Sunday, July 8, 2012

Rikke started us off this morning with a presentation on fossils and evolution. Afterwards, we all trucked out to the local fossil beds. Although they are now fully exposed, the beds were formerly located on the ocean floor. For this reason, we found everything from clam and mussel shells to full fish fossils while digging through the sand and silt! After a while, though, the inevitable happened, and Sydney, Dana, and Fie started an all-out mud fight. Amid much squealing, mud-slinging, and shouting, Agnes, Sasha, and I took cover and did our best to avoid being hit while we continued digging for fossils. Aggu simply sat back and laughed while all those who weren't involved in the fight took pictures and video.

Things settled down after a little while, and all the crazies left to get cleaned up. Those of us who weren't completely coated in mud settled back into digging for fossils, which turned out to be quite fruitful. I found half a fish, an interestingly shaped piece of what I think was something's jaw, a full fish, and a ton of clam shells. I'm excited to clean all the gunk off of these things and uncover what they actually are! (Hopefully I'll have some better pictures of these to share later, but right now they just look like lumps of dirt.) So exciting!

We had a fun little movie night this evening. We watched The Proposal, which was actually pretty popular with the Greenlandic students. Another great day in Greenland!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

We had a day to recover from yesterday's intense hiking. After finishing yesterday's video editing, we had the rest of the day to ourselves - I napped. :) In the evening, we enjoyed a spectacular Greenlandic feast! The Greenlandic students served up smoked salmon, boiled shrimp, Matak (whale skin and blubber), Danish RugbrΓΈd (rye bread), and scrumtious hardtack-like crackers. I tried everything, including the whale, which had a mild flavor, but was like chewing on rubber. We also enjoyed some herbal tea made from a native Greenlandic plant. We played some Inuit games and had a little friendly competition before bed. What a fabulous day off!


"Hanging out" with Bikke (GR), Cecilia (GR), and Marisa (US)
Having a laugh with Marisa (US)
Trying my hand at an Inuit game with Cecilie (DK)
Malene (GR) showing off her jumping skills in an Inuit game
Aggu is holding the "target" (or a charging chord)

Pictures for July 6


Collecting Garnets with Cecilie, Nivi, Lynn, and Marisa
Sydney photo bombing me :p

"Fluffy" the caterpillar
Marisa found him just as Mike was describing this particular species to us.

Here are some of the views :) Look forward to more on Facebook















Friday, July 6, 2012

Back out to the Russel Glacier area today! We visited Eric Post's and his students' site to learn about caribou populations, vomiting caterpillars, and a curious fungus. Michael Avery explained the group's findings. They found that the changing climate is effectually causing an earlier spring in plant communities. What does this have to do with caribou? Warmer temperatures and more exposure to sunlight at an earlier time cause the plants to bud and leaf out sooner, bringing about a higher mortality rate in caribou calves. By the time the caribou herd arrives at its calving grounds (which has continued occurring at the same time each year), it has missed the short period of fresh, healthy, "new" vegetation critical to the mothers and their calves (without nutritious vegetation, the mothers can't produce nutritious milk for their calves). 


Mike's Lecture

Michael has been collaborating with other students on Eric Post's work (with the caribou), but individually, he studies invertebrates. Michael has been studying a particular caterpillar species (Eurois occulta) that experiences frequent population booms and crashes. While there are a number of plausible causes for the population booms, the reason the population crashes was a mystery to him until very recently. Michael discovered that there is a fungus (Zoophthora radicans) that has been targeting and infecting the caterpillars, evidence that it is a factor in the sudden decreases in population. The fungus slowly consumes the caterpillar from the inside, starting with the non-essential organs and working its way up to the brain. Before killing its host, the fungus floods the caterpillar's brain with chemicals and hormones that stimulate the caterpillar to climb as high as possible and clamp onto something tightly. Once the caterpillar "clamps on" and dies, the fungus matures and sporulates (the reason for stimulating the caterpillar to climb - the higher the caterpillar is, the greater the dispersion of fungus spores).


On a side note about the caterpillars: if you tease them enough, they will respond by vomiting a sticky string of chewed-up grass goo at you! (Some of you might be thinking "EWWWW!", but I say "AWESOME!") This behavior is actually a natural defense mechanism that Michael explained the caterpillars probably developed in an evolutionary "arms race" with the Greenlandic bird species that typically prey on them. In order to avoid being eaten, a caterpillar will rear up on its pseudopods (the suction cup-like "feet" on the end of the abdomen), regurgitate its grass "gunk", and, as Michael found on closer examination, eject an additional chemical substance into the emesis out of a tooth-like orifice located below the caterpillar's mandibles. All of this serves to create a very unappetizing deterrent that the birds have learned to avoid. How did Michael discover this behavior? Apparently, after weeks of collecting and examining caterpillars, you become kind of cynical and begin messing with your specimens for fun - thus Mike turned to purposefully making caterpillars vomit.


After learning about Mike's work and that of some of the other students, we went on a glorious trek up into the hills. Okay, so the trek wasn't all that fun - there was so much steep terrain - but the views were absolutely breathtaking! Marisa, Shelly, Lynn, Cecilie, Nivi, Charlotte, and I stumbled upon a rock face covered in garnets! The surface of the bedrock had been sheared off at some point in time by the glacier, and what remained was an exposed area riddled with loose garnets! Needless to say we took some samples for scientific purposes (*cough, cough* ;) ).


What a day! It was so much fun, but I'm exhausted again! Stay chillin!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Physics is phun! Today was physics day at Kellyville (year-round population of 7). We visited the multi-purpose research station housed in the diminutive town just outside of Kangerlussuaq. The facility has an enormous Incoherent Scatter Radar, which the resident engineers use to collect data for scientists from a variety of backgrounds. The facility also houses a laser and a smattering of other instruments that can be used to collect data and analyze data on the atmosphere, the Aurora, and anything else that may be needed.

The Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR)
The ISR - it's dish is 30 meters in diameter, and it still moves effortlessly to track satellites.
Some other instruments (and Kasper's head)
For reference: I'm 5'10", and the radar is approximately  50 meters away.

When we returned to the field school, Shelly gave us a lesson on interpreting radiographs and how to use them to map a galaxy. I hate to admit it (being more of a "squishy scientist" as Shelly says), but I actually thought the galaxy mapping was pretty fun!

Shynes describing radiographs and galaxy mapping

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
We celebrated the 4th of July with biogeochemistry! Karen Cameron and her team of students brought us out to their field site near the Russel Glacier, showed us their collection methods, and helped us collect our own samples! We had some vehicular troubles getting out to the field, though - there wasn't a shortage in cars, just in cars that would run! Eventually we all made it there and back, and we brought the samples back to the lab at KISS for processing. Each group prepared a slide of microbes and examined it using a special microscope equipped with a UV light. The light served to illuminate the dye we used on the slides, making the microbes easier to see. In addition to working with Karen and her microscope, we also tested water samples for iron content with Kyla, one of Karen's students. Apparently, the tap water we used for comparison had a negative iron content....or it COULD have been a flaw on our part (not that we ever make mistakes ;) ). My group also placed our geocache today! We hid it in the area near Karen's site - maybe one of you blog readers will find it!

Shelly was not particularly happy about the whole car thing

Karen's students at their field site

Testing water samples with Kyla at KISS

Our evening activities involved a festive 4th of July barbecue with lots of food and even brownies! The only thing missing was the firework display. We (the Americans) gave a short presentation on the history of the 4th of July and talked a little bit about how and why we celebrate the holiday. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the day - it was so much fun! (There are some great photos on Facebook)

Tuesday, July 3, 2012


In order to recover from yesterday's hikes up near Russel Glacier and Point 660, we had an "easy day" around the Field School. We held a video conference with Andreas Mikkelson, a Danish Ph.D. student, about his work on sub- and supra-glacial discharge. After learning about his measurements on the Watson River, we walked the few meters down to the bridge spanning the river and took our own measurements. Groups 1 and 2 took short-distance discharge measurements by dropping objects off of one side of the bridge and measuring the time it took that object to reach the other side of the bridge. Groups 4 and 5 followed the same procedure over a longer distance for comparison. My group (Group 3!) filmed the process and interviewed Andreas. 

Meet Andreas



Discharge Measurements


In the afternoon, the groups participated in an interactive lesson about the Greenland ice sheet on the SPRINTT website. It was quite the wake-up call with regards to global climate change - very informative.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Off to the ice! We hit the ground running early in the morning with a bumpy ride out along the longest road in Greenland. Needless to say, we were quite the caravan (consisting mainly of pick-up trucks and land rovers) as we bungled along the narrow sand/gravel road - taking pictures out the window was certainly an interesting feat. 
Kasper, why do you brake going UP the hill?
A failed attempt at an out-the-window picture.
Bumpy is an understatement.




After about an hour, we met up with Julia Bradley-Cook and Ruth Heindel, two students from Dartmouth University, who talked to us about the Carbon Cycle and their work with soil respiration. They use an Infrared Gas Analyzer (made by LI-COR) and a soil moisture and temperature probe to measure carbon dioxide flux due to soil respiration
. Julia and Ruth explained that the permafrost layer is a crucial carbon "sink"; it serves as a key long-term storage base for carbon that would otherwise exist in the atmosphere, biosphere, or lithosphere. As global temperatures follow an increasing trend, this poses a problem. Warmer temperatures are beginning to thaw out layers of soil deeper and deeper underground, meaning more and more permafrost is melting. As these layers thaw, the carbon that was previously trapped within them is released into the atmosphere. The newly released carbon dioxide, being a "greenhouse gas", then contributes to the rising global temperatures by trapping additional heat in the atmosphere. The role of soil respiration in this reciprocal action of warm temperatures causing carbon to be released causing rising temperatures is what Julia and Ruth aim to study. After teaching us about the carbon cycle (with an excellent carbon cycle dance) and demonstrating their methods of measurement, Julia and Ruth took us out to see the Russel Glacier.




Julia and Ruth taking measurements. :)
And so the steep trek begins...
While we observed the glacier and took weather measurements and water samples, a sizable chunk of ice calved off into the river below. I didn't see it happen first-hand, but I certainly heard it, and the video footage Malene was lucky enough to record was spectacular! After all the excitement, the steep hike back to Julia and Ruth's site was a breeze!
Our first view of Russel Glacier
Russel :)
Standing in front of Russel

 After finishing our work at the glacier, we continued down the road to Point 660, which is so-named because it is 660 meters above sea level. Once there, Rikke sent us Garnet hunting on the glacial moraines and Kasper led us out onto the ice. While it was not the first time I've ever stood on top of a glacier, it was definitely the first time I've stood on top of one so large. The glacier did not simply look incredible, but it had its own presence. As I stood and stared off into the distance trying to pin-point the exact spot where the glacier bled across the horizon into the sky, the vastness seemed tangible to me - I could almost feel the immensity of the mass of ice on which I stood. It was definitely worth the rough roads and the strenuous hike to be able to experience the feeling of vastness. Kasper became very excited by the density of scat we discovered on the hike back to the cars. We found three species - a musk ox, a caribou, and an arctic fox - all within the space of a meter! ("Three scats in a meter! That's like one in two million!" - Kasper Busk)


A close-up of some deep blue ice
A moraine-topped ice-face
A Moraine
An improbable glacial erratic
The expansive ice

Once we returned to "base camp" (after a sumptuous aftensmad at the airport), Rikke helped me identify our mystery minerals (my favorite was epidote, a beautiful green-colored mineral) and judged the "Prettiest Garnet" competition - Group 2 won.

Today was so much fun, and I'm looking forward to what's in store for us, but I AM TIRED!!!!!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Today we traveled a short ways to the local landfill and then to Lake Ferguson to perform water quality tests and weather measurements. We wore over-sized waders and tried to keep our balance while we collected samples - we looked so silly! Group 3 (my group - yay!) took weather measurements with a PASCO Spark probe and reported them to Shelly for tonight's polarTREC entry. After a great dinner together at the local Thai/American restaurant, we exchanged our "tokens" (small items representing us/where we're from) and gave formal introductions. The Danes came from towns near Esbjerg, Herning, and Odense. Most of the Greenlandic students were from Nuuk, Ilulissat, Sisimiut, Maniitsoq, and Uummannaq. We Americans came from Idaho, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, and New York! Everyone had wonderful stories to tell from a variety of backgrounds! 

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Our first day as a whole group was fun! With all of the Danish and Greenlandic students present and settled, Kasper introduced us to Geocaching. To practice using GPS, we wandered out into the area around the field school to find the coordinates of interesting landmarks. Each group shared its coordinates, and we set out on a scavenger hunt to find each other's sites. Kasper told us that we would be placing caches in the Kangerlussuaq area throughout the Field School - maybe some of you will find them! Check out http://www.geocaching.com/ for more details!


Later in the day we visited the community sledge dogs. These dogs are hard workers, but they're still cute! They were shedding, so fur was flying everywhere! We brought our cameras down and took some footage - there were puppies! Check it out. :)

Back Home

Hey everyone!

I'm back in Boise! Internet service is expensive in Greenland, so I wasn't able to post much of my material. Because I'm so far behind, I'll be running a "post-a-day" jam-packed with pictures, descriptions, and videos to make up for lost time. If you want to catch up right away (and if you haven't been following already), check out the polarTREC blog at http://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/greenland-education-tour-2012.

Keep chillin' and don't be afraid to post a question!

June 28-29

Some slightly overdue photos for everyone. (; These are a smattering of landscape shots, people, and interesting objects. I hope you enjoy! If anyone has specific requests for objects/locations/etc. they want to see, just post or email me with a comment or question and I'll see what I can do! We might loose our internet for a little while, so I'll be posting whatever and whenever I can - Sorry folks! It's going to be a bit erratic! The teachers will still be able to post some of our material on the polarTREC website, so be sure to keep checking both places!


My messy bunk space : P


Marisa's and my dorm room


One of the many Greenlandic wildflowers (I don't know the technical name for this one, sorry!)


CAUTION: MUSK OXEN AND REINDEER MAY BE RABID!!!


Okay, not really, that's just the foamy result of some microbial activity in the nearby salt lake. Tee hee. :)


The bone of a large animal; possibly musk ox or reindeer (caribou)


A view of the salt lake with the glacier in the background. We'll be visiting the ice sheet tomorrow!!!


The Americans attempt to spell "JSEP". It didn't work so well. >_<


Shelly "Shynes" Hynes, NSF Einstein Fellow, and me! (Rocking the "multiclava" headband!)


The lovely salt lake nestled in its surrounding rocky terrain.


A musk ox footprint on the lake shore (with human prints for scale).


A view into the hills across the lake.


A lone (and very curious) caribou trying to get to the lake (we were in its way).


Looking across a meadow of dwarf willow & birch to see the glacier.


The cozy town of Kangerlussuaq.


The airport


The airstrip (but no LC-130's - I'll try to get one later)


Some "glacier swept" rock faces surrounded by dwarf birch and willow.


Our relative location to the rest of the world (or most of it) :)

Bonus! A few new vocabulary words (with approximate pronunciation):
Haluu [ha-loo] (Greenlandic) - Hello
Morgenmad [Morgen-mad] (Greenlandic) - Breakfast
Frokost (Greenlandic) - Lunch
Aftensmad (Greenlandic) - Dinner

Some fun sentences:
Tuttuttut tututtut tuttutut tututtutut tuttutuuttut. - Dirty reindeer hunters who are eating reindeer as dirty reindeer. (It's like Greenlandic Morse Code!)

Nalunaarasuartaateeranngualiornialikkersaaleraluallaraminngoorasiinngcontaq. - They were talking about making a little telegram station.