The whole team made it back to Kangerlussuaq on Friday evening. The plane was delayed a bit getting to us at Dye-2, but luckily we had a sunny and (reasonably) warm day to wait. Everyone came out of field healthy and in good spirits. Some thought that we did not smell good, but I thought… Read More
The FirnCover team traversed from Saddle back to DYE-2 yesterday in lower visibility during a snowfall – but not in very dangerous conditions. With GPS guiding the way, and the ability to see the rest of the team around them, they did arrive safely approximately four hours later. The ride was very smooth with fresh powder… Read More
Our science team has been working virtually non-stop since their arrival on the ice sheet over a week ago. Since they’ve not had any down time, a storm day would have been welcomed, but with near “balmy” weather every day so far, they’ve been working long 12-hour days – dubbed by the team as “science-palooza days”.… Read More
The FirnCover science team arrived at the EKT site approximately 100 km (~62 mi) NE of DYE 2 Sunday afternoon. The snowmobile traverse was fairly uneventful with the exception of a few “bumps on the road”. Due to the very rough ride, two of the Zarges aluminum cases flew off one of the sleds after a strap snapped… Read More
Yesterday was a very productive day for the FirnCover crew: Darren and Max dug snow pits to measure snow density and stratigraphy from last winter. GPS surveys were conducted to gauge how much the camp actually moves from year to year: how much the ice is spreading and it’s elevation (loss or gain). These measurements along… Read More
As predicted, the early melting in Greenland is causing problems for the scientists on the ground. Three years of snow accumulation since the big 2012 melt season, have not added significant buffering capacity to the firn – basically there is one thin layer of snow to buffer the meltwater. Once that layer is gone, it’s… Read More
The FirnCover research team arrived safely via snowmobile at KAN-U, their first work site this campaign season. The 67 km (41.6 mi) journey from “home base” camp, Dye-2, took about 4 hours without any major difficulties. Upon arrival, it was discovered that Mike’s firm compaction tower was still standing with no apparent physical damage despite… Read More
After several flight delays to the Ice Sheet, I was notified by team lead Mike MacFerrin via satellite communication, that the crew finally landed safely yesterday morning at Camp Raven, also known as Dye-2. However, not long after arrival, a problem was discovered: there was a leak in one of the fuel barrels; fortunately the hole was… Read More
There are several things that you can do if you want to be sure that your flight gets delayed. Or, if you want your flight to be on time, you could do the opposite. 5. Spend many hours discussing how good the weather forecast looks. 4. Declare to team mates that you are going to… Read More
This story is all too familiar to those who work on the ice. Good times! Mike… Read More
