On Tuesday, April 18, the FirnCover team arrived safely in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. It takes a lot of preparations for a 3 week traverse on the ice sheet. Training meetings abound. Knowing how to use the communications systems, operating and maintaining snow machines properly and covering general safety on the ice sheet in the elements (temperatures… Read More
Our science crew took off this morning from Albany NY with the Air National Guard en route to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. From all of us here back home, we wish them a safe and successful field season!… Read More
We are ramping up a new field season as we fly out to Kangerlussuaq early Monday morning. This year will be a particularly memorable year. As you may be aware, on Earth Day, April 22, 2017, there will be a series of rallies and marches set to be held in Washington DC and over 500 cities… Read More
The Firncover science team made it to Kangerlussuaq yesterday evening after a long C130 flight from Stratton Air National Guard Base in New York (and a quick stop in Newfoundland). Today the team prepares for the 2016 Greenland field season with communication meetings, runway protocol, checking equipment, logistics, food sorting and palleting. Needless to say, the preparations… Read More
As we enter the last month before we head out on the ice sheet, Most of us have shipped our gear to Colorado where it will then be sent to Albany, New York before it’s final journey to Greenland. I spent several weeks going over my clothing options before settling on the… Read More
Leading a scientific expedition is more about box cutters and budgets than inspiration. Another package arrived in the mail today, 12 rolls of Gorilla duct tape and 500 heavy-duty zip ties. The freight guys just dropped a 300-lb crate of batteries right outside my office door. Anyone know where the pallet jack went? (Seriously, I could use… Read More
We have a C-130 scheduled at 10 this morning to take us to the ice. Breakfast at 7:45, ready-time at 9:00. The entire team is excited to get going, and get this work started!! Hooray!… Read More
It’s a universal truth in polar science. Since the FirnCover team has finished frantically preparing for the field, we’re at the mercy of the weather, the flight schedules, and the priority of other missions. All three have conspired this week and our team is instructed to “stand down” another day. It was originally due to weather, but the morning dawned clear… Read More
At long last, after months of preparation, our FirnCover team is finally meeting up. Max, Shane, Mike, Darren, Achim, Babis and Dirk are all here in Kanger, about to have our group safety check with the CPS staff. So who are these guys, anyway? It would seem introductions are overdue: Mike MacFerrin is a PhD… Read More
