonight. I wouldn't want to be outside in a tent tonight...

Seed Vault Opens!

2008-02-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

Earlier this evening, my friends Joe, Jakob, Anne and I sat in a series of talks with the president of the EU, the Minister of Agriculture for Norway, and many other dignitaries, heads of states, and Nobel Prize winners for the opening ceremonies of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. As it turned out, we were probably the only students from UNIS that got to sit in on the talks in the main auditorium, so we felt very fortunate. The speakers emphasized the importance of farming and the farmers themselves and the effects that climate has on agriculture. I couldn't agree more - experiencing bumper crop harvests and the struggles of drought back home in North Dakota opened my eyes to these topics. To see it discussed in this format was satisfying on so many levels.

The vault has been constructed to provide a "safety net" against accidental loss of biodiversity currently found in traditional genebanks. 70 members of the press from from all over the planet covered the event. The triangular structure in the lower right corner is the seed vault.

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Hiking in the Arctic

2008-02-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

This morning 16 of us assembled in front of brakke 3 to prepare for a hike to the south of Longyearbyen over glaciers and up into the mountains above the valley. After some discussion about the route and some planning, we broke up into smaller groups and headed out. Was really a nice day - the snow was deep and there was a lot of ice on the rocks beneath the snow, so we had to go slow. The views were incredible, and overall the experience was outstanding.

In the image below, the dorm I stay in is about 1 km away.

At one point, I stumbled across what appeared to be the carcass of a reindeer that something had been recently dining on. I also found what looked like Arctic Fox tracks nearby...

After you get outside of town and away structures of known size, it becomes difficult to judge distance and scale. For example, look at the photo below - my two companions Arthur and Samuel are on the edge of a huge valley, but you'd never guess it was there unless the two skiers far in the distance (look closely!) were in the picture.

I had the task of carrying the Ruger...

End of Week One

2008-02-22T21:34:00.000-08:00

Today marked the end of my first week of study at UNIS. This week's focus was in glacier mass balance led by professor Regine Hock (far right in the picture below). In summary, we learned how to calculate the mass balance of a glacier from measurements of annual snow accumulation, annual ablation due to surface melt, bottom melting, and calving (the breaking off of huge icebergs into the ocean). When making these calculations, we needed to also consider the surface energy balance, which includes shortwave and longwave radiation, albedo, and heat flux.

It was quite interesting to learn how glaciers differ significantly when compared to one another. Snowfall, latitude, weather patterns, and many other factors shape the formation, ablation, and dynamics of glaciers, and ultimately their fate–all of which depend upon their relative position on the Earth and the climate regimes that operate in those areas. A big thanks for Regine, who gave many enthusiastic and interesting lectures! Thank you!

Update

2008-02-22T04:30:00.000-08:00

I've finally caught up a little with new posts and added more content. Check the previous posts section (right side of this page) for new material you might not have seen yet.

If you haven't checked it out yet, click on the UNIS webcam link (right side of page) to see what it looks like here in Longyearbyen right now!

Earthquake?!

2008-02-21T17:15:00.000-08:00

Around 9 or 10pm last night, I thought I had a tiny spell of dizzyness. It lasted for maybe a second. It kinda reminded me of the time I was washing dishes back home in California a couple years ago when I experienced the same sensation, but that time it was followed by a lot of rumbling and shaking. Hmmm. I paused to take more sensory data... Could that have been an...? Na. It couldn't have been. Must have been a plough or snomobile rumbling past the dorm.

Well, I think I might have been wrong. At about 4 am this morning, I was sharply awakened by a rhythmic side to side shaking. I was being rocked back and forth in my bed! The whole place was shaking - but it was so strange...there was periodicity in the movements of everything. At that point I knew immediately I was in the middle of an earthquake! A couple seconds later, it stopped, but not before it had "walked" my bed about 6-7 inches away from the wall! I recall 4 or 5 people waking up and walking about in the hall exclaiming their shock about what we had just experienced. You can see in the picture below that my bed isn't flush with the wall...I can assure you it was when I went to bed that night.

As it turned out, the earthquake we felt was the largest in Norwegian history, a magnitude 6.2, just southeast of Svalbard 10 km below the surface of the ocean. There was no visible damage anywhere in town, and I did not hear of anyone having trouble. Lucky for us in Nybyen that the huge overhangs of snow above us on the valley ridge didn't come tumbling down...

Huskyrumble

2008-02-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

Just before we were finished with field work of measuring the winter mass balance on Scott Turnerbreen, I captured some video of a group of tourists that were departing from the ice caves on their dog sledges that you might find quite interesting.

Excursion to Scott Turnerbreen

2008-02-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

The class gathered at UNIS at 9 am to begin suiting up for the scooter drive to Scott Turnerbreen, a glacier not far from town. During this outing, not everyone got to ride a scooter. The plan was to put half the students in the bandwagon (a big green tank-like vehicle with tracks that looks like its indestructible and could drive anywhere) and the other half in sledges that were pulled by big "yeti" scooters. I quickly volunteered to drive one of the scooters and found it to be quite a challenge once we got out into the field.

Although we proceeded slowly and cautiously, the scooter was really difficult to control in some cases. If you've ever pulled a heavy trailer behind a vehicle, you know what I mean. Reminds me pulling a stock trailer with a rambunctious bull that tosses his weight side to side...you can't predict the motions of your trailer, and sometimes it makes you think that you're going to flip over! I was the first of the three yetis on the trail, following behind the bandwagon driven by Kåre Johansen. The bandwagon's deep snow ruts I was driving over sometimes made for a bumpy ride. Deep snow impeeded the progress of the group, as several scooters got stuck in the snow. More than once the sledges had to be unloaded and students had to do a lot of digging and walk. The journey there proved to be good experience despite all the work it too to free stuck scooters. We got really warm digging them out.

It was difficult to see any disctinct signs of the glacier because everything was covered in snow, and low stratus clouds and a bit of snow made everything look white in all directions. The area we were in appeared to slope up the mountain and was fairly flat. We dug a snow pit and proceeded to gather data to characterize the snow that had accumulated on top of the glacier. We measured the dept of snow pack to the ice surface (170 cm), measured the temp profile (-15˚C at the surface and warmed to -4.9˚C at the ice surface), and grain size and water equivalent in the snow along the same profile.

In addition to the field work, we entered an dry englacial water channe (ice cave) commonly explored by tourists and researchers. During the melt season its filled with rushing water, and evidence of water erosion and downcutting could be seen throughout the cave. Gave us all an totally new appreciation and understanding of how complex glaciers are, and the hydrological systems that are inside the ice. It reminded me of other caves I've been in. It had stalactites of ice, and small and huge rooms. In some cases we had to crawl on our hands and knees for long distances. It was much warming inside the cave, and in a few places you could see layers of ice and rock. Below is a picture of an area rich in ice-embedded pebbles and sediments. Dean, a really funny Brit from Swanzea, is in the picture. He's about 6'4," so it gives you some perspective of the size of the cave.

Distant Light and Smiles All Around

2008-02-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday and today have been very busy days of lectures in glacier mass balance. We're learning about glacier structure, accumulation and ablation, methods to measure snow accumulation, and ways to calculate mass balance. I'm also getting to know the 26 students as well. In class we work in groups of four, and the group I'm in includes Anne Chapuis from France (right), Francesco Pausata from Italy (center), and Joe Mallalieu from Great Britian (just off camera to the right)–all really fun people that I'm lucky to study with. I'll write more about each sometime soon!

Many types of glaciers are easily acessible by scooter from UNIS. During our course, the class is going to go on four excursions to visit these glaciers, so we can see examples of the phenomena we are discussing in class. Tomorrow we are scheduled to travel to Scott Turnerbreen to learn how to measure the snow pack and explore an ice cave deep inside the glacier!

Perhaps most importantly, today sunlight was seen reflecting on the mountains far on the other side of the fjord. Look closely in the picture below–its subtle, but a very hearwarming and welcomg sight for everyone here. People were pretty excitied and many of us were staring at it and enjoying the view. Pretty amazing how something so simple can be so satisfying. The days are definitely getting longer, as the amount of light we are receiving increases 20 minutes each day until there is 24 hour light in April.

Glaciology at UNIS

2008-02-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of lectures for my coursework in Glaciology here at UNIS. The class is given by Doug Benn, a professor in the Arctic Geology department, Regine Hock from the University of Fairbanks Alaska, Nick Hulton of the University of Edinburgh, and Ian Rutt and Tavi Murry both from the University of Swansea.

The course is a systematic survey of modern research into glacial processes and the response of glaciers and ice sheets to climate change. During the course we are going to be looking at recent changes to arctic glaciers, the principles of mass balance measurement and monitoring, glacier hydrology, glacier motion and dynamics, surges, calving (huge chunks falling off into the ocean), and numerical modelling. The course consists of a combination of lectures, seminars, computer-based practical classes, and excursions - the field work! I understand that we are going to be going out into the field once a week on Wednesdays, so let's hope for awesome weather on those days!

Hike to Mine 3 and Socializing

2008-02-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today a large group of us hiked up the side of the valley to an abandoned mine Gruve 3. From the valley floor it looks pretty small and close by. After nearly a half hour of walking up a steep and slippery slope, we were almost there. The structure was huge and old. Debris from the buildings were scattered everywhere. We didn't stay long because the winds were coming up, more snow was falling, and it was getting dark. During the walk up and back, I was able to see some exposed rocks sticking out of the snow and got a sense for how barren the surface is around here.

The evening finished up with a big gathering in another one of the dorms just up the hill at brakke 9. Everyone is having a ton of fun here–one of the first things you'll notice about the students here is that they are all very excited to be here and like sharing their stories and experiences, which makes the social environment most enjoyable...

Scooter Training

2008-02-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

Up here, scooters (snowmobiles) are a very important part of life. They are one of the main modes of transportation, and not surprisingly, outnumber all the people in town. From very early in morning to late at night, one can hear them roaring around, and the smell of 2-cycle engines abounds. You can buy them here ($20000), rent them at the scooter shop by the week on guided tours ($4000), or ride them for free roughly once a week during field work expeditions (weather permitting) as a student at UNIS. But before you ride as a UNIS student, you must be trained first.

We met early this morning and broke into two groups. This time I was in the theory section first. Fred once again discussed safety issues with traveling in the Arctic and the areas that are off limits to scooters (there are huge chunks of Svalbard managed as wilderness and national parks). Fred emphasized that scooter use is the most dangerous aspect of field work here by far, and that they are prone to breakdowns because of the cold temperatures, so we discussed at length the troubleshooting and repair of scooters. For example, one problem that commonly happens is a broken drive belt. He showed us how to replace it and asked each of us to take the belt off, and put it on. Even though I've not done it before, it was easy for me, because I've replaced a lot of belts on variable speed pulleys at the farm on our combines and swathers. And the "dump a little gas in the sparkplug if your engine is not starting trick" also rang bells because I've done that one before too. Its interesting how all that farm and ranch experience is coming in handy up here. I couldn't help wondering how easy it would be during a blizzard at -25˚C though...

Alas, our group's chance to get outside for the first time and ride the scooters came. I was really excited. After gathering all the proper scooter gear which included heavy boots, suits, liner gloves and mittens, helmuts, balaklavas, and goggles, everyone strapped a transceiver to their bodies. This is a tool to actively track people if a safety issue arises or if you can't make it home as planned (like if you get lost, are stalled by a giant blizzard, fall into a crevasse on the glacier, or if you get eaten by an isbjorn). The last thing we did was sign our names and info onto the excursion safety sheets (protocol before every outing) so that if something did go wrong they determine who was missing and could contact relatives quickly if necessary.

Once fully dressed so no bare skin was exposed anywhere, we went outside, started up the scooters, and waited for the sign to proceed. Jørgen Haagensil, a friendly and highly experienced member of the logistics team, led the scooter group out into the field. John Karlsen, another fun member of the logistics team, followed the group into the field.

Lucky for me, I found myself first in line behind Jorgen as we ventured away from the new and lavish logistics facility at UNIS into the Arctic wilderness. The views were incredible. We cruised across Adventdalen, the wide valley that is seen to the northeast of Longyearbyen. As we crossed the valley, the mountains in front of us grew larger and larger, and and the darkness over the fjord became much more pronounced. I couldn't believe my eyes.

We stopped a couple times to let the long line of scooters catch up so the group could get together. Jorgen and John showed us how to both get a scooter stuck and how to get one free or dig it out–something we'll no doubt have to deal with. I've heard from several people who have lived here for a long time that the large amount of snow Svalbard is receiving this year (a likely a sign of climate change?) is highly unusual–and that makes scooter use more difficult. In fact, the fjord in front of Longyearbyen, " Isfjorden" (Ice fjord) its completely free of ice this year. People commonly cross the ice in places to access areas all over Svalbard, but cannot in many places this year, making travel in some cases much longer and much more challenging.

Shot Through the Heart

2008-02-14T23:38:00.001-08:00

Today was the first day of official activities with my fellow glaciology students and instructors. The class of about 25 gathered at 8:30 am in the reception area at UNIS to begin a 2-day safety course led by the UNIS chief of logistics, Fred Hanson. Fred is an expert in Arctic logistics, operations, and safety and was extremely knowlegable, providing numerous examples of what to do and what not to do in a variety of situations. He did an excellent job teaching the course. As a native of Norway, he's got a ton of experience here and he knows how to prepare for the dangers that one faces when venturing into the Arctic wilderness. He's also got a great sense of humor, and I identified with him on several levels. We started immediately, and broke into groups, one group for the safety theory material, and I left with the group to the rifle range to learn how to use the flares and 30-06's we'll carry into the field.

Whenever outside the confines of Longyearbyen, humans must be able to protect themselves from polar bears. Whether you're hiking, skiing, on snowmobiles, for work or for play, you must carry a rifle to protect yourself from polar bears. While an attack is highly unlikely to ever happen, the risk is NOT zero. As strange as it may be for one to imagine, you always need to remind yourself that in the Arctic, you can be EATEN – and that doesn't depend on the weather! For example, there is a documented example of a student death due to a polar bear cub attack near Longyearbyen. Fred emphasized how important it is that if we ever see a polar bear, to get away from the area as soon and safely as possible; if the bear continues to move toward you, you must be prepared to kill if necessary–hence the training.

During the rifle training I often reflected back on my hunting experiences in North Dakota because it was cold that morning. I remembered deer hunting in the Heart River Hills on extremely cold days, and remember feeling very happy to walk many miles in snowy subzero weather just to stay warm. Today the wind had a similar, tough bite and everything was mostly white. Very near to the Svalbard Seed Vault (the triangular object, lower right, more to come later!), we set up 11 polar bear targets outside of a fairly new 8 foot tall unheated wood-framed garage with several overhead doors. The shooting range was on a flat area near some mountains overlooking the fjord (the setting was incredible!). After some hands-on training about loading the rifles, we prepared to shoot. I was comfortable about what was going on, because I've used guns and killed animals before. On the same token, I heard numerous students saying they've never even seen a rifle, let a lone shot one. So I felt lucky to have had the experience I did.

Fred ordered all of us to put hearing protection on, and to get down onto the cold ground with our gun on our stomachs. My feet were feeling the bite because we were mostly staying still and listening, not walking. I leveled my gun. Fred ordered us to load the chamber and fire! I yanked the bolt back and slammed the shell foward into the chamber and calmly centered my sight on the heart and lungs of the bear. Then there was a pause. The surreal nature of the setting had poured over everyone. We were training to kill a polar bear! You could head the Arctic wind howling all aroud. No one fired. In the brief silence I barked, "Fire?" Fred shouted "Fire," I fired first, and then everyone started firing. I emptied my gun and waited for everyone else to finish. When everyone was done we put the guns down and inspected our target. What did I find? Four 30-06 rounds, shot through the heart.

Happy Valentines Day!

Can Your Ears Estimate Temperature?

2008-02-13T22:08:00.000-08:00

Today on my way back from the Svalbardbutikken (the Co-op store where we buy everything we need), I thought I would capture a few sounds during my 3 km walk home. If you're from a place that gets cold or have ever lived somewhere you've spent time outdoors during a cold winter, you might be able to guess the approximate air temperature based on sound of my footsteps...

The Purpose

2008-02-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

While I am here in the Arctic, I will study at the University Center on Svalbard (UNIS) and take a field course in glaciology (AG 325). I will receive this training and return to the US to train other teachers and students that participate in Spaceward Bound, an educational program in planetary science and field work managed at NASA Ames Research Center...

...and of course: experience of life in Earth's northernmost town with over 1000 inhabitants!

Arrival in Longyearbyen, Svalbard

2008-02-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

My flight out of Oslo took me through rainy Tromsø, a town in northern mainland Norway. The weather there was not good - dark clouds, snow, and rain! The landing was slightly nerve wracking, and the runway seem extremely short- it was tucked tightly between a mountainside and a fjord. After picking up more passengers during a brief 30 minute layover, we departed on the same plane for Svalbard. As we journeyed northward above the cloud layer, it became clear to me that the Sun I was enjoying would soon dip below the horizon. Slowly, the disc of the Sun sank lower and lower until it was altogether gone. Yes, it appeared to be just like a sunset, but this was different. The Sun set because I traveled beyond the Arctic Circle, to 78˚N in the month of February. which means darkness for most of the time with a bit of twilight from late morning through early afternoon during my stay. The next opportunity I will have to see the Sun will be on March 8, unless I climb the mountains that surround the town.

As we made our approach into Svalbard–my home for the next month–I could see snow covered mountains bordering an enormous fjord. Majestic sights indeed! Geologically speaking, they reminded me of the fjords near Bergen that I explored in 2001. But this time, the land looked completely different. It was barren, totally isolated, and wild. There was not a sign of any infrastructure or civilization. No trees. No grass. Only mountains, rocks, ice, snow–and polar bears!

After we landed everyone exited the aircraft down the stairs and walked across a frosty runway to the terminal. It was probably -10˚C, and quite windy. I stopped along the way and took a deep breath of cold air and observed my surroundings. It was dark, and the lights of Longyearbyen could be seen in the distance, several km away.

When I entered the terminal, three enthusiastic students from UNIS waved signs to greet new arriving students. After grabbing my two bags from the baggage claim, I got a packet of student information and met up with Galena, a very peppy and fast walking girl from Russia who gave me and five other students a very rough ride to our dorms in a van she seemed to have some trouble controlling. We laughed if off, though, and greatly enjoyed what little we could see out the fogged up windows. A few minutes later, we arrived at Nybyen ("new town"), an area of Longyearbyen that is located 3 km away from UNIS up a giant U-shaped glacier carved valley. We jumped out of the car and grabbed our luggage and settled into our new home.