18 August, 1997

August 18, 1997

Today started out at C.R.R.E.L. ( Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab) plots which are in the same location as the 1 x 1 km plot of yesterday. They are all located between the DEW line station and Elson Lagoon. The 1 x 1 km grid is part of the A. R. C. S. S. Plots (Arctic System Science which is an N. S. F. project). By the time we finished with the probe depths, we were about 50 m from the lagoon so we walked down to the shore to look around. One of the more interesting things we found was a jelly fish that was about 40 cm across. Jeremy, Anna and I also stopped on the way out to put plastic over two of our experimental sites and to check the control next to them. We put plastic on the surface of point c and about 2 cm below the surface at point b. We now wait for 5 or 6 days to see what is recorded.

The stuff that we walked across includes high center ice polygons and low center polygons. The high centered ones are dry and about 20 m across with a water filled crack between them. The low centered ones have a water filled crack and the central part is also water filled. I managed to find a hole in one of the cracks that was knee deep, the water is cold. Walked the rest of the day with a wet foot. Good thing the boots are insulated and stayed warm.

In the afternoon we visited the I.B. P. Sites ( International Biome Program) along Footprint Creek. These were a different size plot ( 10 x 10 m ) and they were sampled in two transects, one that went from E to W at 1 m intervals and another that went N to S at 1 m intervals. The transect were lines drawn from the middle of the N side through the center to the S and from the E side across to the W side. We did not quite finish so we will have to go back briefly tomorrow.

I tried to reach one of the Barrow High School science teachers today and if I get a chance tomorrow and can reach him, I think that I will try to visit the school tomorrow. Will let you know how it goes tomorrow.