Today was a very cool day here in Fairbanks and it was cool in two ways, one being that the high was only about 20*F and the other is that we were able to see the completion of the Yukon Quest dog sled race. This year it began in Whitehorse of the Yukon Territory in Canada and finished in Fairbanks, Alaska. The two cities alternate as the start and finish of the race. Here is a shot of the winner coming into the finish chute.......
This is a photo of the top finisher of the 1000 mile Yukon Quest dog sled race. This musher and his dogs finished in just over 10 days. Second place was only four minutes behind.
and here is a short video of the second finisher coming in about 4 minutes after the winner...
It has been a while since I wrote one of these. Two years ago I was here in Fairbanks preparing for what would be one of the most exciting summers of my life. A lot has happened in those two years but the excitement is still in the air as a new group of teachers prepare for their own TRECs.
Project manager Janet Warburton is preparing a new group of teachers for their upcoming Polar TREC.
I have been invited back to help prepare this new group by sharing my experiences from the last two years. The snow is a little deeper this year but 0*F doesn’t feel any different than it did two years ago. We have some field trips planned for the week so look for some new journal entries.
Yes, it's still cold in Fairbanks in winter. So cold that cars do better by keeping their oil...
Polar TREC Reflection
Five weeks is just long enough to get a taste of life as a researcher/scientist and I feel I had a good sampling but it left me wanting more. I had more energy while in Barrow than I ever do back home even though I was up early and to bed late, feeling like I was trying to get time to stop. I didn’t want it to end. It was work and it was intense, but it was a vacation at the same time. The pressures of daily life back home can be exhausting, but the focus of concentrating on something that was new and cutting edge was energizing. I learned a lot but I want to learn more, not just about the science of my project, but how to better prepare my students for life in college or life as a researcher. I feel I am much more qualified to take my students down that...
Jack’s weather report:
Wow!.....it was near record temperatures today in Barrow as
the string of beautiful days continue. It
was in the 60’s by this afternoon.
Today actually began yesterday when I woke up for my last
turn at taking diurnal measurements of carbon flux. I say that because I did not go to sleep last night.
I had wanted to stay up to see the sun at its lowest point on the
horizon. I also wanted to savor every moment of being in Barrow, Alaska.
3:30 a.m.on July 6th....as dark as it gets.
Paulo, Dave Lin, from UTEP – University of Texas El Paso,
and I sat around the lab all night talking about all kinds of things. We did walk over to the beach around 3:30 to
see the sun. Here are our long shadows
to prove it. Since the weather was so
nice, we stayed there for...
Jack’s weather report:
Wow!.....it was near record temperatures today in Barrow as
the string of beautiful days continue. It
was in the 60’s by this afternoon.
No trip to Barrow is complete without a trip to Joe’s
Museum. Joe works at one of the
restaurants in town called PePe’s. They
specialize in Mexican food but actually serve a variety of offerings. Here's a picture of the restaurant from the outside. We have eaten here several times during my five weeks in Barrow.
PEPE's : North of the Border
Joe’s Museum is open by appointment only and only after the
restaurant closes, so you have to call ahead of time and set it up. Does 10:30 p.m. sound ok?
A walk across the street and up some stairs to Joe’s house
brings you to his museum.
Joe at the entrance to his museum.
Joe’s...
HAPPY FOURTH!
Jack’s Weather Report:
Today was a gorgeous day in Barrow. It was sunny all day with very little
wind. A perfect day to get out and
swim, go for a run, ride a bike, go for a picnic,……you name it.
Current Temp: 43 °F….the high was 44 °F
Winds: out of the north at 6 kt (7 mph)
This morning was a field day to test our sampling machine,
the LI-COR 6200. It had been acting up
some so we took both 6200s that we have to test to see if they were reading the
same. The results were good so tomorrow
will be my last diurnal shift before leaving on Friday evening and heading back
to South Carolina. More on that later.
As I came out of the biocomplexity site, I noticed a very
agitated golden plover near the boardwalk.
Having been birding with Nathan two nights ago I decided...
Jack’s weather report:
It’s 1:00 a.m. in Barrow on July 3, 2007 and the sun is
sitting low over the Arctic Ocean.
Current temp: 38 °C, although it seems warmer. It actually got up to 44 °F earlier this
evening.
Winds: out of the east, southeast at 11 kt (13 mph)
I just got back in from being out with Nathan
Coutsoubus. He is with the shorebird
group here at BASC. He took me out on his
evening to do list which included:
Visiting a Phalarope nest and banding the chicks we found
there.
Phalarope nest with three chicks.
Nathan is banding the chick's leg with a metallic ring.
Checking on the nests of several other birds to see the
progress of the egg incubation.
We were looking for "stars" and "pips". Stars are places on the egg where cracking is...
Jack’s weather report:
Today it was……you guessed it…cloudy, with intermittent sun,
throw in some fog, and of course the wind.
The high today was 38 °F and the low was 35 °F.
Current temp: 38 °F (3.3 °C)
Winds are out of the east at 14 kt (16 mph)
Yesterday’s weather was much like today, and I expect to
wake up to pretty much the same conditions tomorrow when I go out to do my next
shift at the biocomplexity site, taking the carbon flux measurements.
I had an opportunity last night to go out to Point Barrow on
a 4-wheeler to take a look around.
Point Barrow transportation
It is
about a 4 mile ride to the Point and then we took a right down a narrow
peninsula separating the Beaufort Sea and
Elson Lagoon.
Beaufort Sea is on the left and Elson Lagoon is on the right.
This...
Jack’s weather report:
It was overcast all day today with different periods of
diffuse sunlight. It was also very windy
and cold.
Temp: It is 33 °F (1 °C) currently at 10:30 local time and
the high was 37 °F.
Winds have been steady all day out of the east at 19 – 20
kts (22-24 mph)
Today was a day that we were scheduled to do a diurnal. This is where we measure carbon flux using
the chambers for 24 straight hours. I
always have the first shift from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Unfortunately the machine we use to take the
measurements was not cooperating and the first 4 hours of data was
trashed. Paulo correctly diagnosed the
problem and radioed what to do. I took
out the relative humidity sensor and it calmed down after that.
After dinner, actually before dinner, it was decided...
Jack’s weather report:
It is 12:05 a.m. and the sun is shining bright out over the Arctic Ocean but relatively low in the sky.
Temp: 32 °F (0 °C)
Winds are out of the east at 14 kt (16 mph)
This evening I was invited to go out and see a pingo. The name intrigued me as did its
meaning. A pingo is a mound of earth
covered ice that forms as water is squeezed out of the tundra. Pingos can be very large. One source I read said as high as 70 meters
and 2 kilometers in diameter. The ones
we saw were much smaller in comparison.
They were located in what was once a lake bed.
We are standing on the pingo.
A closer look at the crack in the earth caused by the pingo.
On the walk out to the pingo, Jason spotted a lemming and we
stopped for a look.
Jason holding the lemming. ...
Jack’s weather report:
It is overcast, cold, and windy this morning. There was light snow overnight, although I
didn’t see it. This is according to the
national weather service. The high
temperature over the past 24 hours was 38 °F.
Temp: 34 °F (1.1 °C)
Winds: Out of the ENE at 13 kt (15 mph)
We have definitely gotten into a regular work pattern here
at BASC. Monday was another diurnal flux
measurement. That means we take the
measurements over 24 hours straight to get a complete picture of when the
terrestrial ecosystem is contributing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and when
it is removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
LI-COR Reading
The top number on the LI-COR, PH, is either Net Ecosystem Exchange, NEE, or Ecosytem Respiration, ER. It all depends on whether or not...
Jack’s weather report:
This morning it is cool and foggy, although not like the fog
we had rolling in this past Thursday, more on that soon. The morning sun made fogbows, as opposed to
rainbows, as you looked to the west…..another twist in the weather of the far
north.
Temp: 32 °F (0 °C)
Winds: light out of the north
Yesterday, Saturday, June 23, 2007, began as a rather
uneventful day. I worked on photo
management and then Paulo and I went out to the biocomplexity site to take
permafrost depth and water table measurements.
This only took a couple hours and then we headed back to BASC for lunch.
Here I am taking the depth to the permafrost.
After lunch we got a call from Lewis Brower, the station
manager here at BASC. He wanted us to
come over and sample something he was...
Jack’s weather report:
This morning it is cool and foggy, although not like the fog
we had rolling in this past Friday, more on that soon. The morning sun made fogbows, as opposed to
rainbows, as you looked to the west…..another twist in the weather of the far
north.
Temp: 32 °F (0 °C)
Winds: light out of the north.
I wanted to describe the sudden weather changes that
occurred this past Friday while I was out at the biocomplexity site taking my
second round of measurements. I had the
4:00 p.m. to midnight shift since I had the webinar that morning. Hope you were able to tune in.
The weather of the day was sort of overcast, drizzly, cool…a
regular day in Barrow during the summer.
About 8:00 that evening I could see the end of the clouds as blue skies
were clearly visible and...
Jack’s weather report:
It is sunny and warm this morning but there is a change in the air. (see winds below)
Temp: 42 °F
Winds : Out of the west this morning, which is a first in the three weeks I have been here.
They are normally out of the east and you can almost set your clock by that. We
hear there is going to be a change in the weather in the next couple of days.
Yesterday was another wonderful adventure up here. The morning began as an office day as I was finishing up preparations for the webinar coming up tomorrow. I tried to get a little of everything in it and the people at ARCUS have been fantastic at working on it as well. Communication has been excellent with them as long as my internet connection is up and running.
My desk in BASC 213...
Jack’s weather report:
It is sunny and warm this morning but there is a change in the air. (see winds below)
Temp: 42 °F
Winds :Out of the west this morning, which is a first in the three weeks I have been here.
They are normally out of the east and you can almost set your clock by that. We
hear there is going to be a change in the weather in the next couple of days.
Today is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. This doesn’t mean that time is added to the 24 hours that make up the day. It simply means that the time from sun up to sun down lasts longer today than any other day during the year. In Barrow that means that the sun, even at its lowest point, is higher than it is any other day.
I took this picture below just before going to...
Jack’s weather report:
We woke up to partly cloudy skies and milder morning temperatures.
Current conditions:
Temp: 38 °F (3.3 °C)
Winds out of the east at 13 kt (15 mph)
There was a bit of excitement in the air yesterday morning. The snow and ice had finally melted enough for us to go out to the field and take some measurements This was intended to be practice run for what we would be doing at the biocomplexity site on a regular basis.
This is me carrying the LI-COR 6200 and the plot chamber.
This is the plot chamber that sits on a base that was put on each plot last year.
Here is the chamber base.
Are things a little clearer now?
We will be taking 12 measurements on a 4-hour rotating basis. The biocomplexity site is
a thaw lake basin divided into three sections, a...
Jack’s weather report:
It’s another beautiful morning in Barrow. The sun is up, of course it always is now, and shining bright. No clouds that I can see.
Temp: 35 °F
Winds: light out of the east
Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there, including mine, Hugh Wilder, who is back in Spartanburg, SC.
Yesterday was a busy day for me and a tiring day. It began with a 53 minute run around town, definitely my furthest venture around town since I got here. It was warm enough so I was able to run in shorts and no hat. I did wear light gloves and a long sleeved shirt.
Once back at BASC I cleaned up and ate breakfast. It was the usual for me, cereal with raisins, French toast, bacon, and a banana. After breakfast I met with Adrian, who is a student from UTEP. He is mapping the...
Jack’s weather report:
It’s another beautiful morning in Barrow. The sun is up, of course it always is now, and shining bright. No clouds that I can see.
Temp: 35 °F
Winds: light out of the east
Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there, including mine, Hugh Wilder, who is back in Spartanburg, SC.
Yesterday was a busy day for me and a tiring day. It began with a 53 minute run around town, definitely my furthest venture around town since I got here. It was warm enough so I was able to run in shorts and no hat. I did wear light gloves and a long sleeved shirt.
Once back at BASC I cleaned up and ate breakfast. It was the usual for me, cereal with raisins, French toast, bacon, and a banana. After breakfast I met with Adrian, who is a student from UTEP. He is mapping the...
Jack’s weather report:
It’s another beautiful morning in Barrow. The sun is up, of course it always is now, and shining bright. No clouds that I can see.
Temp: 35 °F
Winds: light out of the east
Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there, including mine, Hugh Wilder, who is back in Spartanburg, SC.
Yesterday was a busy day for me and a tiring day. It began with a 53 minute run around town, definitely my furthest venture around town since I got here. It was warm enough so I was able to run in shorts and no hat. I did wear light gloves and a long sleeved shirt.
Once back at BASC I cleaned up and ate breakfast. It was the usual for me, cereal with raisins, French toast, bacon, and a banana. After breakfast I met with Adrian, who is a student from UTEP. He is mapping the...
I just wanted to let everyone know that we have been having some major network problems and it is the reason for the journal delays so.....
Please stayed tuned as things may be coming to my journals and photo gallery a little slower for the next few days.
Jack’s Weather Report:
Today is a beautiful day in Barrow. It is sunny with light to moderate winds.
Temperature: 49 °F
Winds: Out of the east 9 kts (10 mph)
There could be no better day than today to take a plane ride. We filed out of BASC at 9:00 a.m. and headed over to the airport, just a 5 minute drive. Nothing in Barrow is very far. We came to the charter building at the airport and immediately headed out to the plane. It was nice not to have to go through security. We boarded the plane and, without delay, we were in the air.
Here is our eight-seater plane for the short flight
It was a very short flight over to the biocomplexity site. We circled the site taking pictures and trying to get a better feel for how the site looked in terms of water levels. The project is...
Jack’s Weather Report:
Today is a beautiful day in Barrow. It is sunny with light to moderate winds.
Temperature: 49 °F
Winds: Out of the east 9 kts (10 mph)
There could be no better day than today to take a plane ride. We filed out of BASC at 9:00 a.m. and headed over to the airport, just a 5 minute drive. Nothing in Barrow is very far. We came to the charter building at the airport and immediately headed out to the plane. It was nice not to have to go through security. We boarded the plane and, without delay, we were in the air.
Here is our eight-seater plane for the short flight
It was a very short flight over to the biocomplexity site. We circled the site taking pictures and trying to get a better feel for how the site looked in terms of water levels. The project is...
Jack’s weather report:
We woke up to clouds and light snow…yes…light snow on June 13th. It has been partly to mostly cloudy all day with periods of light snow. The only other time I have seen snow during summer vacation was up in the mountains in Yellowstone National Park.
Temp: 32 °F
Winds: Out of the east at 14 knots.
Wind Chill: low to mid teens
Relative humidity: 100%
Yesterday was the day I to go back out to the point and work with the archaeology group excavating the burial grounds of the former village known as Nuvuk. It opened my eyes to the amount of work archaeologists have to do. I wasn’t kidding when I asked, "can you dig it?” because digging is exactly what we did and lots of it. To find burial plots you have to sample areas that are close enough together so...
June 11, 2007
Jack’s weather report:
It is cloudy today and colder than it has been the last several days.
Temp: 32 °F
Winds out of the east at 12 to 14 knots
Wind Chill: low teens
Relative humidity: 100%
I slept better last night although I continue to wake up several times a night. I immediately wonder what time it is. After clearing my head, I reach over and struggle to find my indiglo timex watch….2:30 – 4:30 – 6:00 – 6:45….ok, it is time to get up and take a shower, which is in the dormitory style bathroom complete with 5 stalls, 7 sinks, 6 showers, and 2 washer/dryer sets. Being a researcher, field manager, or field assistant does not give you preference to housing. Welcome to the NARL Hotel…..
The NARL Hotel: My home for the next four weeks
NARL (Naval Arctic...
June 11, 2007
Jack’s weather report:
It is cloudy today and colder than it has been the last several days.
Temp: 32 °F
Winds out of the east at 12 to 14 knots
Wind Chill: low teens
Relative humidity: 100%
I slept better last night although I continue to wake up several times a night. I immediately wonder what time it is. After clearing my head, I reach over and struggle to find my indiglo timex watch….2:30 – 4:30 – 6:00 – 6:45….ok, it is time to get up and take a shower, which is in the dormitory style bathroom complete with 5 stalls, 7 sinks, 6 showers, and 2 washer/dryer sets. Being a researcher, field manager, or field assistant does not give you preference to housing. Welcome to the NARL Hotel…..
The NARL Hotel: My home for the next four weeks
NARL (Naval Arctic...
