by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC With a short weather window we had the time to make a quick trip to the L2 site today. That’s where we have one of our semi-autonomous surface flux stations operating. It has been a cloudy day but the clouds are just high enough to provide… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC The most interesting thing happening around the floe right now is the development of a fresh water lens. The sea ice itself is fresher than the ocean because it goes through a process of brine rejection and becomes fresher over time. And of course, the snow… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC It’s so great to see so many eager scientists out here. The routine, long-work-days-with-little-sleep has apparently not been enough for everyone and there has been a push for conducting a 24-hour measurement cycle. Originally the motivation for this extended measurement period was the daily change in… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC Ice is the main character in this MOSAiC story. It is the reason we are here. Why is the ice declining so quickly? What are the responsible processes? What implications does this have on the rest of the Earth system? This main character reveals its many… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC Lately there has been a series of challenges. This is the way it usually goes as we set up suites of instruments; some details inevitably go wrong. And then we are faced with diagnosing the issues, trying to isolate the causes and then fixing the problems.… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC We get little bits of news out here about the world beyond the Arctic. It sounds like COVID-19 has had a resurgence in many areas, as restrictions were lifted there have been new outbreaks. Renewed calls for staying at home, wearing masks, social distancing. The world… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC Another day of intense sun and this changes the surface in dramatic ways. The snow is melting fast. We’ve put down some boards to minimize melt near the tower, and these work, but the snow all around melts, leaving pillars with boards on top. The bare… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC There are these beautiful days out over the Arctic ice. Vibrant blue sky with a piercing sun. Today was one of those days. Warm out, and the sun overpowering. Just like with a strong wind, I found myself turning away from the sun when possible. When… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC Our flux sleds have turned out to be great scientific tools. The measurements themselves have been super reliable. Consistent and steady. No icing. The primary issues have been mitigation of icing on the exhaust for the fuel cell…. And ice dynamics. We can work to improve… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC Our big event today was raising the met tower. After a couple days of installation and sorting out a few instrument issues, we then ran the tower in the down position for another day to intercompare the different instruments while they all sat at the same… Read More